‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ Reinvigorates the Franchise

Alci Rengifo

Proving once again that animation is the freest medium possible in film, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” plays around with a new take on the adolescent reptile heroes that is refreshing and energetic. Following recent revivals of characters like Spider-Man, this movie returns to some key basics of the premise. Previous attempts always put the martial arts ahead of the idea that at heart this is a teen story. The ninja turtles as characters predate the term YA, but that’s a genre where they easily fit in even as they battle giant mutants menacing New York City. There’s nothing like toxic ooze and monsters to channel the anxieties of trying to fit in at a new high school or getting over a crush.

Directors Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears opt for a brand new look that gives the impression the movie was animated by pizza-loving teenagers during a lunch break at school. It’s absolutely appropriate considering the turtles are still pizza-loving teens. But before we catch up with them the scenery belongs to Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito), a mad scientist creating the infamous glowing green ooze responsible for the origins of our heroes. He’s testing it out on lab subjects, including a loving big fly. After an incident during which the ooze spills, we cut to the present where the turtles are reintroduced. Depending on your age range, you might know the lineup by heart. They remain Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), and Raphael (Brady Noon). Their parental guardian is still the rat Splinter (Jackie Chan), who trained the turtles in the ways of martial arts. Eager to know more about the human world, the turtles befriend April (Ayo Edebiri), a high schooler who wants to do journalism. They need to band together to stop the menacing plans of another mutant who wants vengeance against humankind, Superfly (Ice Cube).

“Mutant Mayhem” bridges the nostalgic love for “TMNT” with particular ways to introduce the franchise to new audiences. The generational attachment to the turtles is evident in Seth Rogen being both producer and co-writer of the screenplay with Evan Goldberg and Jeff Rowe. Rogen also voices Bebop, one of the mutants following Superfly. Yet, the producing team avoids retreading too much to what has been done before in the 1990s live-action movies, the first of which is still a gritty guilty pleasure, a digitally animated entry in 2007, and the Michael Bay-produced CGI romps of the 2010s. Remember before all of that, “TMNT” began as a 1980s comic book and cartoon TV show. As funny as it may sound, this one shifts the mold by becoming a bit more grounded. The turtles are even more naïve teens than slick warriors. Splinter no longer has the background of a martial arts master. In this version, he gets the turtles into training after being tragically rejected by the human world during an outing, shown in a rather moving flashback.

Also keeping the story very plausible is April O’Neil reimagined as a school newspaper geek and not the TV news anchor or archaeologist of past movies. Now she truly feels like a full member of the group, and it makes an eventual crush from Leonardo have higher stakes than just the younger teens swooning over Megan Fox or Judith Hoag. The relationship with Splinter has richer layers as well. He instructs them in staying invisible, while still having a love for pizza, out of a hostile prejudice towards humans. He’s the overprotective parent who gives in to his own paranoias out of scarring experiences. Superfly as well is driven by maniacal schemes derived from a hate for humans generated out of fear. In many ways, “Mutant Mayhem” is the first sign of the positive influence on animation stemming from the recent success of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and its astounding sequel “Across the Spider-Verse,” which is one of the decade’s great animated films. These movies have opened the door to a fine balance between family entertainment and darker, deeper subject matter the adults will comprehend more fully. 

“Mutant Mayhem” is shorter and lighter than the “Spider-Verse” movies, but it carries on the spirit of delivering an experience where the animation completes the effect with its soaring inventiveness. Different styles are mixed around, always circling back to the colorful, semi-sketch central tone of the whole movie. The culmination of the plot will be familiar but fun. The green ooze gets into the wrong places and a whole new monstrous threat emerges for the third act combining the body of a fly with many other, delightfully gross and odd elements. Superfly’s villainous crew includes Genghis Frog (Hannibal Buress), Leatherhead (Rose Byrne), Rocksteady (John Cena), Wingnut (Natasia Demetriou), Ray Fillet (Post Malone) and Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd). All are designed to be mutations that swing between comedy and surrealism. Wingnut is a lovably babbling maniac. And by the end, the even greater challenge is how the turtles can achieve their dream of attending high school. Some of us would prefer to go fight super villains than have to endure the experience of walking down those halls again, and April would agree. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross deliver one of their most kinetic yet tender film scores. “Mutant Mayhem” ends on just the right note, providing a nice escape from the weather for families who want a good diet of creativity, teen angst, mutant action and of course, pizza.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” releases Aug. 2 in theaters nationwide.