TMNT Mutant Mayhem:
5 GOOD THINGS, 5 BAD
TMNT Mutant Mayhem: 5 Good Things, 5 Bad
TMNT: Mutant Mayhem is the latest film adaptation of the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, which follows the adventures of four mutant turtle brothers who take on the forces of evil in New York City. The film, directed by Jeff Rowe and co-written and produced by Seth Rogen, features a new animation style, a new origin story, and a new cast of characters, some of whom have never appeared in a TMNT film before. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and fans, but it also has some flaws and nitpicks from its fanbase as well. Here are 5 good things and 5 bad things about the heroes in a half shell’s latest adventure:
5. Good: THE MUTANTS
This movie offers a large number of mutant characters who have never appeared in a TMNT film before. Leatherhead, Wingnut, Ray Fillet, Mondo Gecko, Genghis Frog, and Scumbug are among the new mutants introduced in the film. These characters are based on the TMNT franchise’s toys and comics, and most of them are members of the Mighty Mutanimals, a team of mutant allies of the Turtles. Seeing these characters brought to life is a fanboys’ dream come true, and now we’re left with the hope of a potential Mighty Mutanimals spinoff movie.
BAD: THE GENDERBENDS
The film gender swaps some familiar characters from the TMNT franchise, which may be seen as an attempt to be more inclusive and diverse, but viewed as unnecessary and lazy to longtime fans. For example, the character of Wingnut, who is based on Batman, costume and all, is now a much smaller female bat-mutant, with his sidekick Screwloose completely missing in action.
Instead of being a massive male mutant alligator with a deep, booming voice who is sometimes a friend and other times an enemy of the Turtles, Leatherhead is now a rather tiny female gator with Rose Byrne‘s incredibly soft voice. What a strange selection for this ragin’ Cajun reptile.
That’s not all though. Even Scumbug, the grotesque mutant cockroach is transformed into a female roach, who becomes Splinter’s love interest by the film’s end. The new girl power version of Scumbug even gets a pretty gross makeout scene with the turtles’ father and mentor.
These changes feel arbitrary. Instead of gender-swapping existing characters, the film simply could have included female mutants that already exist in the TMNT universe, such as the mutant lizard Mona Lisa, and the mutant female foxes Ninjara and/or Alopex.
4. GOOD: EASTER EGGS
Mutant Mayhem is chalk-full of easter eggs and fan service. Eagle-eyed fans will catch a lot of these, but for everyone else, here’s a few of them:
The return of Vanilla Ice’s “Ninja Rap”, a song that was featured in the 1991 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Secret of the Ooze. It’s only for a brief moment, but it was enough for avid fans of that film to hear that nostalgia-laced rap track.
Another easter egg worth mentioning is Eastman High and the Laird building, which are named after the co-creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. They are the original comic book artists and writers who came up with this whole zany idea that became the decades-spanning hit.
There are obvious references such as the mad scientist Baxter Stockman and TCRI from the movies and comics, but more observant fans will notice that Cynthia Utrom’s last name is a reference to the villainous Krang and his species. April’s yellow jacket pays homage to her past appearances in both the popular 1980s cartoon and the 2012 show.
There are also nods to other Nickelodeon trademarks, such as a guy in a SpongeBob costume and a “Hey Arnold!” name drop. They also tossed in a number of Marvel references including Avengers: Endgame, as well as Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Evans namedrops.
The mutant cobra Scale Tail, who made a pretty gnarly 90’s action figure, was dropped from the film during production, but some fans of the character may have caught a sketch of him during one scene. Of course, there is that glimpse of the Shredder in the post credit scene that’s probably worth a mention too.
BAD: ALTERED ORIGINS
The film alters the origins of some of the TMNT franchise’s characters, which may irritate some fans and purists. For example, Bebop and Rocksteady are no longer human criminals who have been turned into animal hybrids by the Shredder, but rather random animals who were transformed into humanoid mutants by Superfly. These two iconic henchmen aren’t associated with the Shredder at all in this film.
Splinter is no longer the ninja master Hamato Yoshi, or his pet, but rather a sewer rat who was exposed to the same ooze as the turtles and learned his skills by watching VHS tapes of Bruce Lee. The turtles learn the art of the ninja alongside him in the same manner.
Baxter Stockman is no longer a mad scientist hired by the Shredder who is transformed into a mutant fly. He’s now the man who created the mutant fly that grows up to become the film’s main antagonist Superfly. These alterations to their origins feel a bit unnecessary, and they undermine the complexity of some of them.
