Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
★★★½ — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
There's a moment watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem where it just hits you: this is what a TMNT film should feel like. Not slick and sanitised, not squeezed into a live-action blockbuster mould, but genuinely scrappy and alive and fun. I've been a fan of the Turtles since I was a little kid, and I can say with some confidence that this is probably my favourite piece of TMNT media since the original films. That's not a sentence I throw around lightly.
What strikes you immediately is the look of it. The art style sits far closer to Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's original comics than pretty much any adaptation I can think of. It's rough around the edges in exactly the right way, sketchy and kinetic, like someone grabbed a handful of ink and threw it at the screen. If you've spent any time with those early comics, you'll feel it straight away. It's a bold choice, and it pays off completely. Animation fans who've explored more unconventional styles, as I have with films like Fantastic Planet (1973), will recognise the value of committing to a singular visual identity rather than chasing what's fashionable.
The voice cast is excellent across the board, but I want to give a special mention to the legendary Jackie Chan, who brings real warmth and weight to his role. The teenage turtles themselves feel genuinely teenage, which sounds obvious but is actually harder to pull off than you'd think. They bicker, they joke, they embarrass themselves. It works.
Now, the story does take a significant departure from the classic TMNT formula. Shredder, arguably the most iconic villain in the franchise's history, isn't the threat here. I understand that might put some fans off, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel his absence at least a little. But the story they've told in his place is a good one. It's got heart, it's got stakes, and it finds fresh angles on these characters without betraying who they are. Sometimes a franchise needs to breathe, and this film lets it.
I watched this one with my six-year-old son, which felt like a genuinely special moment for me. I was roughly his age when I first discovered the Turtles, so sitting there watching him laugh his head off at the same characters that captured my imagination all those years ago was something else entirely. He found it absolutely hilarious throughout, which is both a credit to the film's comedy and a reminder that the best family animation doesn't talk down to kids or pander to adults. It just gets on with being brilliant.
The fight sequences deserve a paragraph of their own. The animation during those scenes is slick in a way that made me lean forward in my seat. Fast, fluid, creative, and always readable even when the screen is absolutely packed with movement. And the soundtrack complements it perfectly, giving everything an extra pulse of energy at exactly the right moments. It's the kind of action filmmaking where the sound and image feel genuinely designed for each other.
Four and a half stars. Wholeheartedly recommended, whether you're a lifelong fan or someone coming to the Turtles completely fresh. And if you've got a kid who's around six? Clear your Saturday afternoon.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2023 | Watched: 2025-05-25
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
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