Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem – Remixing The Turtles

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are one of the most popular franchises in pop culture history. There have been numerous retellings of their backstory and interpretations of the heroes in a half-shell, for better or worse. But while it was good that many versions of the turtles were faithful to the original Eastman and Laird comics or the 80s cartoon, at some point things need to get mixed up. It’s not enough to retell the same backstory from a different lens, the characters and their stories need to move forward into a different direction towards something new and interesting. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem does this and is still able to maintain a fun story that turtle fans old and new will be able to enjoy. It’s not just a heartfelt and emotional action story, but a movie with a visual style that is fun to look at and holds reverence for the legacy of TMNT.

Mutant Mayhem takes the turtles back to their early years, showing the four heroes as teenagers as they live in the sewers and dream about being accepted by humans in the real world. The backstory of the team is similar to what we know from nearly every other version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but with a few changes that lend credence to this story. The turtles were mutated by the ooze from TCRI, as well as their adopted father Master Splinter who tries to shield them from the outside world. But as with most teens growing up, the turtles get curious and explore the world above, leading them to cross paths with April O’Neil. The group works together to find a criminal menace known as Superfly, a mutant that leads other mutants in criminal heists for a hidden purpose. Eventually, the turtles learn how harsh the real world isn’t as simple as they believed and it forces them to step into the light and save New York City from a growing threat.

The movie has a great visual style that is reminiscent of the original TMNT comics, with its stylized edges and gritty vibe. But the presentation of the movie also feels like it could fit with classic 90s Nickelodeon cartoons and advertisements, where the characters and backgrounds have a fun and edgy look to them. Moments that have a grotesque tone or show something disgusting often look comedic, despite being darker in some cases. The movie isn’t afraid to be lighthearted and fun while balancing the darker undertones and subject matter that classic TMNT stories have tackled in the past. Each of the turtles has a distinct look to them that reflect their personalities and have a wide range of emotions in nearly every scene they’re in, both fun and serious. The same can be said for almost every other character in the movie, but the turtles definitely stand out from everyone else in the best ways.

Many aspects of the origin of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are tweaked in this movie but for the better of the story. Hardcore Turtles fans may not like some of the changes or the designs for a few classic characters, including a few that will be a big surprise. But if you go along with the story and don’t harp on the changes you’ll end up enjoying the emotion and fun ride that Mutant Mayhem takes you on.

A major part of the turtle’s origins was their training in martial arts, which is given a complete change in a way that is clever and works with the lighthearted tone this story is going for. Master Splinter isn’t shown to have a deep connection with martial arts, but the reason given for his training of the turtles is one that plays very heavily into the movie’s overarching themes. It tries something very different with TMNT that we haven’t seen before, and it works out very well.

The same can be said with many of the big events that happen in the movie. The main antagonist of the story is Superfly and his minions, which keeps the focus on mutants and the central theme of acceptance between the turtles and the challenges they face. Normally we’d see things like The Foot clan or the Utroms get injected into the conflict somehow, but it’s to see a TMNT story that gets away from that and focus on something different. That being said, the ending of the movie points in a direction that we can see this version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles going towards that makes perfect sense. So TMNT fans hoping to see more traditional parts of TMNT lore will be happy to know that this movie lays a great foundation and sets up interesting things down the line.

Luckily, the voices chosen for every character fit well and help make everything else come together. Each of the turtles is voiced by a teenager, which is very different than past TMNT iterations. Nicolas Cantu, Micah Abbey, Brady Noon, and Ayo Edebiri all have great comedic chemistry together when the turtles are bantering with each other, leading to some funny moments that will definitely make you laugh. But the rest of the voice cast does a great job as well, despite never having the same impact that the core group does together.

Jackie Chan as Splinter is both goofy and silly in many moments, especially when scolding his sons. But the old rat has some very cool action moments that fit well with Jackie Chan playing the voice, paying homage to the actor’s legacy in martial arts films and comedic prowess. Ayo Edebiri does the voice of April O’Neil and has solid timing when interacting with the turtles, especially when things get tense and the group is in trouble. The back n’ forth between her and characters like Leonardo are heartwarming and funny in many ways.

Out of the entire voice cast, the only ones that don’t have as much impact are Superfly, Bebop, and Rocksteady. Ice Cube voices Superfly and sounds exactly as you would think. Ice Cube’s voice is so distinct that it stands out too much in every scene, often feeling like it’s just Ice Cube in the moment as opposed to the character.

At the same time, both Bebop and Rocksteady, voiced by Seth Rogan and John Cena respectively, don’t feel utilized as much as they should. The characters have such a big part in the legacy of TMNT that one would’ve expected to see them more involved with the conflict. They only appear for a short time in the overall story and aren’t like their previous iterations. Other characters that are pulled directly from TMNT lore are handled in the same way, but their significance will most likely be explored in a sequel or future projects involving this version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

As a whole, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a fun story that attempts to be something a little different than what we’ve seen before. It has various changes to the backstory we know but also comes with a fun story that uses the changes for a purpose. Even if you’re not a big TMNT fan who knows the comics or cartoons, you can have a fun time watching this movie and getting into the franchise. Those who have followed the turtles for years will feel different ways about some of the changes made here, but they’ll definitely have a new version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for them to enjoy that adds new and exciting things to the ongoing legacy of the series they love.

What do you think of TMNT: Mutant Mayhem? Are you a big fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Will you be seeing this movie anytime soon because of it? Let us know your thoughts about everything in the comments down below!