6.7.23
A shapeshifting multicoloured blast of nostalgia, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem may have one of the most annoyingly long titles of any film I can think of, but in a year of fantastic animation features, it still manages to stand out due to its meticulous style remixed with vibrant doodles, entertaining voice-cast, and fantastic soundtrack.
It’s also got a lot of heart, which reflects the enduring playfulness of the core characters that have kept the franchise so popular. Yet again, the familiar band of upright testudines, Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello and leader Leonardo, long for a normal human life above the depths of the sewers. On this outing, a new enemy, Superfly (Ice Cube), aims to overtake the world in the ‘mutants versus humans’ style we’ve seen before in other comic book universes. Other familiar characters such as Splinter, April and a duo of popular Warthog and Rhino-humanoid comic baddies also show up to great delight.
This is a Ninja Turtles tailored for the YouTube generation, with the turtles fanboying over viral videos and dropping on-demand references. But for the 30+ fans like myself, there’s also the vast array of Trent Reznor-helmed soundscapes, contrasted brilliantly with old-school East Coast hip-hop cuts from M.O.P, Gang Starr and Gravediggaz. The voice cast crushes it, especially Ice Cube and Jackie Chan getting the chance to flex some emotional range, which suits their characters perfectly. Soundwise, it’s one of the best movies I’ve seen, as all the features listed are just right up my street and reflect my personal tastes so well. And with so many winks and nods, Mutant Mayhem rides the wave of animated flicks steeped in pop culture sentimentality in its own self-referential way, whilst still feeling like a valid reflection of life for struggling New Yorkers.
The film clicks when the turtles hype each other up, trading jokes and busting moves, channelling the enduring appeal of the franchise. So jam-packed with pop culture callbacks, it’s a film that undoubtedly fits right in with the new school of animated movies revelling in emojis, gifs, and other artefacts of our ever-increasingly interconnected internet age. My problem with the film is that the stakes feel low, and It feels weak compared to Spiderverse and Puss in Boots, but they are both very high bars, reminding us what a fantastic year it continues to be for franchise films and animated features.