I was not a fan of the comics nor the original films, but this computer-animated superhero film–“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”– with a screenplay by the committee (Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rose, Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit) transformed me into a massive Mutant Mayhem fan. 

Instead of going for computer-animated perfection of symmetry and sharp well-shaped edges, “Mutant Mayhem” gives us clay-like surfaces that are dimpled and smudged, rough pencil scrawls to represent action and detailed backgrounds for a textured, lived-in and even worn out or worn down feeling. If you’re not familiar with the TMNT lore, the film quickly gives us the origin story. 

Fifteen years ago, the executive of a Techno Cosmic Research Institute, Cynthia Utrom (Maya Rudolph),  sends a strike force to capture rogue scientist Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito or Gus from “Breaking Bad”). Stockman has stolen company secrets in order to create his own mutant family by exposing animals to the green ooze (mutagen). Starting with a housefly maggot, he has other embryos ready to go when the strike force destroys his lab and kills Stockman. However, the TCRI force doesn’t capture the fly nor the other research animals and when the dying Stockman drops the last canister of mutagen, it rolls into the sewers.

Four baby turtles get bathed in that green ooze and are found by a rat, Splinter (Jackie Chan). Picking up the cute turtle babies, Splinter is affected by the mutagen ooze. He mutates and then adopts the mutant turtles, naming them Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu) and Raphael (Brady Noon), raising them in the sewers. 

In the present, the foursome are now teenaged turtles who must use their ninjitsu skills to sneak into the surface world to get supplies because mutants have needs that include party-sized Cool Ranch Doritos. We all have our guilty pleasures (Mine are Cheez-it in individual-sized packets bought at gas stations to prevent binging).  Yet as teenagers do, on their errands they tend to dally, taking time to watch sports, listen to concerts (Adele) and even watch outdoor movies (“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”). Splinter cautions his kids against the evils of the surface world, reminding them of how they were almost killed by humans who feared these mutants. To protect themselves, they not only stay in the sewers, but learned martial arts that Splinter learned from videos and movies.

While doing some target practice on a rooftop, a stray ninja star hits the helmet of April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), a teenage girl on a moped. When she looks away from her moped to angrily yell at the TMNT, her moped is stolen. A little smitten by April, Leonardo is determined to get the moped back and for the first time, the teen turtles use their ninja skills to be heroes at a chop shop. This leads into a wonderful and often humorous fight sequence with regular human thugs; it’s our first taste of Mutant Mayhem.

 

April arrives after the bad dudes are taken care of and  is grateful to have her moped back. Learning the background of the TMNT, April accepts them as they are (as they bond over pepperoni pizza) and reveals that she aspires to be a journalist. She is currently investigating robberies by a criminal known as “Superfly.” All the thefts involved weirdly specific technology. 

Working on the plan that by  stopping this super thief, the TMNT will find acceptance when they become heroes, the TMNT decide to meet Superfly. To do this, they intercept a vital piece of technology and meet with him under the Brooklyn Bridge.  Superfly and his crew turn out to be fellow mutants who include:

• Bebop (Seth Rogen), a mutant common warthog
• Genghis Frog (Hannibal Buress)
• Leatherhead (Rose Byrne), a mutant alligator 
• Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd), a mutant gecko
• Ray Fillet (Post Malone), a mutant manta ray
• Rocksteady (John Cena), a mutant black rhino
• Scumbag, mutant insect
• Wingnut (Natasia Demetriou), a mutant bat

Superfly wants to build a weapon to spread the ooze all over the earth and mutate wildlife so that mutant animals will rule the world. It’s never explained why the ooze will not mutate humans and how the animals will form a hierarchy but this is a world without any hint of Planet of the Apes and simian superiority. 

Before the TMNT team can stop Superfly, they end up being captured by TCRI who want to replicate the mutagen. They will escape, but their efforts to stop Superfly will backfire. You know that we’re heading toward a happy ending. And under the direction of Jeff Rowe, the action is snappy, the often overlapping dialogue is still coherent and the jokes all land without a stumble.

I was sitting next to the kind of TMNT fan who knew all the answers to the pre-screening trivia and he thoroughly enjoyed the film, from start to finish, undoubtedly appreciating all the details much more than I could. He rated the film as much better than the previous films. As a relative novice to the TMNT lore, I loved the film for its textured style and exuberant feel. The voice cast are all excellent and fans of martial arts will appreciate that Jackie Chan voices the overprotective mutant ninja rat Splinter and WWE fans will love John Cena as Rocksteady. Ice Cube has a great voice to be misunderstood villain. The kids voicing the TMNT have a sense of naturalness–not that I know enough kids. The dialogue is alien enough to show a generational gap, but still is understandable. 

Stay for the mid-credits scene where you’ll see the TMNT enjoying life in high school and get clued into what the future holds for our heroes and it’s one that includes Cynthia Utrom. If there is one voice that just oozes evil, it’s Maya Rudolph’s Cynthia Utrom. 

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is turtle-rrific. The film screened as a work-in-progress at the Annoy International Animation Film Festival in France (12 June 2023). It was released by Paramount Pictures and was produced by Point Grey Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies. Paramount has sponsored a number of special preview screenings that included face masks, photos and, at SDCC, even free pizza. The screening I attended included face masks, photos, posters and a trivia contest.