RECENT WATCHES: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)

From my lofty position as a “geriatric millennial,”  I have seen the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise evolve through far more iterations than I ever expected. After the heady heights of Turtle-Mania in the early nineties, when Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's scrappy indie comic had become a massive pop culture phenomenon, the series seemed to retreat from the public eye, the way any fad does eventually. By the time the frankly embarrassing "The Next Mutation" was airing, being into TMNT was just about the lamest thing possible. Yet, surprisingly, the Turtles have become one of those kid brands that continuously get resurrected every few years. Since my own childhood, I've seen three new television series and four additional theatrical films join the franchise. The latest of which is "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," only the second animated film in the series to hit theaters. Fascinatingly, the Heroes on the Half-Shell have gone through just about every step of the reboot cycle, arriving back at the goofy, kid-friendly phase.

Many things change but some elements remain consistent. The turtles always became mutants thanks to a mysterious green ooze. They are always Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michaelangelo. They always live in the New York sewers with their father figure, Splinter the Rat. In "Mutant Mayhem," the boys long to join human society, feeling cloistered by the secretive life style their father insists on. When a villain called Superfly begins to torment the city, the Turtles see their chance to become heroes and be accepted by humanity. This goal gets closer as they become friends with April O'Neil, a teenage reporter determined to crack the Superfly case. Yet the Ninja Teens are shocked to discover that Superfly is, like them, a mutated animal with a whole gang of similar partners. The young heroes must decide if they want to help the villain fulfill his grudge against humanity or fight for what's right.

Not too long ago, I opined that "Into the Spider-Verse"  is one of the most immediately influential films in animation history. "Mutant Mayhem" is the latest entry in the growing list of high-profile projects to emulate that movie's combination of CGI and traditional animation techniques. Here, this manifests as a painterly style, colorful and slightly messy strokes visible on just about every surface and character. The result combines the fluidity of CGI animation with the personality and artistry of hand-drawn works. This invokes the Turtles' roots as a gritty, home-made indie comic. The character designs in "Mutant Mayhem" are lovably grotesque, with bulging eyes, a diversity of body shapes, and innumerable little details and quirks. This universe feels lived-in, a fully realized New York full of gunk and graffiti. The characters have a somewhat sketchy quality to them that feels unique on the modern, big budget animation landscape.

This combination of styles is, naturally, a great fit for some amusingly chaotic action sequences. The highlight of the film is a montage, which breathlessly cuts between the Turtles cracking down on various criminal elements, which represents the animation team truly flexing their muscles. This style lends itself as much to physical comedy as it does thrills though. Another notable moment is a delightfully goofy car chase, set to one of the film's many nostalgic needle drops. (This scene is also the closest we're likely to ever get to a big screen TMNT/Masters of the Universe crossover.) You also see this approach in a close-quarters scuffle in an auto shop, representing the turtles' first awkward steps towards becoming crime-fighters. The peak of this fusion of comedy and action occurs when Splinter – lovingly voiced by Jackie Chan – emerges from his hiding place to help his boys. The resulting scene pays homage to Chan's history as an action cinema innovator in a truly unexpected and fantastically giddy fashion.

What truly differentiates each iteration of the Turtles from each other are how they approach the titular terrapins. "Mutant Mayhem" emphasizes the “Teenage” part the most. The four reptile martial artists long to be accepted, to attend high school like normal kids. They goof around and tell silly jokes. Leonardo harbors an awkward crush on April while Raphael deals with unbridled emotions. In what can be seen as either an obnoxious attempt to make these almost forty year old characters appeal to the modern youths, or a decent leap at updating things, the Turtles are often on their cellphones. They watch Youtube videos. Mikey twerks in one scene. Whether you find modern pop culture references like this – there are many – fitting or annoying depends on your tolerance for zoomer antics, I suppose. More often than not, I thought it was cute. 

If I have any problem with the movie, it's not that the story strays too much from established “Turtles” lore. Instead, I find the script to be a little too linear in its construction. Each member of the cast has a structured character arc. Raph has to learn to handle his rage. Donnie masters his driving skills. April overcomes her fear of being on-camera. Splinter learns to be a better, more open dad. It's all a little too compact and fine-tuned, in my opinion. This even extends to the residence of New York City, who learn a valuable lesson about acceptance in a last act that felt a bit overextended and belabored. 

Still, “Mutant Mayhem” is mostly a highly entertaining motion picture. For long time Turtle Fanatics like myself, there's plenty of nods to the franchise's long history. It's a hoot to see long-loved characters like Mondo Gecko or Wingnut finally on-screen, even re-imagined in these highly new variations. (The former, voiced by Paul Rudd, is especially amusing.) Animation fans are likely to have a good time with this and I imagine kids will dig the fast-paced action and storytelling. Obviously, plenty of breadcrumbs are left for a sequel and, considering the movie's positive reception and decent box office, hopefully we'll get more “Mayhem” soon enough. [7/10]