Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) User Reviews (425)

Visually appealing, but the story is bland

[MissSimonetta · 6/10 · 3 August 2023]

I didn't hate this movie, but aside from the animation style (I'm loving this new trend of blending traditional and CG-- also, I love how no one was designed to be necessarily cute or appealing save for the turtles) this is a pretty generic kids' movie. The story is honestly a bit of a mess (we have two villains, one of which is only there to set up the inevitable sequel, the other only elevated by Ice Cube's entertaining performance and a creepy character design) and the dialogue is so packed with pop culture references that it became tiresome.

As a TMNT outing, the film's biggest flaw is how the turtles all sound the same. The core of the everlasting appeal of the TMNT franchise is the give and take between the four brothers: Leonardo is serious due to his high expectations for himself, Raphael is a hothead with anger issues, Michelangelo loves partying to the detriment of his concentration, and Donatello is a geek who "does machines," to quote the '87 theme song. The best TMNT outings play up these differences, creating both tension and affection among the turtles. Here, these traits are downplayed so all the turtles can be loud, pop culture-spewing kids with ADHD. A lot of people have praised how they feel like "real teens," and yes, some teens are like this, but it ignores that teenagers are not one size fits all in terms of personality.

A few good things: while I prefer my Splinters to be wise and mature, Jackie Chan's paranoid Splinter cracked me up consistently. I also liked this new April more than I expected to. I prefer April to be an older sister figure to the turtles as she was in the 1987 and 2003 shows, and in the classic 1990 film. Lately, there seems to be more of a push to have April as a teenage friend/love interest, which I don't often like. I thought that was done well here though and I thought her chemistry with the turtles was excellent, their budding friendship very natural.

The group I went with (which included some massive TMNT fans) enjoyed the movie, but I just expect more out of family films these days. With PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH and the SPIDERVERSE films, we deserve family animation with more heart and originality than the likes of MUTANT MAYHEM or THE SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE, both very attractive films with little else to offer. I still say the 1990 TMNT movie is the definitive big screen take: it had humor, great character dynamics, a gritty NYC aesthetic, and a tense finale. It's a great film that takes itself seriously, even when the filmmakers could have phoned it in and still gotten a hefty payday from box office receipts. I really wish the newer TMNT films would do likewise.

Enjoyable enough ride but falls short overall

[dalesimmance · 6/10 · 6 August 2023]

Things I liked:

I liked that they used actual teen actors for the turtles for the first time, and getting them to record at the same time created a natural, but at times chaotic and difficult to decipher, dialogue.

Splinter's character was more fatherly and less focused on the strict sensei/teacher role.

Superfly was a decent central villain with a bit of a backstory. He was kind of likeable to start with and turned quite dark and psychotic. Well acted by Ice Cube and gave the character some depth.

The action set pieces were exciting and fast paced.

The art style is different enough to make it visually interesting and the colours pop.

A decent soundtrack of East coast hip-hop tunes.

Things I didn't like:

April is supposed to be a vulnerable teen who is a victim of bullying, but she came across a little annoying and arrogant, with an attitude, making it difficult to warm to her.

Michelangelo wasn't "Mikey" enough, not the silly 'party dude'. Donatello didn't 'do machines' either, no gadgets or creations. There was a definite lack of distinction between the individual turtles personalities.

Many of the villains felt under used and had little screen time. With dialogue often difficult to hear clearly due to background music or sounds. They also seemed very easily swayed over their allegiance.

The origin story was changed and didn't make as much sense, but I guess it meant that they could drop Shredder and skim over it in 5 mins.

Love it or hate it, the art style is different enough to appreciate, but I hated the use of real world footage at the movie and on YouTube. It snapped you out of the world they had created. At one point I thought the cinema had randomly started playing a different film.

Some blatant product placement.

Deliberate gender and race swapping, that felt forced to appease the Hollywood quotas, and often failed to hit the mark.

Some poorly forced 'jokes' and cultural references that were often over pushed and quite literally 'milked'.

