REVIEW: ‘Mutant Mayhem’ is an exciting new spin on the TMNT

Turtle Power is back on the big screen and it’s the best it’s been in a while.

The latest film to feature the four ninja turtles takes place in familiar territory. Leo (Nicolas Cantu), Raph (Brady Noon), Donnie (Micah Abbey) and Mikey (Shamon Brown Jr.) live with their father figure Splinter (Jackie Chan) in the sewers under New York City.

An overprotective father, Splinter taught the four ninjutsu and stealth to keep them safe and out of sight from humans. The insatiable want to live normal teenage lives, though, inspire the turtles to do hero work in order to get recognized. However, doing so might put them in more trouble than they expected.

When done well, a Ninja Turtles movie can be quite a lot of fun, and “Mutant Mayhem” certainly is. The film’s main objective is making sure the audience enjoys an energetic romp, and it delivers with inventive animation and entertaining action.

With that said, it’s not the most polished film when it comes to the plot or script. There are times when the film can feel somewhat episodic, not surprising since this iteration is being made into a television series. As a result, it loses some cinematic luster.

The script also feels somewhat light at times, missing a bit of depth that could have elevated the picture. “Mutant Mayhem” simply falls short in comparison to some of the other animated films of the last few years that have much richer storytelling.

As originally stated, though, the film is still a good experience from start to finish, in large part thanks to the main team. The four all have their personalities that they’ve had in previous adaptations, such as Mikey being the jokester and Rap having an attitude.

What works so well in this film, though, is that we actually see the turtles as teenagers. The original trilogy and the Michael Bay duology portray the turtles more like young adults, while this movie shows them as adolescents, where they are truly learning about the world and growing up.

It’s a refreshing take on the group, as an audience can see them experience some of the anxieties and vulnerabilities that come with being teenagers, and it’s even more so for the four as they’re also, ya know, mutant turtles.

April O’Neil was also handled well in the film, too. A teenager herself, O’Neil is trying to shed the life of an outcast like the turtles are, and her way of doing so is wanting to be a news anchor. It also helps that the five all together as a team have a great sense of camaraderie

A character not handled as well was Chan’s Splinter. He was a bit too far on the goofy side when the character seems at his best when he’s the wise and sympathetic mentor. The film’s villain, on the other hand, is a pretty solid antagonist with plenty of attitude and he presents an idealogical challenge to the turtles as well as a physical one.

Credit has to certainly go to the animators for some great looking action, too. There are moments that offer a lot of spectacle, especially a montage at about the movie’s halfway point where the turtles are going after baddies in an attempt to gather information on the villain. It, and the rest of the movie, are well accompanied by a solid hip hop soundtrack, too.

“Mutant Mayhem” delivers ninja action and a fun version of the turtles, which means it provides what a person is looking for with these movies. It features excitement, likable characters going through a unique coming-of-age journey and good music to boot. A few areas could have been stronger, sure. But this is still a good effort. 3.75 out of 5.