The Heroes in a Half Shell are back in a brand new animated adventure that celebrates the legacy of what came before while forging a new path of its own.

Like a lot of people in their 30’s and 40’s, I grew up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies, cartoon series and action figures throughout the late 80’s to the mid 90’s. My first experience with these characters and this world came when I watched the original live action movies and I instantly became a fan. As a child, I saw a lot of myself in both Donatello and Michelangelo because I was a nerdy kid who loved to goof off and loved to eat pizza. As I got older, I related more to Leonardo and Raphael, especially in my current career where I have had to make difficult choices like they do. I also had to learn that I was loved and accepted by my friends and family. So, what does this have to do with this movie and this review? Well, I wanted to share with you all how much of an impact these characters and their stories had on me as I was growing up and how they affect me now.

I’ll admit that when I saw the first trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem I was a bit skeptical because after the last two live action movies, my faith in Turtles movies was shaken. But as I saw the trailer more and more and saw the cast and the crew involved in the new movie, I started getting excited. I’ll get to the cast and crew in a bit but for now, I’ll tell you what the movie is about. In the beginning we are introduced to TCRI scientist Baxter Stockman who is being forced by TCRI to use the ooze to create a new army of super soldiers by mutating animals. Stockman is in hiding and trying to perfect the ooze to create a new “family” and his first experiment is Superfly. After TCRI tactical teams raid his house, a vial of ooze falls into a sewer where four baby turtles and a rat encounter it and they are forever mutated. Fast forward 15 years and Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo race across the rooftops of New York City running errands for their father Splinter. During one of their nights out they have a chance encounter with April O’Neil and the five of them stumble across a plan to rid the world of humans and to make mutated animals the dominant species on the planet. Want to know more? Check the movie out!

First off, I just want to say that I had an absolute blast with this movie. It is so much fun and I had a smile on my face the entire time and the credit for that goes to writers Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit. They craft such a fun and action packed story that is filled with tons of humor and a surprising amount of heart and emotion. It also takes a lot of inspiration from the comic series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. There are multiple scenes in the movie where things slow down for the audience to catch its breath and to appreciate what our heroes are going through and how they long to be accepted. For Splinter, he just wants his sons to be happy but he wants to protect his family from the horrors of the human world. For the turtles, they want to be heroes while also experiencing what it’s like to go to high school and be normal teenagers. For April, it’s being accepted by the students of her high school and pursuing a career in journalism. And for Superfly, it’s to create the world that Baxter Stockman had promised him. A world where mutants don’t have to fear humans and can leave in peace. The story has high stakes for the New York and the world but it also has so many personal stakes for these characters and that just goes to show you how well this script and story is written.

The movie is directed by Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears and not only do they get the most out of the script but they get fantastic performances from the entire cast. Speaking of the cast, it is STACKED! Featuring Jackie Chan as Splinter, Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo, Micah Abbey as Donatello, Brady Noon as Raphael, Shamon Brown Jr. as Michelangelo, Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman, Ice Cube as Superfly, Seth Rogen as Bebop, John Cena as Rocksteady, Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil, Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko and so many more! When I say this cast is stacked, it’s stacked and everyone brings a great performance. Nicolas, Micah, Brady and Shamon play off of each other really well and they have instant chemistry. They also do a great job with acting opposite of Jackie Chan and that provides some fantastic comedic moments. The standouts here are definitely Splinter and the Turtles but I also have to give it to Ice Cube as Superfly and Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko. Ice Cube is absolutely terrifying as Superfly but you can tell he is having a lot of fun in the role. With Paul Rudd, he rarely ever misses in anything he does and this is an example of him being at the top of his game. There is a bit between him and Donatello during a big set piece where Donnie is apologizing and Mondo refuses to accept the apology and calls him “Bro.” Like I said earlier, the chemistry in this movie is great and it allows you to get caught up in this story and world even more.

I have been praising the writing, directing and acting but now I have to talk about the animation. It’s absolutely gorgeous and it looks like it leapt off the pages of a comic book. It definitely feels like the animators took some inspiration from the Spider–Verse movies but it also feels like they took inspiration from the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series (which if you haven’t watched that, you should). Every single scene in this movie is beautiful and the character movements are so smooth especially during the action set pieces. There are two set pieces that really come to mind when talking about the animation: one of them features each turtle and their ways of doing things while they take down and interrogate different mobsters and the other is a high speed car chase set to fast paced version of a classic song that you just have to see and hear to believe. The animators really get a chance to shine here and they do so in grand fashion.

I think the only issue I can see with this movie is that it is definitely not for children under 6 or 7 years old. There is a small bit of language, while it isn’t terrible, it is still there. I would also have to say that some of the designs of the mutants that appear in the movie can be a little frightening for small children especially with the way the light hits them. But honestly that is the only thing I can think of when it comes to a negative to this movie.

I absolutely LOVED Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem! It’s a love letter to the legacy that came before it and not only honors that but it forges a new path for the series and the franchise as a whole. I said earlier that I had a huge smile on my face from the beginning until the end and I also may have pumped my fist in the air a few times and squealed a bit with excitement at things. When I left the theater I had tears of joy in my eyes, and even thinking about it now, I am smiling and I am crying a bit from the happiness this movie made me feel. This is a perfect summer blockbuster and it is also the perfect jumping on point for new TMNT fans. I’d also like to take this time to thank the amazing people over at Allied Marketing for inviting me to this screening.

I give Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 4.5 Mondo Gecko’s Out of 5!