Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Review

Theatrical Movie Review - Animation

When I was in high school, my crush was a huge Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan. But he was interested in one of my best friends and invited her to go see the 1990 movie with him, so I’ve always carried a bit of a bias against these half-shelled heroes. But I am a grown, married woman now, so I have put aside my previous bias to go see Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears’ new film, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.”

Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Raphael (Brady Noon), Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), and Donatello (Micah Abbey) are fifteen-year-old mutant turtles who are desperate to be a part of the human world. Unfortunately, their father Splinter (Jackie Chan) is convinced that the humans will hate them, so he forces them to stay in the sewers with him. Meanwhile, the mysterious villain Superfly (Ice Cube) is collecting items from around the city to build some sinister machine. The boys team up with April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri) to figure out how to stop him, and maybe gain the admiration of the rest of the world in the process.

While I don’t think I am the target demographic for this movie, I really enjoyed it. The animation in this is super unique and interesting to watch. It has a really messy kind of look that blends seamlessly with the 3D elements that keeps the viewer engaged throughout. I really appreciate it when studios take chances with unique animation styles. I love the super clean look that Pixar gave us, but I think the more variety we have, the more fun it is for audiences.

The voice acting in this is great. All of the young actors did a fantastic job voicing the turtles and I loved the way they captured the energy of kids trying to figure out how they fit into a world that looks at them suspiciously. The cast of characters is long and prestigious and the performances are all really fun. Coupled with the animation, everything felt like it really came to life for me. They even introduce a fresh new talent who will definitely take off after this movie, but you need to pay attention to the credits for that one.

The story is fine. There is nothing ground-breaking about it, but it’s a nice story about belonging and figuring out how to honor parents while also forging your own path. There was a little more gross-out humor than I like, but we are dealing with sewer-dwelling teenagers, so it didn’t feel out of place. You might not leave the movie feeling inspired by the storytelling, but for a movie solidly aimed at kids, I think it works well.

This was a fun movie and a great way to spend some time with your kids at the theater. Or you could take the best friend of the girl who has a crush on you. Whatever, Sean, it’s fine.

This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on August 6, 2023.