All the Same Inside in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’

The photo shows a movie director's clapboard at nine o'clock, and a serving of popcorn in a red and white bucket at eight o'clock, all against a white background, with a sign that reads "MOVIE TIME" in red letters across the top;"with" in yellow near the middle; and "Jon Ochiai" in red from the center out to three o'clock. Altogether: "Movie Time with Jon Ochiai." At four o'clock, there are five golden colored stars under the name, and at six o'clock, two golden colored movie tickets that read Admit One. Jon Ochiai is the author of the movie review associated with this branded image.

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo voiced by Nicholas Cantu, Brady Noon, Micah Abbey, and Shannon Brown Jr., watch the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off showing in a park in New York City. The Boys smile with joy watching the movie from the nearby rooftop, so that they go unnoticed. Leader Leonardo wistfully says, “I wish they would love us like they love Ferris…” Although the TMNT possess great strength, agility, and expert ninja skills, they’re still teenagers, more than superheroes. They just want to belong. Like all of us, they just want to be loved. Just saying.

In the surprisingly humanist narrative of Directors Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears, the spectacularly animated TMNT is genuinely funny and articulated with authentic teen angst. And it’s a very good superhero movie, too. Writers Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit’s screenplay is the welcome reinvention of the TMNT mythology. I saw TMNT in amazing 3D. The action sequences and color pallet are visually stunning. TMNT rocks as the action-comedy about pepperoni pizza-loving teenage mutant ninja turtles, who save the humans who fear and despise them. Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears’s TMNT seems as an allegory of racism, prejudice, and acceptance without taking itself at all seriously.

Martial arts legend Jackie Chan voices with whimsical gravitas the mutant rat Splinter, who raised the TMNT since he found them in the sewers of New York City. Splinter and his Boys were exposed to the mysterious ooze that gave them their great strength, speed, and intellect. That Sensei Splinter teaches his Boys to become Master Ninjas by watching martial arts videos together is hysterical. Perhaps, writer Seth Rogen’s homage to The Karate Kid. Recall that Jackie Chan starred as the Sifu in The Karate Kid remake. Unlike The Karate Kid, the Turtles trained for over 15 years in martial arts albeit from videos. As opposed to Mr. Miyagi training Daniel-san in karate over the summer for the All-Valley Karate Tournament. Just saying.

In deadpan droll, Maya Rudolph voices shadowy enigmatic Cynthia Utron, the woman responsible for the source of the ooze. Well, sort of. She and her task force discover the TMNT. She wants to extract the ooze from them. Again, sort of. Often Seth Rogen’s screenplay contrivances are the downside of TMNT. Still, touching adolescent yearning, comical superhero references like Avengers: Endgame and a pop culture-driven sense of humor inspire for 90-plus minutes.

The TNMT rescue wannabe high school journalist April, voiced by smart, funny Ayo Edebiri. Although shocked that they’re Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, April enrolls the Boys to stop the crime robbery spree led by mutant Superfly, voiced with hilarious swag by Ice Cube. The ooze sources Superfly’s powers, too. He’s crewed up with his vicious mutant entourage. Meanwhile, Leonardo is crushing on April.

In the past, April vomited in her on-air news audition. Profoundly humiliated, she carries her wounds inside. April feels like an outcast, much like Splinter and his Boys. In the touching narrative, Splinter and his baby Boys visit the streets of New York City. Everyone stares at them with great fear, anger, and prejudice. Splinter bravely protects his Boys from violence and harm. Images of Splinter guarding the cute baby turtles from human hatred and violence is heartbreaking. Consequently, Splinter teaches his Boys martial arts to protect themselves. He instructs them to stay away from humans. He teaches his Boys to hate humans, as he does. Still, hate for hatred is still hate. Just saying.

Splinter brutally battles Superfly and his crew to protect his Boys. Yet, he can’t do this all alone. He has to let go. Let his Boys invent the best versions of themselves. Become the heroes that they are inside. It’s about love. As predictable in most superhero movies, the TMNT face Superfly in the confusing and chaotic climactic narrative arc. Yeah, I still don’t get why Superfly had a live horse on his legs.

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’s sweet narrative, the TMNT wanted to go to school and be regular teenagers. Go on dates. Go to prom. Whatever. When the Boys get ready for school, I smiled. Splinter says, “I love you, Boys.” The TMNT say, “We love you, too father.” I teared up. Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is something special. Whether human or teenage mutant ninja turtle, we’re all the same inside. We all want to belong. We all want to be loved. Just saying.