Big fan

[Mr-Fusion · 8/10 · 15 August 2023]

Pretty much everything I've wanted in a TMNT movie for decades, just a ton of fun in the theater. I'm as surprised as anybody that we have Seth Rogen to thank for this, but hey, whatever works. And there's plenty to be said about the art style borrowing from the Spiderverse movies, but it just fits. The Animation is vibrant, kinetic and absolutely lends itself to both the action and the humor. The whole movie looks like the margin drawings of a high schooler's notebook, that unrefined pencil and marker aesthetic.

For me, the biggest present under this Christmas tree is the age-appropriate cast. Their chemistry is incredible and the turtles actually sound and feel like teenagers for once. As much as I gravitate towards Mikey in any given iteration, Donatello had all of the killer one-liners here; I loved Micah Abbey's performance.

Maybe it's because of this Summer's frustrating movie season, but I left the theater with a real high after this. If the turtles needed a reboot, this was the way to go, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. Even that feels like an understatement ... I had a blast!

Wonderful animation!

[jp_91 · 7/10 · 23 August 2023]

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" is the new film based on the acclaimed cartoon that aired from the late '80s to the mid-'90s, both animated and live action film adaptations had previously been made, this new film stands out with its computer animation mixed with some scenes based on the look of a comic, in addition to the excellent use of shadows and colors. The script is common telling the story of people trying to fit in and family relationships, all from a mutant perspective. The soundtrack is good, having an eighties style in some of its compositions. A well-made film, with an unoriginal script but wonderful animation.

An unexpected delight

[ta-98251 · 8/10 · 11 September 2023]

Firstly, the animation for this film is exceptional. A truly unique depiction of New York. It's gritty, it's rugged but it also feel inviting. The scenic images and close up character shots feels like they have been ripped from the pages of a comic book.

Whilst this may be an origin movie, the film is well paced and doesn't dwell on any one area for too long. After an introduction and 15 year time jump, we quickly get to understand the feelings and motivations of the characters which drive the plot in a natural manner.

As a result the characters feel real which make for interesting on screen interactions. Splinter is an overly protective Father whilst the turtles are teenagers trying to grow out of their shells. Set in modern day New York, these Teenage Turtles are up to speed with pop culture which leads to funny one liners, easter eggs and mentions.

The voice acting is great all round. Ice Cube is fantastic as Superfly, a street wise villain with a disdain for humans. At its heart, TMNT: Ninja Mayhem is a film about fitting it, growth and acceptance between amongst both humans and 'mutants'. This results in a perfect mix of a fun, comedy and a heartfelt story which can be enjoyed by everybody young and old.

Great but something's missing...

[melonhulkhead · 7/10 · 2 August 2023]

I think from the initial teaser I could tell this was gonna be an amazing animated movie since it adopted the "Spiderverse" style fantastically aswell as adding its own charm. And after watching it I can safely say that it is...almost amazing.

First of all, the animation is very clearly gorgeous and was another great addition to the animated Disney rebellion we've been having over the past few years. The action sequences were also very good and expressed each characters unique fighting style very well. The voice acting was also surprisingly amazing from both the main 4 characters and the villains. The comedy was solid it didn't really have much that made me laugh out loud but at least it consistently made me smile. The story was actually very good aswell. Sure it's got the cliche "I want to be accepted in society" plot line but they actually do a good job at making me feel for these characters during just the first 15 minutes of the movie. The script was...well it was mostly good (I'll explain the issues later). The chemistry between the brothers is great and the villain's dialogue was amazing. So from the sound of it this movie is amazing, right?

Well a couple of issues I had like I mentioned before was the script. So for a large portion of the movie they kept adding as many pop culture references as possible within their speech mentioning a huge range of movies and shows specifically like Attack On Titan. Whilst these are fun at first, it just keeps happening again and again and like I get it they're all nerds but just calm down a bit.

Also one of the main problems I had was the music. You have these big over the top colourful action sequences yet you're listening to the most boring emotionless music on top of them. WHY? They had a massive opportunity to create something unbelievably special to rival something like Spiderverse yet kept the music to a minimum. I've always said that music can make or break a scene. You can have one of the greatest scenes visually in cinematic history but if the music misses and doesn't match with the emotion of the scene, it DRASTICALLY reduces the quality of that scene. I felt next to no emotion during most of the climax since the music was just boring and didn't really feel like there was any build up.

