Since the late 80’s, different generations have been able to latch onto these fun characters through their varying iterations and mediums. For me it was through their original T.V. run and the comedically chaotic live action cosplay extravaganza in the early 90’s. Since then the reputation of these half shelled heroes has been a rocky one – not helped by the Michael Bay produced live action reboot a decade ago – but Seth Rogan (producer, writer and voice actor) brings an enthusiastic team together and enlists the trust of director Jeff Rowe – credited as co-director of the very memorable The Mitchells vs the Machines (2021) – to bring this vision to life.
You might already know the basis of the origin story behind these rebellious reptilians and this latest reboot is very much a rehash of what’s come before it, but drawing inspiration from its different sources to create a cohesive and structurally strong plot out of them. But with Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Raphael (Brady Noon) and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) adopting their typical character traits under the great voice acting of their child performers, and the authentic animation that it works with, Mutant Mayhem may just be the best this fan adored franchise has ever been – or at least ever looked.
Whilst the four leads are fairly unknown at this stage in their careers, at least they are age appropriate for their roles, and have the strong support of Jackie Chan as kung-fu-master and mentor Splinter, Ice Cube as the big bad Superfly, Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, Seth Rogan and John Cena as Bepop and Rocksteady respectively with valid voice work from Rose Byrne, Post Malone, Maya Rudolph, Giancarlo Esposito and Hannibal Burgess also.
Mutant Mayhem lives in its urban Manhattan setting, and the animation on offer feels atmospheric and fresh. The scratchy, hand-drawn style already made popular with the Spider-Verse movies is doubled down and even at one point surprisingly opts to use live action visuals as well.
Its roaring rap soundtrack is a blast and plays out like a classic hits radio station of New York’s best night scene wordsmiths. It’s very in keeping with the rebellious side of these characters and the main focal point of its story in which it works wonderfully alongside.
Whilst this latest effort manages to capture the very essence and experience of what this franchise should be, it does start to stumble slightly in its final act. A relatively rushed finale leading to a clunky climax does somewhat halt the success of this latest entry, but there’s a hint that Mutant Mayhem will continue its story and built upon its strong foundation.
Its good to see the turtle’s have their power back, but it’s even better to see the right people working on a project and wanting it to really deliver beyond expectations, and thankfully this recent remodel does exactly that.
Critical Clay 