3. Good: Animation Style
Mutant Mayhem uses a new animation style that is inspired by the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The film combines 3D computer animation with 2D comic book elements, such as sound effects, panel layouts, and speech bubbles.
The movie uses different animation techniques for different characters, such as cel-shading, stop-motion, and pixel art. It’s style creates a vibrant and dynamic visual experience that pays tribute to the various media forms of the TMNT franchise. It also further accentuates the film’s humor and action, making it more enjoyable and engaging for the audience.
BAD: SOME CHARACTER DESIGNS
Mutant Mayhem adopts different character designs for some of the characters, which may be interpreted as an attempt to be more diversified, but might also be seen as unappealing to longtime fans. April O’Neil, for example, is unrecognizable. She’s now a black teenager with a completely different personality than we’ve seen before, who pukes all over the place when she’s stressed out. You could argue that this new trait makes her an outcast just like the turtles, but she does feel like a whole new character.
Genghis Frog is no longer a surfer-bodied punk who is a member of a frog team/family, but rather a solo mutant frog who lacks any humanoid characteristics and is much smaller than the other mutants for some reason. These alterations just felt a little out-of-place and may be somewhat off-putting to those who love the original characters.
2. Good: Voice Cast
These characters are brought to life by an excellent and diverse voice cast. Seth Rogen voices Bebop, the mutant warthog who is generally a goon of the Shredder; Rogen also voiced Pumbaa, another iconic talking warthog, in the 2019 adaptation of The Lion King. Other notable voice actors include Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom, the enigmatic leader of the non-mutant antagonists; Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, the skateboarding mutant lizard with a silly personality; John Cena as Rocksteady, Bebop’s mutant rhino partner; Jackie Chan as Splinter, the turtles’ father figure; and Ice Cube as Superfly, the film’s main antagonist.
The four turtles’ new and younger actors also feel suitable in their roles, giving the team an authentically teen sound. The voice cast, even though it appears to just be a star-studded roster ready for IMDB, does actually do a great job of capturing the personality and humor of the characters. Even Post Malone brings his vocal talent as a singer to the table as Ray Filet.
BAD: WRECK-IT RAPH
Most casual fans know by now that Raphael has a problem with anger management, and the film continually notes that he needs to learn to control his emotions and work with his brothers. However, the movie never depicts Raphael losing his anger or acting irrationally. Instead, he is typically cool and sardonic, and he even makes light of his rage problems. This makes his character arc feel shallow, undermining the dynamic between him and his brothers that audiences have come to understand over the years. Come to think of it, he’s more like the silly and sarcastic Raph from the 1980’s cartoon.
1. WITTY DIALOGUE
The dialogue in the movie is funny and witty, showcasing the individuals’ personalities and relationships. The movie also parodies aspects of the TMNT franchise’s tropes and cliches, such as the Turtles’ obsession with pizza, their usage of ninjutsu, and their catchphrases.
The lines are written by a team of top tier comedic writers, including Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit, who have worked on various comedy films and shows, such as Superbad, Pineapple Express, This Is the End, The Interview, Detective Pikachu, and more.
Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph, John Cena, and Hannibal Buress are among the outstanding comedic performers who voice the characters in the movie. These highly talented individuals also improvise some of their lines, which gives the movie extra spontaneity and hilarity. One of the movie’s finest features is its dialogue, which consistently provides laughs.
BAD: VARIOUS NITPICKS
There are a few minor issues with Mutant Mayhem that some viewers might have. One is that, as was already mentioned, they study martial arts merely by viewing video tapes that they found in a dumpster, as opposed to spending years engaging in rigorous lessons with their black belt instructor and sensei Splinter. Through viewing these tapes, Splinter acquires expertise alongside the turtles. This lessens the importance and legitimacy of their ninja abilities and makes their ninja origin seem inauthentic. Additionally, it breaks the bond between Splinter and Shredder, who are no longer rivals or enemies.
Another gripe fans seem to share is that the turtles have a vast array of villains to pick from for the movie and the writers opted to create a new one, especially when a mutant fly villain already exists. Regardless, Ice Cube did a fine job bringing this new bad guy to life.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem is an original TMNT film with a fresh new animation method, a new take on a familiar tale, and a cast of existing characters we hadn’t seen in films yet. The majority of fans will love the film’s numerous references and easter eggs to the earlier TMNT television series, toys, and movies. The movie unquestionably has some problems and controversies, but its positive aspects—like the fan service, the hilarious banter, and the voice cast—far exceed those. Most longtime fans will enjoy this entertaining and action-packed movie.