The other big problem was the lack of character arcs within each brother. I get that they're all in this together but I would have liked to see some specific character moments in the climax that act as pay offs to their own characters. We did get a great character moment for Splinter but that's about it.

Overall this movie is just a very fun and unique movie with a somewhat lack of emotional depth. The characters are solid and help to create an engaging quite funny story. Solid 7/10. Could have been an 8 if the music was improved.

Turtles!

[mariussigurdsen · 10/10 · 29 September 2023]

As a 35 year old that watched turtles when I was young this is an amazing movie.

It got the humor, the cool weapons and each personality down. I also liked the way they designed each turtle, for me it fits. The story was also pretty engaging and unturtles like, which I didn't mind. I think it actually made the whole movie a bit more exciting and unpredictable.

The voice actors were very good and Jackie Chan as Splinter was amazing.

What makes it an absolute 10 is the amazing artwork. I could pause every frame and make it into a poster. The smooth blend between 3D and hand drawn is absolutely stunning.

If you like the Turtles, without a question, young and old, you will like it. If you don't, watch it still for the amazing artwork.

My hopes were probably too high

[Swede_86 · 6/10 · 1 August 2023]

Good evening,

I don't usually leave reviews but I felt impelled to after seeing this film.

I'm a big turtles fan, I was a kid during turtlemania. Team Mikey personally. However, where The TV series seem to be able to do it the films just don't.

But this one, sigh...this one looked like it might just be amazing. 'Written by fans' always fills me with hope, and it's by no means an awful film, but there are too many bits that grated.

In no particular order:

The turtle brothers' personalities aren't as clearly defined in this version, in my opinion. To be fair I thought Leo was pretty well done, a bit more mature than the others, level headed. And Raph, hot head, fists firsts, decent. Mike and D though...Donatello liked anime...Mikey liked improv......I thought this aspect of the writing was lazy, especially since the characters were already written for them!!

Splinter...Not Japanese, not a ninja master (or the pet rat of a ninja master)...seemingly a Chinese rat who taught the turtles ninja skills off of YouTube or summat! I get it, it's a tongue in cheek version of summat that itself was a tongue in cheek version of something else. But still...being a ninja is more than just the fighting, and personally I prefer the wisdom of the usual Splinter. Just another change that doesn't need to exist...in some ways it's a distraction in the story that needs explaining.

Bebop and Rocksteady are friendly mutants...I'll just leave that there...

There was other stuff, but for me these are basics. Turtles already has a solid foundation, just a bit more imagination and they could've been put in a great story,,,and dare I say a bit more effort and it could've been a better script, not as funny or clever as I'd hoped it would be.

Good bits...thought it was cast well, particularly the turtles. Good camaraderie. Paul Rudd always delivers.

The animation was fantastic. I'm a bit of an animation nerd and this was right up my street. Shout out to spiderverse too which is an example of some groundbreaking animation but spiderverse also nailed it on story and character and everything really.

The fight scene against the baddies who stole April's bike was brilliant, in fact a lot of the action scenes were pretty great, there just weren't enough of them.

Now...I've been quite dour about it...and like I say, it's OK, just not good enough in my opinion. However, I got straight on the internet when I got home to check if there was a sequel and apparently there is. There'll be a TV series which acts as a bridge between this film and the sequel. So, without the benefit of future hindsight or present foresight, there's a chance all this can be saved, maybe this film is just a warm-up to some fantastic ideas down the road. Maybe the turtles have little to no recognisable personality because why would they having grown up alone together...maybe when they go through the TV show, where apparently they go their own separate ways (a change I'm open to, along with the fact they're in high school, as long as it's done well), they become more like their older versions...maybe Donatello does machines later on, as well as watching anime...who knows...so I live in perpetual hope that someone somewhere nails a TMNT film...apparently some of the guys involved in Turtles TV series 2012 are involved in this later stuff and I thought that TV series was brilliant...

