‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ Review: Turtle Power

A rising tide lifts all boats. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse changed the entire landscape of what animated films could look like, and since its release in 2018 studios have come to embrace more unique animation styles over just trying to be the next Pixar. Film like The Mitchells vs The Machines and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish delivered new and exciting visuals that complimented their stories. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the latest animated film that not only crawls but runs out of the shadow of the animation renaissance that Into the Spider-Verse kicked off. The film oozes fun with gorgeous, action-packed visuals paired with a heartfelt story about family and acceptance. The turtle power has never been stronger.

After coming into contact with a mysterious ooze substance while as babies, four mutated turtles have spent their lives in the sewers under the care of their overprotective rat father Splinter. Now teenagers, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael feel the need to explore the city above them and gain the acceptance of humans. Their plan is to become heroes by hunting down a crime boss named Superfly who has been stealing high end equipment from all over the city. But when Superfly and his gang turn out to be mutants just like them, the teenage turtles have to deal with conflicted feelings of taking down creatures who are just like them.

As someone who grew up watching the films and cartoons and playing the video games, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the first time the turtle brothers actually feel like real teenagers. They’ve been raised to be secretive ninja fighters by Master Splinter, but at heart they’re still immature teens who are more infatuated with their cellphones, breaking curfew, and doing whatever they think will make them look cool in the eyes of others. Like all people of that age, their still forming their identity. Ralph is hot-headed and quick to anger. Leo wants to lead but his brothers can’t take him seriously. Don is shy but a wiz with technology. And Mikey looks for humor in any given situation.

As expected, the humor itself is skewed towards a younger audience. The turtles use words like sus and other lingo that is pulled from this generation of teens. These aren’t my generation’s ninja turtles. These are turtles who grew up with social media, creating memes, and watching twerking videos on TikTok. There are a handful of scenes that made me feel old and out of touch. That may sound scary and off-putting for someone who grew up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise but the core elements are still there. Not all the humor lands, but it doesn’t have to. There is still plenty of jokes and references to to things older Turtle fans will get a kick out of. Plus the action and animation are all top notch so even if you’re not constantly laughing, you’ll still be blown away by what’s on screen.

The visuals are absolutely stunning with a strong emphasis on color and linework that really make everything pop out of the screen. There’s a chaotic beauty to the animation. Colors bleed outside the lines, which they themselves are imperfect as well. There’s a freedom to the animation that brings the city of New York to life and makes it feel real and lived in. It matches the way the action scenes effortlessly flow from one moment to the next. Every frame is beautiful in its own way, and feels like a watercolor painting come to life with vibrant colors that pop and jump off the screen. There can be a lot going on so it can be easy to miss something too. Thankfully this is one film you’ll want to watch over and over again.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem reminded me of what it felt like to be a kid again. It’s a great introduction for new younger audiences, and at the same time hits older fans with a comforting wave of nostalgia. Even more so, the film leaves plenty of room for the franchise to grow. Mutant Mayhem triumphantly emerges from the sewers with one of the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle adaptations we’ve had in a long time. Cowa-freakin-bunga!