Had Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse not proven that well-known intellectual properties could not only withstand but thrive under an artistic vision spawned of love and creativity, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem might never have happened. Following in those footsteps, this story of four anthropomorphic reptiles trying to find their place among the mutant-hating humans of New York City is one of the best movies I’ve seen all year.
The very first thing you’ll notice about this movie is its art direction. The animation is unlike anything I’ve seen before and it oozes style and creativity. It looks like rotoscoped Claymation. It’s like a teenager added notebook scribbles over frames of Wallace & Gromit, and it works so well.
On top of that—and it feels strange to say this about animation—Mutant Mayhem has some of the best lighting I’ve seen in a long time. Taking place mostly under cover of night, every shot is lit like a last-century James Cameron or Michael Mann film. It might be a stretch, but it even recalls Katherine Bigelow’s Near Dark, all neons at night, nasty and beautiful. How’s that for a kids’ movie?
The character design is incredibly unique as well. From the main mutants to single-scene humans, the faces in Mutant Mayhem are allergic to symmetry, making every grin and grimace memorable. The characters seem an extension of the setting, too. Each scene is littered with dingy detail, a possible nod to the grit and grime of the 1990 live-action classic.
While a delight to look at, a film can only go so far on visuals alone. Written by longtime duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Superbad) along with co-director Jeff Rowe (Gravity Falls, The Mitchells vs. the Machines), Mutant Mayhem hits all the right notes. As portrayed by actual teenagers, our heroes in a half shell are all hilarious and charming, with just the right amount of annoying. Splinter, as played by Jackie Chan, nails the understandably overbearing father figure, worried for his boys’ safety while also fearing the loneliness of an empty nest. The ubiquitous Ayo Edebiri rounds out the good guys as April O’Neil, a high-strung high schooler and aspiring journalist, and the first person to accept the turtles for who they are, not what they appear to be.
The titular “mutant mayhem” refers to a cadre of curiosities created by Baxter Stockman. His mob of mutants, led by Superfly (Ice Cube), are responsible for a series of thefts across the city, and are voiced perfectly by too many famous people to name.
What it all amounts to is a film comprised of incredible ingredients that combine to make something truly special. I didn’t even mention the action (a movie with “ninja” in the title is invariably an action flick), but everything I’ve already said applies to the action scenes as well. They’re funny and exciting and tell a cohesive story in and of themselves. Turtle power indeed.