In the meantime I should write my own eh, and stop whining about a kids' film in my late 30s......

Peace.

The Turtles Movie I Didn't Know I Needed

[ryanpersaud-59415 · 8/10 · 23 August 2023]

Mutant Mayhem is the TMNT film that every iteration of these characters has been leading up to. Yes, the original film from the 90s will forever remain, but also forever be limited by the technology and technique of the times. The Michael Bay films...while ambitious and appropriate for the time, felt a bit silly in taking these characters so seriously.

TMNT: Mutant Mayhem straddles the line between self-awareness and seriousness. This is a surprisingly sweet, heartfelt, and earnest film that carries some serious heart and, dare I say, humanity. It's a movie that explores something that other iterations have only briefly touched on: what it feels like to be a teenager, let alone one who has to be afraid of what the rest of the world thinks of you. It's nice to see a film that isn't cynical about humanity, and celebrates the best of us, whilst acknowledging our complexity. We need more of that.

This is a movie that subverts our expectations and challenges our preconceived notions of what an "action film" should be. It's absolutely hilarious, with a snappy, quick witted, almost mumble core style that I immediately gravitated to. I was honestly shocked how well-written and funny this movie is. It has so many great lines and call backs (again, they overdo it a tad) that had me bellowing. It's also a movie that intelligently analyzes the Turtles mythos and makes the brilliant decision not to waste the characters. (You'll get what I mean when you see it).

You can tell when actors are having a ton of fun with the material, and it just shone through in every frame of this movie.

Speaking of which, the Turtles - Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Raphael (Brady Noon), Donatello (Micah Abbey) and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) are absolutely perfect. For the first time, they feel like teenagers and exude a youthful energy that is really difficult to capture sometimes. They have excellent chemistry, even if I felt they sometimes blended together; we're used to the Turtles having extremely distinct personalities and it's not really the case here. I can see that bugging some people, but there's enough of these characters' historical tendencies here that it's obvious their distinct interpersonal dynamics will eventually be fleshed out in sequels. These are the Turtles at the youngest we've ever seen them, after all.

I also have to shout out Ice Cube's Superfly. He's an awesome villain, with Mr. Cube shouldering a lot of the load in making him charismatic, funny, and threatening. Jackie Chan was a natural choice for Splinter and he's obviously fantastic; I'm genuinely surprised he hasn't played this role before. The rest of the mutant gang is great, if a bit under utilized; Seth Rogen's Bebop and John Cena's Rocksteady - characters we've all been dying to see - don't get as much screen time as I assumed they would, but it's fine.

Ayo Edebiri's April O'Neil has (unsurprisingly) annoyed some, as she's, you know...a Gen Z person, but I thought Edebiri and the writers did a great job of modernizing the character and having her make sense with this new take.

I didn't even mention the GORGEOUS animation, which feels a bit more evolutionary than revolutionary, but is all the same a welcome change. Remember the TMNT movie from 2007? The one with pixels and polygons? This film - in the vein of Spiderverse - eschews realism for a deliberately hand-drawn, cell-shaded look that harkens back to kids scribbling the Turtles in the their notebooks while bored in class. It's a brilliant decision and makes the film worth watching for the visuals alone. (I also like how steeped in the 80s aesthetic and weirdness this film is).

One last thing...the music. My God. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross never miss, and the last thing I expected was for the music to be so amazing and memorable, but they did it again. With a killer 80s synth/sci-fi vibe, this movie's soundtrack is worth listening to by itself (I've been putting it on while working and it's perfect). A+ song choices as well.

If I had any complaints, I do think the film takes a bit too long to get going, but once it does, it's paced extremely well. I felt the pop culture infused dialog (whilst realistic) did veer into product placement territory (and yes, there were some distracting product placements as well), which took me out of the film at times. I also felt the sound mixing was off in some scenes, which could've been my theatre, but there was a tinny sound, especially in the beginning. Oh, and there is an over reliance on overly expository dialog that I felt could've have been modified a little bit. The movie stops, multiple times, to deliver exposition in a way that I felt was a bit unnecessary.

