by Josh Sewell
I’m usually not one for nostalgia, but the recent death of Paul Reubens (aka Pee-wee Herman) has me reflecting on the past more than usual. I was the perfect age to watch Pee-wee’s Playhouse when it aired on Saturday mornings in the 1980s, and I’ve long appreciated how he showed awkward little kids like me that it was okay to be weird.
Call it fate, coincidence or something else, but this bout of childhood reflection occurred roughly the same time that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem hit theaters. I was also the target demo for the original animated series back in 1987 and vividly remember my mom taking me to see the first movie on the big screen in 1990. I had a lot of the toys, the comic books, the video games, etc., so it’s safe to say I was an expert on the subject for several years.
Then the sequels happened. The Secret of the Ooze (which hit theaters in 1991) was okay, but things went downhill for the next couple of decades. I missed 2007’s animated TMNT, but the Michael Bay-produced reboot series in 2014 and 2016 destroyed any goodwill I might’ve had for the franchise.
Needless to say, when I walked into the press screening of Mutant Mayhem, my expectations were in the basement. I hadn’t kept up with the reptile siblings in quite a while, so I didn’t know if the movie was a sequel, a reboot, a continuation of a recent animated series, or something else.
Imagine my surprise when the animated flick gave the characters a fresh start and reminded me why I used to love them so much in the first place. As a matter of fact, it’s the best Ninja Turtles movie so far. If you think I’m exaggerating, Rotten Tomatoes currently has the critics’ score at a staggering 96 percent. Compare that to previous entries and it’s not even close.
Mutant Mayhem introduces a new generation to Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michaelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) and Raphael (Brady Noon), who set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers after a lifetime of being sheltered from the human world by their adoptive father, a mutated rat named Splinter (Jackie Chan). When they cross paths with high school journalist April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), the new team joins forces to take on a mysterious crime syndicate headed by a terrifying mutated fly (Ice Cube) and his henchmen (including Seth Rogen, John Cena, Rose Byrne, Hannibal Burress, Post Malone and Paul Rudd).
If it wasn’t for the universal praise, I’d chalk my love of Mutant Mayhem to the power of low expectations. But that’s clearly not the case at all – turns out practically everyone is having a ton of fun with this hilarious, modern take on the iconic characters. The screenplay (credited to Rogen, Evan Goldberg, co-director Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit) disproves the usual adage that a bunch of writers indicates the story is a mess, and the animation is a wonderfully creative take on the characters, reminiscent of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
While previous iterations of the Ninja Turtles had funny elements, I don’t think any of them have been flat-out comedic before. That’s not the case here – there were several moments where I laughed so much that I missed moments of dialogue. Halfway through, I realized I’d have to see it again to get the full experience.
Even if you can’t tell a turtle from a gecko, the quality of the music is indisputable. In this era of generic scores and painfully obvious needle drops, Mutant Mayhem goes all out to ensure those elements play an integral part in the cinematic experience. Oscar winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, members of the legendary industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails, have crafted a phenomenal score, while the soundtrack is full of classic ’90s hip hop.
In a disappointing summer that lacked a true cultural blockbuster, until the recent “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, Mutant Mayhem rivals them in quality. The unfortunate plot twist is those films could cause this one to fall through the cracks. I hope that’s not the case, considering it’s a blast to watch with a packed audience.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is rated PG for sequences of violence and action, language and impolite material. Now playing in theaters.
Grade: A-
Call it fate, coincidence or something else, but this bout of childhood reflection occurred roughly the same time that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem hit theaters. I was also the target demo for the original animated series back in 1987 and vividly remember my mom taking me to see the first movie on the big screen in 1990. I had a lot of the toys, the comic books, the video games, etc., so it’s safe to say I was an expert on the subject for several years.
Then the sequels happened. The Secret of the Ooze (which hit theaters in 1991) was okay, but things went downhill for the next couple of decades. I missed 2007’s animated TMNT, but the Michael Bay-produced reboot series in 2014 and 2016 destroyed any goodwill I might’ve had for the franchise.
Needless to say, when I walked into the press screening of Mutant Mayhem, my expectations were in the basement. I hadn’t kept up with the reptile siblings in quite a while, so I didn’t know if the movie was a sequel, a reboot, a continuation of a recent animated series, or something else.
Imagine my surprise when the animated flick gave the characters a fresh start and reminded me why I used to love them so much in the first place. As a matter of fact, it’s the best Ninja Turtles movie so far. If you think I’m exaggerating, Rotten Tomatoes currently has the critics’ score at a staggering 96 percent. Compare that to previous entries and it’s not even close.
Mutant Mayhem introduces a new generation to Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michaelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) and Raphael (Brady Noon), who set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers after a lifetime of being sheltered from the human world by their adoptive father, a mutated rat named Splinter (Jackie Chan). When they cross paths with high school journalist April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), the new team joins forces to take on a mysterious crime syndicate headed by a terrifying mutated fly (Ice Cube) and his henchmen (including Seth Rogen, John Cena, Rose Byrne, Hannibal Burress, Post Malone and Paul Rudd).
If it wasn’t for the universal praise, I’d chalk my love of Mutant Mayhem to the power of low expectations. But that’s clearly not the case at all – turns out practically everyone is having a ton of fun with this hilarious, modern take on the iconic characters. The screenplay (credited to Rogen, Evan Goldberg, co-director Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit) disproves the usual adage that a bunch of writers indicates the story is a mess, and the animation is a wonderfully creative take on the characters, reminiscent of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
While previous iterations of the Ninja Turtles had funny elements, I don’t think any of them have been flat-out comedic before. That’s not the case here – there were several moments where I laughed so much that I missed moments of dialogue. Halfway through, I realized I’d have to see it again to get the full experience.
Even if you can’t tell a turtle from a gecko, the quality of the music is indisputable. In this era of generic scores and painfully obvious needle drops, Mutant Mayhem goes all out to ensure those elements play an integral part in the cinematic experience. Oscar winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, members of the legendary industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails, have crafted a phenomenal score, while the soundtrack is full of classic ’90s hip hop.
In a disappointing summer that lacked a true cultural blockbuster, until the recent “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, Mutant Mayhem rivals them in quality. The unfortunate plot twist is those films could cause this one to fall through the cracks. I hope that’s not the case, considering it’s a blast to watch with a packed audience.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is rated PG for sequences of violence and action, language and impolite material. Now playing in theaters.
Grade: A-
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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