Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Starring Nicholas Cantu, Brady Noon, Shamon Brown Jr., Micah Abbey
Directed by Jeff Rowe

Being a kid from the 80s, there were three toy franchises that I pined for and, being an only child, got. That's "G.I. Joe," "Transformers," and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." All three shaped my childhood and having seen how other adults have - for all intents and purposes - butchered my beloved childhood properties, I was rightfully skeptical of another "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie, especially after seeing the trailer. While the animation looks amazing, it resembles a knock-off of the successful and impactful "Spider-Verse" movies. Maybe it was my already low expectations, but I enjoyed "Mutant Mayhem" enough to not totally give up on this budding new franchise, but also didn't enjoy it enough to be something I'm pining to see again anytime soon.

When Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito) creates an ooze that turns animals into mutants, the government wants it to create their own breed of super soldiers. A canister falls into the sewers where four baby turtles roll around in it, as well as a rat, and they grow up. The rat becomes Splinter (Jackie Chan), who at first wants to integrate him and his little turtles to the outside world, but finds humanity as hostile toward them. He keeps the turtles in the sewers where it's safe, where they grow into teenagers with their own personalities. Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu) is the leader of the group, but also the one who follows the rules strictly. Raphael (Brady Noon) is the hot-headed one who is itching for a fight. Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) is the life of the party, while Donatello (Micah Abbey) is the resourceful, intelligent one. As they scavenge for supplies, they long to live with the humans, but Splinter tells them they can't because they'll be hunted down and "milked" for their secret.

One night they come across young April O'Neil (Ayo Edebiri), who isn't afraid of them because they retrieved the motorbike that was stolen. She gives them hope that they can co-exist if they come across as heroes, and find the perfect way to do it: to stop the mysterious Superfly (Ice Cube) who's been stealing supplies to build something. But when they find Superfly, the turtles learn they're not the only mutants - and Superfly and his group have an offer: help them build a machine that'll turn all animals into mutants and overtake humanity, or try to stop them.


The Good:
"Mutant Mayhem" delivers on its title, but offering a slew of mutants and the mayhem that ensued. I thought it was an interesting choice for this new franchise to begin with mutants as opposed to the Turtles' main nemesis, Shredder, but it worked in the confines of the story. Essentially, at its heart, "Mutant Mayhem" is a coming-of-age story. The turtles are teenagers, and as with every teenager they desire human contact, to explore the world, and not be confined by the rules of their parents. It's a bit different here as they're mutants and wouldn't be accepted in society, but it doesn't stop them from dreaming about what could be. They also feel alone in the world, thinking there's no other mutants out there, so when they find more, they feel a kinship that is based on their mutual situation. Much like how we as humans connect to one another based on our likes, and even our prejudices, so too did the Turtles. That's why there's no Shredder - the movie didn't require it. Instead it added a deeper depth where the Turtles struggle with doing the right thing and joining Superfly and the other mutants to take down humanity (and we all know their ultimate decision).

If this sounds familiar, that's because it's essentially the plot of "X-Men" in all its forms. There's two mutant factions - a good side led by Dr. Xavier who wants to protect humanity, and one led by the evil Magneto who wants humanity destroyed. Humanity in the "X-Men" world also treat humans with hostility, much like the Turtles did, and they're also faced with the same dilemma. So essentially "Mutant Mayhem" is an "X-Men" movie.

The mayhem part comes fast and furious throughout the film. The Turtles I grew up with were teenagers, but they were intelligent. They were late teens at best, while these Turtles are barely teens. This shows in their overall immaturity and youthful vigor, which envelops the story. The animation - much like "Into" and "Across the Spider-Verse" - looks like a comic brought to life, but this one feels like the animator drank fifty Monster drinks before animating. It's loud, active, and moves at a breakneck pace with an inherent speed that really pushes the "mayhem" even when no mayhem is to be had. While fun and attention-seeking, it can also be a bit overbearing and exhausting.

Generally when there's an animated film or series, the voice actors record their lines separate from one another. Here, the cast would gather together to record their lines at the same time, where sometimes up to seven actors would be together recording. It allowed for them to play off each other and improvise in a way that would've been impossible otherwise. Seth Rogen (who voiced Bebop and also served as co-writer and co-producer) said, "for every session, we lumped people together. We really went out of our way and bent over backward to try to capture that improvisational energy you get when a lot of people are in the same place at the same time." This paid off in dividends as you can tell a change in the vocal talents in the film. There's a deeper connection there that you don't hear in other animated films, and it's because of this. Especially the young talented voice actors of the Turtles - Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu and Brady Noon. They played off each others' energy and it shows in their vocal ability, where you felt that they really were brothers who were stuck growing up together apart from anyone else other than their father, and you feel their angst and also their communal sentiment deeply.

Then there's the all-star vocal talent of the supporting cast, who also get their moments to shine. Ayo Edebiri's April is equal parts strong and apprehensive, with an aptly titled nickname that will make sense when you see the movie. Jackie Chan's Splinter is the overbearing father of the century, a rat who has to keep his turtle children safe from what he deems is a dangerous society, while also understanding that they're growing up and want to explore the world. Ice Cube shines as Superfly, the mutant who wants to destroy humanity for the wrongs that they committed. His posse - including John Cena's Rocksteady, Rogen's Bebop, Rose Byrne's Leatherhead, Natasia Dementriou's Wingnut, Austin (Post Malone) Post's Ray Fillet, Hanibal Buress's Genghis Frog, and especially Paul Rudd's Mondo Gecko - also get their moments to shine as well.

The action is fast-paced and exciting, and at a scant 100 minutes, doesn't waste any time getting to it. In a day and age where it seems every film has to be at least two hours and test our patience, "Mutant Mayhem" knows when to come in, and when to go out without overstaying its welcome. The soundtrack is infectious, with upbeat tempos and remixes of songs that'll pump the blood in your veins.


The Bad:
The film's frantic pace, as I said earlier, feels like the animators were high on Monster and in doing so moves the film forward in an extremely fast way. In doing so, it hides the fact that there wasn't much of a story apart from the generic beats a coming-of-age action film like this delivers. There's no deep character development, and at points it feels like something that could've been shown in a miniseries instead of a movie.

The music - while intense and electrifying - sometimes was so loud you couldn't hear what the characters were saying. Even though you could imply it from their actions, it was a bit annoying to try to strain to hear them through the music, like trying to listen to your friend in a crowded club.


The Verdict:
While not as good as the originals (although I'm speaking with a bias), "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" has enough excitement, performance value, and lavish animation to bring out the kid in you, as well as entertain the adult you and the kids you bring to the big screen.


The Score: A