Overall though...this may be one of my favourite movies of the year. It's truly wonderful, sweet, exciting, funny, and endlessly entertaining and heartfelt. It was the Turtles movie I didn't know I needed, and now I can't wait for the sequel. And yes, there will (likely) be a sequel, and yes...HE will be in it. If you know, you know.

Great animation. Terrible writing.

[clmc-12762 · 6/10 · 2 August 2023]

I'm not a hard-core 80s turtles fan but I grew up with the 03 animated series and lived through the Michael Bay reboots. Gotta say, I miss Michael a little bit.

The idea of this movie on paper was great. TMNT but animated with love and care like Into the Spiderverse. But that in itself was not enough to save this movie. The writing was atroctius and just unbelievable. I didn't understand half the dialouge that came out of the turtles mouths. And the completely unneeded amount of characters that served no purpose other than having cool looking mutants hanging around. A fun watch and that's it for me.

Hilarious and stunning

[alfredgautvikminker · 9/10 · 1 August 2023]

NO SPOILERS: this movie was everything I wanted it to be, it was a perfect stunning reboot with almost every tmnt mutant.

I was never really a tmnt fan, but this movie made me one. Another awesome thing about this movie, is that the turtles are actual casted teenagers.

I wasn't interested when I heard it was a Seth Rogan movie, but as soon as I saw the sneak peak trailer I was hyped, especially when Jackie Chan was splinter.

When I find out about some of the cast I didn't like it, for example ice cube as superfly or post mallone as ray fillet just didn't sound like a good idea, but it worked, and was funny.

This is definitely entertaining and worth a watch but I'm not sure it's the reboot we were looking for

[kevin_robbins · 7/10 · 31 July 2023]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) is a movie that my daughter and I caught today at an advanced screening. The storyline follows the Ninja Turtles as they become teenagers and obsessed with the human world. They run into a reporter, named April, who accidentally convinces them that becoming heroes will help people adjust to them. They target a recent crime spree that happens to be executed by mutants that may be tied to their past.

This movie is codirected by Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells versus the Machines) and Kyler Spears (directorial debut) and contains the voices of Jackie Chan (Rush Hour), John Cena (The Suicide Squad), Ice Cube (Friday), Seth Rogen (Superbad), Paul Rudd (Ant-man), Post Malone (Wrath of Man), Giancarlo Giuseppe (Breaking Bad) and Rose Byrne (Insidious).

This is a rather uneven addition to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe. The storyline set-up, and background of the turtles, is perfectly executed and entertaining. The animation was excellent and almost had a claymation feel it at times. The voices were well selected and it was impossible to not love Ice Cube and Jackie Chan, who were both terrific. Despite how good Ice Cube was in this, I don't think I loved his character as the main villain. They took too many non-traditional twists with the mutants and turtles that it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I will say the soundtrack was excellent. It might have been the best part of the movie.

Overall, this is definitely entertaining and worth a watch but I'm not sure it's the reboot we were looking for. I would score this a 6-6.5/10 and recommend seeing it once.

Kinda upset

[akamiikillz · 1/10 · 15 February 2024]

Kinda upset with certain voices & false demeanor of characters that do not match their true original personality. Super upset with April o'neil Being a dorky chunky Blk girl. Why do they always have to change good characters that don't represent the original characters that do not need any changes as they were the highlight of the show. They gotta stop pushing these weird agendas. Please Hollywood stop changing characters that do not need to be changed to represent communities that aren't part of the original shows. If you want to push ur agendas make new things. Stop messing with the originals.

The only thing new and modern is the animation.

[johnromanosbooks · 6/10 · 8 August 2023]

This unique reimagining of the TMNT franchise has an appealing aesthetic and enough action that can satisfy both kids and adults, but the "wow factor" wasn't there. After so many iterations, I'm fine with my turtles looking different and backstories being changed. And I could care less about any race/gender swapping. It doesn't matter. If you want the classic vibe, watch the original movies or the 1987 cartoon.

