by G. E. Uke, Reporter

Before diving into this movie review, let me preface things by saying that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) have long been a staple of American cartoon culture. In the late 1980’s they became deeply ingrained in the saturday morning pantheon, right alongside Mario, Batman and similar luminaries. And much like these characters, they have been reinvented many times. Each iteration is a bit different, but certain things never change: the ooze, the idea of mutant animals, themes of social exclusion, and so on. As a boy I grew up watching them on the floor of the family living room, before on-demand internet streaming was a thing. But Mutant Mayhem is probably the freshest relaunch I’ve seen, for reasons that are both positive and negative. 

First off….the turtles are slick, funny, witty, and charming. They are also very much modern teenagers, making references to shows like Attack on Titan, Avengers End Game, and modern pop music to date themselves. This makes them relatable to a young crowd, and funny to watch. It also makes them awkward and cringeworthy. Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu) is not a noble swordsman, Raphael (Brady Noon) is not a wise cracking brute, Michelangelo (Shamon Brown) is not a pizza obsessed surfer bro, and Donatello (Micah Abbey) is not a technically gifted intellectual. At least not yet. Splinter (Jackie Chan) is not a mystic master either: he is an overprotective dad who watched some kung fu movies (don’t ask me how this works). Mutant Mayhem is definitely an origin story, so none of these characters have grown into their classic roles yet. And by resetting the franchise, Rogan, Goldberg, and Weaver have created room for character development and laid the groundwork for a satisfying series.

One thing that did disappoint me regarding the turtles was how homogenized their personalities and voices were. Normally each turtle has a very specific role which differentiates them from one another. Here they are all mutually juvenile and goofy, with a few defining interests but no particular areas of expertise. Donatello, for example, is portrayed as more of an otaku than a technical expert. I found the decision to make April O’Neal (Ayo Edebiri) black fresh and vibrant. Her role as a budding journalist contains substantial character growth, and it pleases me that they made her a strong central character instead of a tertiary one. Ice Cube did an amazing job voice acting the main villain, Superfly. He’s in his fifties now, so the decision to pick a middle aged rapper to give him the appropriate cool gangster vibe was inspired. I believed it. 

Something else worth mentioning; unlike most relaunches, the turtles do not owe their origins to the Shredder or the Foot Clan. The ooze is produced by a reclusive antisocial geneticist named Baxter Stockman, who dies in the opening scene after stealing it from a mysterious evil organization to create a family. This sets the tone for the rest of the film: mutants were created by a lonely outcast and are themselves lonely outcasts, endowed with tremendous physical power but reflexively hated for being different. They are also intentionally depicted as gruesome to encourage a visceral reaction from the audience, who must then reconcile this with the film’s message condemning xenophobia. They go over the top with this at certain points, becoming downright disgusting. As I said before, some parts of this movie WILL make you cringe. 

As for the art style….I’ll be honest, it took me a little while to get into it. Much like the Spider-verse, Mutant Mayhem has a funky sketchbook look with a gritty and asymmetrical ambiance. The action sequences are violent, fast paced, and packed with little high speed witticisms that are easy to miss. This gives the movie a zany “warped carnival” vibe that is starkly at odds with the mysticism and discipline the turtles are historically known for. In this way the movie feels a lot like the Spider-verse: a technicolor fireworks show certain to delight viewers as long as they aren’t epileptic. That being said, one adapts to the animation style quickly. Within thirty minutes it becomes difficult to imagine telling *this* particular story using any other art style, and this becomes great fun.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives TMNT: Mutant Mayhem 4 out of 5 ninja stars. It showcases solid acting, a solid plot, great action, and lots of humor. If only it hadn’t grossed me out so bad.

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