HCA Gradebook: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’

Film: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES MUTANT MAYHEM  (2023)

Plot: After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them

Cast: Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Hannibal Buress, Rose Byrne, Nicolas Cantu, John Cena, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Natasia Demetriou, Ayo Edebiri, Giancarlo Esposito, Post Malone, Brady Noon, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph.

Director: Jeff Rowe

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Number of Graders: 23

Average Grade: A-

MEMBER REVIEWS

KOLBY MAC
TURTLE POWER is back in FULL EFFECT. Mutant Mayhem is a fresh take on your fav heroes on a half-shelf. TMNT sports cool animation, colorful voice performances, and a hilarious story that gets the ups and downs of being a Turtle and is having all the fun kicking butt along the way!
GRADE: A

Jonathan Fujii
Stunning animation and great voice performances. The story is familiar and the humor is incredibly hit or miss but still a fun time. Animation is so back.
GRADE: B-

Nicholas Spake
The Spider-Verse style, as many call it, is becoming a source of inspiration across various animation studios. Yet, few feel like an imitation of what the Spider-Verse crew innovated. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish blended Spider-Verse vibes with a storybook aesthetic. The Mitchells vs. the Machines gave a notebook of doodles a state-of-the-art twist. Jeff Rowe, who co-directed Mitchells, brings a similar visual flair to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. It’s grittier than the aforementioned films, which is appropriate for characters who live in the sewers. Yet, Mutant Mayhem is every bit as dazzling as Mitchells or Spider-Verse. It’s an unlikely equilibrium that suits the moral of not judging a book by its cover.
GRADE: A-

Jami Philbrick
With Into the Spider-Verse‘ style animation, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a fresh and fun reboot of the beloved franchise.
GRADE: B+

John Nguyen
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is laugh-out-loud funny and the Heroes in a Half Shell are all gnarly!!! Love the focus on them being Teenagers, and Turtle fans are in for a treat with references galore. It’s my second favorite animated film of the year.
GRADE: A-

Dan Murrell
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is actually able to introduce the Turtles to a new generation while staying true to what made kids like me love them over 30 years ago. The choice to cast actual teens as the Turtles was a smart one, and they’re surrounded by a talented supporting voice cast of established and funny actors. The animation style is obviously inspired by the Spider-Verse movies (in a good way) and the script is funny and sharp. Overall, a very entertaining movie for TMNT fans of all ages.
GRADE: B+

Zaki Hasan
The actual story of “Mutant Mayhem” is fairly cut-and-paste, following a well-trod template familiar to anyone who knows TMNT lore or the general contours of family movies like this. It’s the execution that makes the difference. Director Jeff Rowe (“The Mitchells vs. The Machines”) combines CGI animation with a scratchy, hand-drawn style reminiscent of the original comic books that make this look, unlike any TMNT project in the on-screen franchise’s four-decade history.
GRADE: A

Jeandra LeBeauf
TMNT Mutant Mayhem is an easy breeze watch set amongst the New York backdrop it’s known for. There’s enough nostalgia to entice super duper Turtle fans with an updated animation style to keep it fresh. The addition of Ice Cube as the villainous ‘Super Fly’ adds new energy in the most threatening yet unthreatening way.
GRADE: B-

Rick Bentley
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem uses the fresh approach of focusing on brotherhood to give this version of the story more heart than any before it. Equally as powerful is the chaotic animation style that should have been an annoyance but ends up being stunningly compelling. It all goes together to make this adaptation of the comic books so good it will leave you a little shell-shocked.
GRADE: B+

Aaron Neuwirth
Focusing on the innocence of adolescence over attempting to subvert superhero movie tropes, enough works in this film’s favor to hope there’s more in the works for these heroes in a half shell.
GRADE: B+

Mike Manalo
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is one of those pleasant surprises where you wouldn’t expect much going into it, and are blown away by how hard it goes, and how genuinely fun and impressive it really is. Anchored by stellar animation, terrific vocal performances, and a funny and faithful script that stays true to the characters and heart of the source material, Mutant Mayhem, along with this year’s finest film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, serve as further reminders why critics and Academy voters need to be paying closer attention to what animation is doing to boost the state of cinema today. This is a charming, fun movie, and hands down the best film ever made about giant, teenage, karate-chopping mutant turtles, as well as my third favorite movie of the summer so far.
GRADE: A-

Anthony Digioia
TMNT Mutant Mayhem delivers everything one could hope for from an adaptation and more! The writing is smart, the humor is witty, and the animation is pristine. It’s a fun-filled adventure filled with plenty of nostalgia while also managing to breathe new life into these already familiar characters. Such a great time!
GRADE: A

