Well, everyone, it is now time to review yet another film. Today, we are going to be diving into a world of a certain type of heroes that have been on TV, and have had their own movie spin-offs through the past 3-4 decades since. Well now, these types of reptilian heroes now have their latest theatrical debut that was released earlier this month. That’s right! We are hanging out with the reptilian superhero creatures known as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So now, let’s discuss this 2023 adaptation, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem!
Plot: A mutant rat named Splinter (Jackie Chan) lives in the sewers of New York City as a father figure his four adopted turtle kids, Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michelangelo (Shanon Brown Jr.), Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), and Raphael (Brady Noon). Though Splinter is not trusting of humans, due to having difficult experiences with them, the turtles, also known as the Ninja Turtles, constantly venture out into the human world without letting Splinter known about it. One day, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meet a friendly female human named April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), who is a high school news reporter. With April’s help, can the Turtles, along with Splinter, be accepted into human society without facing fear from the human species?
Now, for the million dollar question! Was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem one of the better adaptations of this story? Well, I’m delighted to tell you all that, other than there being one, or two scenes that were a little too crude, and inappropriate for a family film, yes, it very much was. First of all, the animation looks very similar to that of 2018’s Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse, as well as Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse, which was just released earlier this summer. Yeah, once again, we have a comic book style of animation that was used by Paramount Pictures, and Nickelodeon, instead of Columbia, and Sony Pictures this time around. Once again, for a theatrically released animated film, that’s impressive. Then, there’s the story. Now, some of you may think that this is another TMNT story, yes? Well, I wasn’t as big of a nerd of the movies, or the TV series, as a lot of other people most likely were. So, what do I know? Either way, the story almost felt like something like the Disney show, Gargoyles, but pressed into one movie, instead of three seasons. I bring that up, since both that show, and this new TMNT film seem to feel somewhat similar to each other story wise. Now, for the Gargoyles show, it was probably for the best that it was extended into three seasons. Can the same be said with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem? Thankfully, no! Whereas Gargoyles had quite a few characters to flesh out, and some world building to extend upon, and focus on, this TMNT film didn’t have to do that quite nearly as much. There was also a really good amount of heart to the story too. Then, there’s the characters. First off, there’s the rat, Splinter, who was voiced by Jackie Chan. Honestly, considering that Chan played similar roles in other films, this one suited him really well. Splinter was also a great character, and father figure too. Also, despite this character having the overprotective father cliche, you do understand his motives while watching this film. The Ninja turtles were also really great, and had some great jokes. There’s also April the human, and some other mutant creatures, in addition to the mutant ninja turtles, that were really well fleshed out. Oh, and hopefully without giving anything away, the villain was really great. I won’t say what all he did, but his design, and the way he was handled was really great. For themes, and messages, sure, the whole concept of trusting a race, or an individual, may have been done before. Still, again, it’s very creative with the way it was handled. There’s also the musical score. The rock music, and more makes this score really great, especially when the turtles are either flying around the city, or end up in different battles throughout the film. One other thing to mention is the comedy. Wow, can you say comedy abounding? Finally, this film had plenty of comedy that helped keep the audience engaged even more, whether it was really hilarious lines, or funny moments period.
With all that said, were there any downsides? Well, of course, there were a couple scenes with some humor that was probably a little too crude for children. Second, there were a couple scenes near the end that were a little strange as well. Neither make the movie bad. No, not even close. Still, the movie could have probably done better without them.
And that’s my review for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Mutant Mayhem. It has a fun story, really great, and well-developed characters, a good musical score, great action, and more. Though this film is not quite perfect, there’s still plenty of great stuff to make this worth your while. Are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles nerds bound to enjoy this film more than those who are not as familiar with this franchise? Probably still, the fun elements in this movie should help keep the audience engaged, and really enjoy it one way, or another. So, definitely see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and see what you think!
Final Grade: A-
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 