Any kid who loved the Ninja Turtles still has strong feelings about them. As a Donatello fan who also loves Michelangelo, that is not something I am exactly quiet about. So, when news broke that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was coming out, many of us were on high alert, partially because our history with the Ninja Turtles runs deep but also because the movies as a whole haven’t been the best. Luckily, Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg all came together to give our boys the big screen treatment they need with the best take in recent years!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a fresh start for the boys. While we have had a lot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles content, what makes this movie so special is that it highlights the root of why we love the team in the first place.
Leonardo (Nicholas Cantu) is still the “leader” of the team, and he constantly gets crap about it from his brothers. Donatello (Micah Abbey) is their tech guy, Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) loves to improvise, and Raphael (Brady Noon) is as angry as ever. Together, the four paint the boys as teenagers as the characters we know and love, but as they are trying their best to become the heroes they long to be.
Their father, Splinter (Jackie Chan), is trying to keep them safe from the humans who once hated him, but it ends up leading to the boys just trying to help out where they can. That starts with April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri) when they witness the theft of her scooter.
The best the team has been
April has always been a character I love, but seeing this version of her, played so beautifully by Edebiri, is brilliant. She’s a journalist, determined to fix the “wrong” of her past by doing an investigative report on Super Fly (Ice Cube). He’s caused her prom to be delayed, and she sees the Turtles as her way to fix it. What I love in particular about this take on April is that she’s determined to do what she thinks is right, and that means being there for the team, as well.
It’s sweet how she gets along with them, includes them in her plans, and even saves them when she has to. April is not a secondary character, instead just instantly part of the team. She’s valuable to the boys and values their abilities, but still has her personality with them—makes fun of them, teases Leo just like the rest of the boys—and it’s so sweet to watch them all come together.
She even breaks through with Splinter when the boys need him. Seeing such a strong April at the same time as the boys being very much their best selves makes for Mutant Mayhem being one of the best adventures for our turtles yet.
Four brothers, working together
At the end of the day, what makes Mutant Mayhem so good is that it understands why we love the four boys. Yes, obviously, it’s the pizza-loving mutants. There’s very little you can do to make them not great. With this movie, though, it’s a marriage between a fun animation style, the heart of how much they all love each other, and the turtles finding their way to be accepted by those around them. That’s what makes this movie work. Well, that and Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko who just wants to skateboard and call Raph his dude.
Hopefully this opens up the door to many more adventures with Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Donnie because Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a perfect outing for them.
(featured image: Paramount Pictures)
