TMNT: Mutant Mayhem

[HotRod]

Kinda shocked to not find a thread about this film. Saw it this afternoon and I gotta say that I kinda loved it.

Little bit of background; I've seen every theatrically release TMNT movie in theaters, for better or worse, since I saw the first film in 1990, when I was 6 years old.

As a late 80's/Early 90's kid, the Turtles were a huge part of my life growing up. Like most, I eventually grew out of my "Turtles phase," but still made a point to see the films. It's sometimes been a difficult chore.

This was not a difficult chore. I felt like a little kid again. But what made it even better, was that I got to take my 6 year old son to the film, and he loved it!

Finally, the TEENAGE Mutant Ninja Turtles felt like actual teenagers. The casting of everybody was perfect.

I won't get into spoilers, but I'll say that the plot was interesting with some real heart behind the emotions they were trying to convey. And while I'd hardly call the plot groundbreaking, it did what it was supposed to do and kept my sons attention. No easy task.

Lastly, I need to heap all the praise possible at the art direction. It was ugly, in the most beautiful way. I've never seen anything like it, but it absolutely worked.

Great flick.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I'm really looking forward to watching it and it's probably the most excited I've been for a Turtles film since the original live action films of my childhood.

That said, I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to see it.

 

[JD]

Lastly, I need to heap all the praise possible at the art direction. It was ugly, in the most beautiful way. I've never seen anything like it, but it absolutely worked.

Great flick.

I've seen a couple of behind the scenes clips and interviews where they said they tried to make the artwork look like it was drawn by a teenage.
I really want to see this, but my mom won't see it, and I'm not sure if I want to see it bad enough to go alone. I'll probably just wait until it pops up on Paramount+.

 

[USS Firefly]

I wait till my son will be about 6, so over probably 2 years

 

[EyalM]

Watched it with a 6 years old and we both enjoyed it.
There is humor for both kids and adults, and the story is relatively straightforward so kids can follow.
A girl from my son's kindergarten was also at the screening and was so scared from the final boss that she had to leave. So parents should think if this film is right for young children.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Got to watch this on Sunday but only just getting to posting my thoughts (or reposting my thoughts from social media and expanding...):

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles performed as and by actual teenagers?

That's the one aspect the many iterations of the characters that's never been properly explored or even emphasized until now.

This film not only achieved this while maintaining the distinctive personality traits of Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael, but it also told a meaningful story that focused on the mutant aspect.

This film was the most excited I've been in TMNT project since the original live-action films (although I did enjoy the 2007 film even if it was largely forgettable) and the film did not disappoint. It was a wonderfully fun adventure that had both worldwide and personal stakes for our heroes.

I also really loved the animation. While it was obviously inspired by Spider-Verse films, what Jeff Rowe created here was something distinct and unique unto itself. The raw energy and chaos of everything was a lot of fun to experience and yet never felt difficult to follow.

Just about the only thing I didn't like about the film was the puking scene. I'm not against April reacting in the way she did, on-screen anxiety is a real and awful thing (I know!), but I hated how long that sequence was drawn out and felt completely unnecessarily beyond the deliberate gross-out factor.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Fun, fresh take on TMNT. The animation does have a Spider-Verse feel but is different because it remains mostly consistent throughout without so many shifts. If I had to describe it, it's like a 3D CG take on claymation that occasionally leans into cut-outs. It gives the animation a feeling of solidity and tactility and is nicely executed. A favorable comparison to Spider-Verse would be the kineticism, style and vibrancy on display.

Jackie Chan's Splinter and Ice Cube's Superfly were favorite characters. Splinter has this 1970s vibe (complete with mustache) to him that I dig. I suppose it goes against the Ninja of TMNT but true to that vibe and to being voiced by Chinese Chan, Splinter and the turtles are self-taught from a lot of old-school kung fu movies and the kind of training videos you might find in the back pages of martial arts magazines (presented in fun live clips). More Wu-Tang than Ninja. And Cube's Superfly lives up to the name. I liked that his first encounter with the turtles ends up at an arcade instead of a big brawl.

The movie does occasionally get a bit gross but I like that ultimately the characters win out and grow without having to change themselves to fit in. Instead they beat fear, their own and others, and win over the hearts and minds of the people by their actions not assimilation. The mutants even after reformation and victory are still weird odd mutants.

 

[Christopher]

This just arrived on Paramount+. It was pretty good, and I liked the way the story went for the most part, the search for acceptance and the dilemma of meeting a community of fellow mutants but being at odds over their goals. There were some elements I wasn't as fond of, though, particularly April's backstory. I didn't love the design style, especially the bizarrely asymmetrical design of Cynthia Utrom. I respect it for being creatively unconventional, but that's about it.

I also had a problem with how these aren't actually Ninja Turtles at all, just turtles and a rat that learned a hodgepodge of martial-arts techniques from the media. I mean, I've felt for a while now that TMNT is really lacking when it comes to the ninja element. Really, after seeing a fair amount of Japanese fictional portrayals of ninjas, I've realized how strange it is that American portrayals of ninjas focus only on the fighting and stealth and ignore the essentially magical powers that are so integral to Japanese ninja lore -- controlling the elements, walking on water, burrowing underground, creating tangible illusions such as multiple clones of oneself, etc. We're missing out on a major part of what defines ninja stories as a genre. But of all the versions of TMNT I've seen, this is the one that had the least justification for the "Ninja" part of the title.

But aside from that, it's a pretty good take, and there are some funny lines, with a very improvisational feel to the dialogue. Somehow the line that gave me the biggest laugh was "I don't need that horse."

 

[DWMarch]

A girl from my son's kindergarten was also at the screening and was so scared from the final boss that she had to leave. So parents should think if this film is right for young children.

I'm 44 and I thought that thing was high-octane nightmare fuel.