A One Mann’s Movies review of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” (2023).
The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” have been trotted out to the cinema for each new generation of kids. Looking at IMDB, there have been films in 1990 (then sequels in 1991 and 1993), 2009, 2014 (and then 2016) and as recently as last year’s “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie” on Netflix. And that’s not counting the numerous TV cartoon series.
Now Seth Rogan (“Permanent Teenager” as the trailer has tagged him) brings us a new origin story adventure with “Mutant Mayhem”. It’s clearly trying to “do a Spiderverse”, after the success of the recent “Across the Spiderverse” animated classic. It doesn’t get there, but it does have a certain amount of style nevertheless.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Bob the Movie Man Rating for the Target Audience:
Plot Summary:
Mutant Master Splinter (aka ‘Rat-man’) (Jackie Chan) has raised his four mutant turtle offspring in the sewers of New York to mistrust all humans. “You’ll be captured and milked” he warns (even though turtles don’t seem to have nipples). But when a rogue league of mutants, led by Super-fly (Ice Cube), is hell-bent on creating a master mutant race to take over the earth, Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Raphael (Brady Noon) Donatello (Micah Abbey) and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) team up with schoolgirl reporter April O’Neill (Ayo Edebiri) to fight back.
Certification:
UK: PG; US: PG. (From the BBFC web site: “Mild violence, language, threat, rude humour”.)
Talent:
Starring: Jackie Chan, Ayo Edebiri, Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Ice Cube, Rose Byrne, Natasia Demetriou, John Cena, Seth Rogan, Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph.
Directed by: Jeff Rowe & Kyler Spears.
Written by: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez & Benji Samit. (Based on a story by Brendan O’Brien, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg & Jeff Rowe.
Twitter Handle: #TMNTMovie.
April and the Turtles discuss strategy. (Source: Paramount Pictures).
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” Review:
Positives:
- While the animation is not at the level of innovation we saw in “Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse“, it’s really not too shabby. It’s mostly of a common approach, apart from a backstory element which is done in a much more ‘schoolboyish’ blocky approach. But it’s very effective.
- I’m not the target audience for this film. I’d say that would be action-loving kids in the 7 to 12 age range. But I think those kids will love the action and adventure in this (I have already recommended it to my older grandkids). The film gets “crashy and bangy” (as Dr Mark Kermode might say) in the finale, which I personally found a bit tiresome but will likely delight the ‘target audience’.
- A key question for parents is “Is this going to be bearable for me?” And the answer is “Yes”. There are a number of funny lines included in there which only adults and some that film-lovers will get. I laughed out loud a few times. The turtles are admirers of “Ferris Bueller”, and what could be wrong with that?
- There’s a cracking music score by the trusty duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross: the end-titles music is varied and very entertaining.
Negatives:
- I personally found the ‘comic’ interchange between the Teenage Turtles as irritating as – well – teenagers can be when they are noisy and exciteable.
- It suffers from the “Oppenheimer” problem, in that the soundtrack is so loud and crashy-bangy that some of the dialogue during those scenes is completely lost in the noise.
Monkeys
There is a significant mid-credit “monkey” that sets up things for an obvious sequel. But there is no end-credit monkey.
Summary Thoughts on “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”
This is a solid, well-made animated story that will keep the kids busy for an afternoon during the summer holidays. I can’t claim I didn’t look at my watch a couple of times (and it’s only 99 minutes), but it’s not the sewer-outflow of a movie that I was half expecting.
[fblike]
Trailer for “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHvzw4Ibuho .
Subscribe
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to One Mann’s Movies to receive future reviews by email right here. No salesman will call!
This review kinda sucks. Not sure how old you are but I’m gonna assume Gen X or older. The music is great. You just don’t know it. The end credits song is by A Tribe Called Quest. You probably haven’t a clue and that’s ok but many people like myself that not only grew up on TMNT but also grew up on songs by them and ODB (Shimmy Shimmy Ya). The humor in the movie was great and YES….kinda like listening to teenagers cause…..hmm…they are teenagers! You’re probably not someone I’d invite to parties. 🤙
I’m 62, so you’re right (but you don’t have to be rude about it).
And I thought the music was great too and said so!
The film was “OK” but not for me – if it was for you then bully for you.
Btw, my grandkids who saw it were not impressed, so I would revise my “kids” rating down, not up.
How the heck did they milk them turtles?! I am watching the movie right now. Bruh, HOW?!