But here's what didn't work for me. There were so many mutants that I was excited to see, and aside from Super Fly and Mondo Gecko (who I love), no one got much screen time. I was so excited to see Leatherhead and he (she?) had only about 2 lines as I recall. Bebop and Rocksteady only has a slightly larger role and didn't even play off each other. And I know there are a lot of stories that don't have Shredder as the villain. However... I missed Shredder! I just did. (And no Casey Jones either??)

The plot is another generic "no one knows who the turtles are. Then when they try to go up to the streets, they're mistaken for monsters. Then they win the hearts of NYC by defeating some supervillain" story. Nothing new. We've all seen it before.

Finally, it took me a while to get past some things. Like all the turtles had teenager voices but Donatello sounded like he was 10. And of course, most of the dialogue is inundated with the "awkward realism" that everyone thinks they need today. It's fine in small doses but they're really on it too much and skip necessary and much more original dialogue.

In the end, I was bored. It just never came together for me. I'll love them forever, but as with the 2007 animated movie, I probably won't be revisiting it.

A family of mutants that makes you laugh.

[raulvg-31151 · 8/10 · 27 August 2023]

This is one of those animations that pleases everyone, from a 5-year-old to a 15-year-old teenager, a 35-year-old adult and a 75-year-old.

The story can be minimally complex for the little ones, but in itself, it is extremely fun and brings some interesting reflections throughout its plot. Both in the original language and in the dubbing (Brazilian Portuguese), the voices and their slang are perfectly matched to the characters, what a perfect cast! Only the jokes with references to PT-BR, made me laugh more than I should.

Mr. Spilnter is a little left out, but nothing that bothers him. What bothers you is that some drama cliches are present in your character. However, only in him... (which I find strange, as the story of the film is not predictable).

I thought changing April's ethnicity was just another way to cash in on diversity, but it doesn't seem like that, and yes, I like this version of the character.

The movie is amazing for those idiots whose middle school jokes still occupy their mind! Did I describe you?

Watch it in the cinema right away!

Best iteration

[masonsaul · 9/10 · 31 July 2023]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem has the genius idea to really hone in on the teenage part of these heroes in a half shell in all its funny and sincere glory. Combining that with a moving story about their desire for acceptance and a gorgeous yet unique animation style it results in the best iteration of TMNT so far.

Nicolas Cantu, Shamon Brown Jr., Micah Abbey and Brady Noon are perfect, all of them are pretty much the ideal embodiment of their corresponding Turtle and the chemistry is instant and just doesn't stop. They quip constantly and almost all of them land as well as bringing the depth as they long to live above ground.

Jackie Chan as Splinter was inspired casting that is utilised so well. The emotion he brings to the character feels so genuine as an overprotective but kind father who has seen mankind at its worst and never wants them to have to experience it. His arc could've used more subtlety but it's still terrific.

Ice Cube is a great villain, there's a charm and real warmth to him at first but if crossed he morphs into a really intimidating presence. The rest of the cast are basically stunt casting but even then you can tell they clearly want to be there and are having a ball, especially Paul Rudd's skater bro.

Jeff Rowe's direction is incredible, the action is fun and constructed in a way that most live action only wishes it could achieve and the animation manages to create its own unique style in an increasingly ambitious landscape. It's a world of jagged edges and perfect imperfections.

The soundtrack oozes style and the music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross works so well, it's their usual synth style but obviously in a more up beat fashion with blockbuster sensibilities that shines brightest when accompanying Superfly.

Mixed bag

[ocsalevmot · 6/10 · 8 August 2023]

Very mixed bag for me...a lot to like and a lot to dislike. I loved the look of the thing, but was so keenly aware of the debt it owed to the Spider-verse films for its aesthetic that I couldn't help but be taken out of the film quite a lot on that basis alone. I love the look of these movies, but I'm dreading the day when animation trends so hard that way that we see nothing else and we have to wait another twenty years until somebody else lands on an innovation popular enough to send the whole industry in a new direction again.

• I liked the personalities of the turtles and am totally on board with the turn to making them actual teenagers.

