Seth Rogen’s “Mutant Mayhem” returns TMNT to its roots
By Dominic Leading Fox
Photo of Mutant Mayhem producer Seth Rogen, Creative Commons License
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were born in the gritty sewers of 1980s New York from the creative minds of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Set to the sounds of hip hop and punk rock with a background of violent comic books, TMNT served as a logical creative concoction of the entire decade.
Nearly forty years later, the Turtles have been transformed by commercialization and a massively growing franchise, yet director Jeff Rowe and producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have returned with a Turtles film that seeks to return the franchise to its grimy roots.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is a wonderful ode to all things Ninja Turtles. From the art style to the soundtrack, the movie feels classic. The early ‘90s hip hop to which most of the film is set, boasting names like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, reassures the viewer that this is New York—hip, cool, innovative New York. At one point in the film, a snippet of Vanilla Ice’s “Ninja Rap” can be heard, a song which serves as a monument to the 1991 film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.”
The comic-like art style of “Mutant Mayhem” follows in the same vein as the “Spider-Verse” series. The colors are dark, the lines are sharp and the motion is choppy—like watching a comic in motion. This is something the TMNT adaptations of the 2010s have failed at, either utilizing grossly realistic live-action CGI or the bland, copy-and-paste Nickelodeon 3D animation. The animation of “Mutant Mayhem” reminds us that this incarnation is, first and foremost, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.
The movie constantly reminds the viewer that the main characters are not just the Mutant Ninja Turtles; they are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The voices of Leonardo (Nicholas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Raphael (Brady Noon) and Michaelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), are all younger than any TMNT voices preceding this movie. They use modern slang, do stupid things on camera and wish more than anything to break from the shackles of their home and spread their wings in the real world. “Mutant Mayhem” uses this facet in a highly constructive way; unlike the previous adaptations where Splinter was treated more like a master, “Mutant Mayhem” portrays Splinter more as a father figure. This allows the narrative to explore the meaning of family and the compromises parents make as their children grow into their own. The movie does one thing that no other TMNT movie has ever done; rather than focusing on ninjas, “Mutant Mayhem” focuses on teenagers.
Overall, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is an optimistic look into the future of the TMNT franchise. It’s emotional, funny, dramatic and loaded with likable characters, settings, music, voice actors and more. Most importantly, it reshapes the story with a 2023 context while maintaining the classic Ninja Turtles feel that teenagers fell in love with in 1984, 1990 and beyond. “Mutant Mayhem” is one of the most enjoyable movie experiences of the year, and certainly deserves a watch—from long-time Turtle fans and casual viewers alike.