Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the story of four brothers trying to find their place in the world. Fifteen years ago, Dr. Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito) discovered a way to enhance animals’ physical and cognitive abilities using a mutagen. After a failed attempt to keep the ooze out of the wrong hands, a batch of it ended up in the New York City sewers. Specifically, the mysterious slime came into contact with a rat named Splinter (Jackie Chan) and four young turtles. Once anthropomorphized, Splinter began to care for the tortoises as if they were his own four sons. In addition, Splinter teaches them various forms of ninjutsu in case his boys ever have to defend themselves. Now teenagers, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo dream about what life would be like on the surface as they begin to venture out into the world.
What works in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the fantastic energy and humor. Director Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. the Machines) collaborates with writer Seth Rogan (Superbad, This is the End) to create a fresh, new, comedic take on this iconic franchise. The main deviation in Mutant Mayhem when compared to other TMNT iterations is the focus on teenage life. Here, the Turtles simply long for the experiences their human counterparts have. They want to go to high school, see movies, and date. Their worldview is a mix of extreme hope and naivety, which is a highly amusing perspective for an action/adventure romp. These turtles think they are invincible (like most teenagers), and thus get into some hilarious situations as they dabble in crime fighting in the hopes of being liked and accepted as heroes.
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Audiences disinterested in teenage comedies may not enjoy Mutant Mayhem as much as others. While the film has a surprising amount of heart and messages about family, there’s also a whole bunch of juvenile jokes as well. For example, if extreme vomiting isn’t your thing you may need to look away at one point (even though the incredible animation tempers stuff like this down). Furthermore, while Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a standalone movie and perfectly fine entry into the franchise, those more familiar with the property will likely get more out of the film. Many of the secondary characters come directly from the comics and/or original 1980’s television show, serving as nice homages to the movies and shows before it.
Mutant Mayhem is an absolute must-see for any TMNT fan, as it currently serves as easily the best adaptation of the material. It’s also gorgeous. On top of a wildly creative and entertaining script, Mutant Mayhem is a visual delight as it often looks like drawings and paintings come to life. For all of these reasons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem comes highly recommended as a wonderful epilogue to an epic summer of movies.
Recommended if you Enjoyed: Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, The Mitchells vs. The Machines
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is available exclusively in theaters starting on August 4th.
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