• A lot of the humor worked for me, but (as with Barbie) a lot really didn't.

• I was trepidatious about the new take on Splinter, but they won me over with that almost immediately, which makes sense given my utter devotion to Jackie Chan.

• I did not like their take on April at all. She was a statement...not a character.

• The plotting was very weak. The decision to have all the mutants turn on Superfly was not earned at all. They also failed to really establish any set of criteria whatsoever for why we ought to think the Turtles were right and Superfly was wrong...going so far as to acknowledge that Splinter basically thought the exact same way. It's lazy writing that procures this kind of result.

• Overall, an enjoyable experience, but fraught with issues.

A genuinely funny, visually stunning blast, if a little too silly sometimes

[Ottodane · 8/10 · 2 October 2023]

This movie is genuinely such a great time. The turtles are voiced supremely by some actual teenagers. They have great comedic timing along with their adult costars, and really hold their own, fitting their roles perfectly.

If I had one real flaw, it would be that when things are supposed to be getting serious in the story, the tone stays a little too light. There are plenty of moments when it feels like there should be some real peril and the jokes keep coming, along with the general tone just refuse to get real. It helps that the jokes land more times than not, (I found myself laughing out loud throughout the entirety of the movie.) people are comparing this a lot to the Spiderverse movies, and I can see why, even though it definitely feels like it's own thing more than I thought it would and the animation is more unique than I original thought as well. But the Spiderverse movies are great at balancing dark and light tones to make a fully fleshed movie. Peril make stakes feel real, and without it, third acts tend to feel a little underwhelming. The climax of this movie felt rushed and even still I felt like I was kind of waiting for it to wrap up, after having enjoyed myself so much in the first two acts. If it got a little more real, I could see myself getting more into it.

But really that's my only flaw I can really think of. The film is heartfelt and well paced, if not a little too short. Could've used another 10 minutes of getting to know certain characters. Visually, it is as stunning as you might assume from the trailers. All in all, it is certainly worth a watch.

Spider-Verse Lite

[cdjh-81125 · 6/10 · 31 July 2023]

I'm absolutely not someone who grew up with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, before this film the only movies I'd seen were the Michael Bay produced ones and that fact would probably annoy most hardcore fans. I didn't really have much of a strong desire to see Mutant Mayhem but after the really positive reviews I thought it was worth a try. I'm very surprised by those reviews now having seen the film because I just thought it was just fine overall.

The inspiration this film takes from the Spider-Verse movies isn't hard to spot but it became a detriment to me pretty quickly because it just started to feel like a water down version. Don't get me wrong; the animation is still beautifully produced and rendered but even the score from the legendary Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross feels like it's hitting almost the same notes as the Across The Spider-Verse soundtrack.

I think it's very likely we're going to get more films inspired by the Spider-Verse series and I really don't think that's a bad thing but this really reminded me of those movies in all the wrong ways. At least something Puss In Boots: The Last Wish had its own distinct tone that separated it and made it feel distinct from those films.

I think most of the characters are pretty likeable and Ice Cube's villain was actually stronger than I ever would've expected him to be but this version of the April O'Neal character I found to be borderline insufferable. A lot of people are going to fall for the tone and humour but they did next to nothing for me. The film is chock full of moments that meant to come across as corny in an endearing way but for me they felt unintentionally cringe worthy.

I really don't what to come across as a kill joy, and it's certainly possible that TMNT just isn't my cup of tea, but with all the positive buzz I was amazed at how middle of the road I though this film was. It's certainly got its fair share of entertaining moments but I couldn't help but feel like I'd seen it all before (and done better at that). I definitely think there's an audience for Mutant Mayhem, I just don't think I'm in it.

Actual teenagers

[ryanaugienello · 8/10 · 9 August 2023]

Prior to showering it with compliments, I'd like to address a couple of minor criticisms. To begin with, Splinter underwent significant changes from the familiar and beloved character. Certain villains were left with insufficient screen time to truly shine, and Raphael's anger wasn't adequately explored.

