Movie Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

One of the best of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies. 

Producer/co-writer Seth Rogan (who also voiced Bebop) said that in this film, he wished to delve more into the teenage nature of these characters. This was done to the point that for the first time actual teenagers (Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr.) provided the characters' voices. To further punctuate this idea, the four recorded there lines together and were encouraged to play off each other in the way only teenage boys can. This worked very well and provided this movie with a real charm. The real teenage interactions between the turtles really makes these characters feel authentic and real. Because of this no matter how over the top or cliché the movie may get, we still have a strong emotional connection. Some of the interactions between these characters were silly teenagers being silly teenagers, but a lot of it was pretty heartfelt. The authenticity to how these interactions are presented make these heartfelt moments play very well. Even the sillier interactions make the characters feel more real to us. This movie also simply does a good job into delving into the feeling of isolation and the inability to fit in with others as well as the close comradery to anyone who makes you feel like you belong somewhere that are all a part of the teenage experience. Because of this even if this is an action packed movie, it is the little moments that make it really stand out. This is not to say that the action scenes aren't great in fact they are fantastic. The pacing, staging and animation in these scenes is all fantastic. Not only this but as the action scenes move along you can feel each one raising the stakes a little compared to what the previous ones have done, leading up to a very fun finale. I also love the look of this film (though I admit there are a few of the human designs that don't work), which, though clearly inspired by the Spider-verse films, give this movie the unique feel of something that a teenage might draw or imagine. The animation and the way the characters move is incredibly smooth. All this creates something that doesn't look real but still feels real. 

There is a lot of comedy in this movie and it can be a little hit and miss. Some of the jokes are laugh out loud funny, while others simply fall flat. I would say for the most part the actual funny moments outnumber the comedic moments that fall flat. 

Admittedly there is little to this storyline, we have not seen before and from the start you can guess how the movie will end. This is especially seen towards the last act where the clichés become a little too prominent. 

This film may be flawed but what works here is truly wonderful and make this a must watch for any TMNT fan.