Cowabunga! ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ is franchise’s best ‘since their ’90’s heyday’
On August 2, 2023, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” was released to rave reviews, holding fresh at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics consensus reads, “With its unique visual style and a story that captures the essence of the franchise’s appeal, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ is an animated treat for the whole family.” Read our full review round-up below.
In the film directed by Jeff Rowe and distributed by Paramount Pictures, the iconic group returns to the big screen in the latest reboot of the franchise. This time around, the Turtle brothers work to earn the love of New York City while facing down an army of mutants. The movie was produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver, with the screenplay by Rogen, Goldberg, Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit.
Voicing the iconic teenage turtles are Micah Abbey as Donatello, Shamon Brown Jr. as Michelangelo, Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo and Brady Noon as Raphael. The star-studded ensemble includes Hannibal Buress, Rose Byrne, John Cena, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Ayo Edebiri, Giancarlo Esposito, Post Malone, Paul Rudd and Maya Rudolph.
Jordan Hoffman of The Messenger writes, “This is the seventh TMNT film in a media juggernaut that includes at least four animated series, a slew of video games, a comic book origin and loads of wacky product tie-ins (big ups to the discontinued Hostess pudding pies with green icing.) Likely due to the attuned ear of co-writers and co-producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, not to mention their studio clout, this is a wide release that does something extraordinary — it’s a family-friendly movie in which 15-year-olds actually sound like 15-year-olds.” Hoffman adds, “In addition to the terrific voice-over performances by the leads and the quippy screenplay, Mutant Mayhem follows Spider-Verse’s lead in exploiting the open world of animation.”
Tom Jorgensen of IGN Movies says, “From the start, the movie is far more interested in their relationship with Splinter as a father than as a master, with Splinter’s strong prejudice against humans forcing the Turtles to disobey him so they can be a part of the surface world like they’ve always dreamed. Mutant Mayhem makes the simple, yet seismic choice to do what comparatively few adaptations of Eastman and Laird’s comics have done before and lean into the ‘Teenage’ aspect of the Mutant Ninja Turtles. There’s no going back: the infectious, talky banter the 15-year-old brothers generate amongst themselves and others is effortless and quotable, with an unpredictable dark streak that ensures laughs from all age groups.”
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Matt Maytum of Total Film praises the film, stating, “The latest feature-length iteration – which the marketing tags as from ‘permanent teenager Seth Rogen’, who co-writes, produces, and lends his voice – puts a younger, actually teenage spin on the sewer-dwelling foursome. It’s reinvigorating: this is the Turtles’ most enjoyable outing since their ’90s heyday… Mutant Mayhem is consistently funny, too: sometimes taking jabs at the lore, but always affectionately.”
John Nugent of Empire Magazine writes, “For one, it’s very lovely to look at. Building on the remarkable industry-shaking innovations of ‘Into The Spider-Verse,’ director Jeff Rowe (co-director on the brilliant ‘Mitchells Vs The Machines’) leans even heavier into that scruffy, hand-drawn aesthetic, the scribbled lines heartily embracing teenage-scrapbook imperfection.” Nugent adds, “Perhaps best of all is Jackie Chan as Master Splinter, who transcends the slight sense of stunt-casting with a genuinely warm and funny twist on the mentor character: the kung-fu-master mutant rat, respun as a kind of first-generation immigrant dad, his turtle sons the second-gen kids better at acclimating to a hostile environment.”
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