Moving on to the positives: The animation boasted exceptional uniqueness, accompanied by superb pacing. The humor was genuinely delightful, and the turtles authentically conveyed their teenage nature through their dialogue. The voice acting was skillfully executed, capturing both the tone and essence of teenage voices. Particularly notable was Jackie Chan's portrayal of Master Splinter, which stood out significantly. Overall, this movie provides a highly enjoyable viewing experience.

I want more of this.

[khalidmoubile · 7/10 · 6 September 2023]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

The film follows the Turtle brothers as they work to earn the love of New York City while facing down an army of mutants.

This was exactly what I thought it to be or what I heard it it, a very fun animated movie with a veey interesting animation style and mostly fun situations and characters.

I really appreciate the story since it covers the creation of the Ninja Turtles and it shows some aspects that I've never saw before considering I was a big fan of NT back in my childhood, I also liked the voice acting especially from the purple guy, in fact everything about him was good .

It's definitely one the best animation of the year but I don't think it presented anything new to the genre.

If you're an 80's child you will be disappointed

[petesha · 3/10 · 12 August 2023]

I was actually looking forward to this, the ratings were good and kids were excited to see it. The animation is very dark, reminds me of Sin City. The "humour" fell flat, something about milking turtles was repeated ad nauseam, so it was obviously thought this would be a funny joke throughout. Splinter is an old fat dad figure who eventually fights but not likeable at all. Bebop and rock steady end up good?!! So yeah, overall my wife and I both hated the film. My 11 year old and 9 year old both thought it was OK but I just feel it wasn't a very happy child friendly film. So in summary: too dark, not funny, and won't be watching the second one!

Amazing animation, meh story

[D4V1D2411 · 6/10 · 21 September 2023]

The animation in this movie is just amazing, the aesthetic this movie has is just spectacular, at times it looks like how a kid would make a drawing but in a good way, really this is a truly win for animation...but the story is not as good as the animation, it lacks something. For starters the personalities of the turtles are okay, I dont have a problem with them being actual teenagers but I do feel some rejection to these new personalities given that Im really used to their more young adult vibes but still, I think its a fine change, my problem sometimes comes with the humor; I dont know if Im just too old but not even a joke landed for me, I was never laughing at anything I just felt that it was too childish for me to enjoy, and I was a little entertained so I went through it but I always felt I could be more happy watching this movie. Also the story is just meh, its okay. Its very simple, the turtles find more mutants but theyre bad so they have to stop them, this while fighting theyre wish to become accepted as humans, its fine, I hope it gets better with the sequel and with Shredder. Just dont change the animation, it was gorgeous.

The Turtles are back!

[djrmc24 · 8/10 · 22 September 2023]

What an entertaining wild ride this movie is! The animation rivals anything that Pixar or any other studio puts out with being very original and stylistic. The casting is picture perfect as well for example Jackie Chan as Master Splinter was awesome! The soundtrack is also top notch. What I really enjoyed about this entry in the Ninja Turtle universe is they actually made the Turtles teenagers which is how it should have always been. I found myself laughing alot throughout the film as there are many funny/enjoyable moments for the duration of the movie. If you are looking for a good time or are a fan of the Ninja Turtles then you don't want to miss this. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem gets 8 huge stare ou of 10 from me. Bring on the sequel!

Fun Turtle Action with Some Issues Here & There

[webslinger-00280 · 7/10 · 7 August 2023]

The movie was, overall, pretty fun to watch. The characters were interesting and unique, the story was pretty good, and the action and animation with the unique art style really made it stand out. However, the major themes of fear, hatred and acceptance are swept under the rug for a lot of jokes that didn't entirely land and a lot of lingo and references to cater more to kids and teens. Which isn't a bad thing, but it was laid on really thick and made it where the movie was trying too hard to seem cool at times. It hurt the movie even more when the characterizations of the villains were more played for laughs than anything else, especially with the main one. The change of making the turtles act and sound like actual teens was a perfect change, but we didn't see enough of the ninja in the mix. A really good start, but if more of these are gonna be made, they've got to balance it out more with the jokes, characters, drama and action or it's gonna start losing people.