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TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM PG
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SEE THIS IF YOU LIKED
TEENAGE MUTANT HERO TURTLES 1987–96
The toylinesupporting animated series that supercharged Turtlemania.
SUPERBAD 2007
Another Rogen/ Goldberg joint brought to life by authentic teenage voices.
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★★★★✩
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The ooze that mutated those baby turtles into humanoid crime-fighters seems to have also given powers of regeneration and longevity. Since the 1987 animated series (loosely adapted from the comics), our heroes in a half-shell have never been too far from screens, with varying degrees of success.
The latest feature-length iteration – which the marketing tags as from ‘permanent teenager Seth Rogen’, who co-writes, produces and lends his voice – puts a younger, actually teenage spin on the sewer-dwelling foursome, in what is their most enjoyable outing since their 90s heyday.
DIRECTOR Jeff Rowe STARRING Nicolas Cantu, Shamon Brown Jr., Brady Noon, Micah Abbey, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube SCREENPLAY Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit DISTRIBUTOR Paramount RUNNING TIME 100 mins
In this animated origin story, Leo (Nicolas Cantu), Mikey (Shamon Brown Jr.), Raph (Brady Noon) and Donnie (Micah Abbey) yearn to leave the sewers to explore New York City, but their adoptive father/sensei Splinter (voiced delightfully by Jackie Chan) fears the ground-level world. The young voice cast bring a delightful, bantering energy to the Turtles; they’re a blast to be around.
While the Turtles are voiced by newcomers, the rogues’ gallery includes Rogen collaborators Paul Rudd, Rose Byrne and Hannibal Buress. Ice Cube is amusingly just Ice Cube as lead baddie Superfly, but other mutants in the line-up feel like blink-and-miss-’em cameos. Even a couple of the Turtles don’t get quite enough room to breathe.
But if it feels overstuffed, it’s never less than enjoyable. Director Jeff Rowe previously wrote and co-directed The Mitchells vs. the Machines; as in that film, the parent-child dynamic provides the heart, even when the action’s at its most absurd. And like MVM, Mutant Mayhem rocks a rad art style: clearly inspired by the Spider-Verse movies’ willingness to colour outside of the lines, the CG animation sports a grungy, hand-drawn texture.
Beyond the arresting visuals, the set-pieces zing, too, particularly one fight scene backed by Blackstreet’s No Diggity. Despite seemingly being set in the present (smartphones!), it harks back to the era of the Turtles’ peak; the 90s needle drops are no less effective for being obvious.
There are references and gags that’ll please long-time Turtles fans, but Mutant Mayhem isn’t overburdened by references to past glories. And, as any good origin story should, it makes you feel like you’re meeting these characters for the first time, and leaves you wanting to spend much more time in their company. Powerful stuff, that ooze.
THE VERDICT Turtle power is back, thanks to winning humour and gnarly animation. Cowabunga!