Ashley Saunders
Mutant Mayhem is an exciting, hilarious, chaotic, and amazing adventure that delivers one of the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle films we have seen in a long time. It’s a heartwarming story that has something for everyone in the audience whether you have traveled the sewers with the Turtles before or not. Plus it’s pure, epic Ninja Turtle fun. If this is the start of the Turtleverse count me in.
GRADE: A

James White
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem stands as one of the most inventive, entertaining and downright wonderful adaptations of Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman’s comic books. The animation is beautifully different, the choice to have the cast – particularly the young actors playing the turtles – record together makes for an organic sound and the whole story, while it doesn’t stray too far from the usual Turtles mix of mutant action and seeking acceptance, works on a level that keeps kids laughing and cheering and will also work for nostalgic older TMNT fans such as myself.
GRADE: A

Abbie Bernstein
Nobody is going to confuse TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM with independent artwork, but for a studio animated feature, it’s got a look of grit and individuality. More than that, we leave the theater feeling relatively cheerful and entertained, which is always a plus.
GRADE: B

Caillou Pettis
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a delightful and action-packed film that successfully pays homage to the iconic franchise while injecting fresh and modern elements.
GRADE: A-

Aaron White
Very generationally specific. These turtles act and talk like today’s teens, but are still so very cool. The pizza-eating, wisecracking, crime-fighting brothers return in a gorgeously dynamic animated style for a fun action-packed adventure that launches a modernized reboot. Some of the origins are changed and it’s a bit too stuffed with side characters that really aren’t utilized very interestingly, but there is a lot to love – like Paul Rudd’s incredibly cool Mondo Gecko, bruh. Turtle power remains undefeated.
GRADE: B+

Tom O’Brien
After seeing the first TMNT film in 1990 — the one with the actors in rubber suits — I pretty much called it a day on the series, but I had heard that “Mutant Mayhem” was something different. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s not bad. The striking animation is a bold mashup of 2D and 3D, and the simple idea of casting actual teenagers to voice the teen turtles makes a huge difference — these kids truly interact with each other as if they are best friends. If the film’s third act descends into the same tired superhero smash-a-thon that we’ve come to expect, elsewhere the script has a surprising wit to it that gives the story an unexpected freshness.
GRADE: B

Alexander Robinson
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have had several movies throughout their nearly 40-year history, but Mutant Mayhem is the first one that I would dare call great! The animation style for this film clearly owes a lot to the two Spider-Verse movies, but it’s done in a more grungy and unpolished look that fits perfectly with the tone of the original TMNT comics and the 1990 film. The script also does away with a lot of the corny jokes that have been associated with the franchise since the original cartoon series. Instead, we get a coming-of-age story with more genuine humor as the turtles try to catch and defeat Super Fly so they can be accepted by humans. It’s the first time where audiences get to see them as real teenagers and the voice actors do a fantastic job. Jackie Chan is also a major standout as Splinter and acts more like a father to the turtles than the teacher that he’s usually depicted as. There are some changes made from previous incarnations, but the spirit of the Ninja Turtles is still there. This new film will please long-time fans as well as serve as a great introduction to anyone who didn’t grow with the franchise.
GRADE: A

Lupe Rodriguez Haas
By far the best and funniest adaptation of these endearing characters. There are tons of references to other IPs and pop culture trivia. Seth Rogen and his partners come at the story as fanboys, and it’s evident in the final product which will satisfy new fans and the existing fanbase.
GRADE: B+

Scott Menzel
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the best big screen adaptation of the franchise since Secret of the Ooze. It’s a hip and modernize take on the beloved characters that is sure to generate a whole new generation of friends. The idea of hiring actual teenagers to voice the turtles was a very different approach as is leaning into the concept that they are teenagers who want to live a normal teenage lifestyle. It’s a lot of fun.
GRADE: B+

Ricky Valero
TMNT: Mutant Mayhem was everything I wanted it to be and more. It was a nostalgia-filled ride that was highlighted by incredible animation and fun voice acting. Ayo Edebiri was my MVP as April O’Neil. I hope this jumpstarts a franchise. 
GRADE: A-

Wendy Lee Szany
A fun and refreshing take on the Ninja Turtles, especially with the eye-popping animation. Loved the dynamic of the turtles and Splinter. Lots of pop culture references thrown in a fast-paced dialogue that is perfect for kids/teens. 
Grade: B+