teenage mutant ninja turtles: mutant mayhem
STARRING: nicolas cantu, micah abbey, seth rogen, and jackie chan
REVIEWER: nick tonkin
After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers. Their new friend, April O'Neil, helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a new adaptation of the classic franchise from directors Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears (The Mitchells vs The Machines) and writers Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Rowe. With strong influence from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Mutant Mayhem is a modern take on the franchise that feels fresh, lively and original.
The young Turtles are on the cusp of society looking in, wishing they could join in on living with humans in the world: go to school, go on dates, play sport and have friends. Their father Splinter (Jackie Chan being brilliant), is determined to keep them in the sewers, safe from humans and the danger that he perceives they pose to his family. However, other mutants led by the imposing but charismatic Superfly, also created from the same ooze as Splinter and the Turtles and designed by the mad scientist Baxter Stockman, have a different plan. The Turtles must decide if camaraderie with their new mutant friends and siding with their plan is worth the danger it poses to the lives of every human on the planet.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem features a fantastic core group of voice actors; the young turtles voiced by these kids are excellent (and really funny), Jackie Chan is great as Splinter and Ice Cube as the villain Superfly is somehow both effortlessly menacing and funny. A stacked cast of talented supporting actors also bolster the film such as: Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil, Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman, the mad scientist who invented the ooze, and Superfly’s crew (Paul Rudd, Post Malone and John Cena to name a few).
The film’s art style and aesthetic is bold and engrossing; it’s clearly influenced by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but distinct from that work’s vivid and masterful interpretation of comic book art in an original way. Mutant Mayhem’s style is colourful, busy, yet grimy which thoroughly suits both its story and the Turtles franchise.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a bold reimagining of the classic franchise with a strikingly original art style, fantastic and extensive roster of voice acting talent and pitch perfect sense of humour.
