In 1984, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, comic-book artists, introduced the world to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a dark and witty satire featuring these cartoonish crime fighters. Following this, in 1987, Eastman and Laird licensed their characters to a toy company, resulting in a colorful and vibrant children’s animated series. Since then, the Turtles franchise has gone through various iterations and reboots.
Movies, TV shows, comics, video games, and an array of toys have kept the characters fresh for each new generation of children. However, the most recent movie in the series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which unexpectedly achieved success this summer, is the first film to effectively combine both aspects of Turtledom. It is a creatively engaging animated movie targeted at kids, but also captures the edgier energy of the original series. Its success highlights an incredible fact: a concept centered around wisecracking ninja reptiles has remained popular for nearly four decades, a prediction no one would have made when it first launched.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were initially portrayed as four turtles exposed to mysterious chemical ooze following a car accident, a playful parody of Daredevil’s origin story, a Marvel superhero. Their primary adversaries were the Foot, a ninja clan, akin to Daredevil’s foes, the Hand. The Turtles were mentored by a giant rat named Splinter, paralleling Daredevil’s ninja mentor, Stick. You get the idea.
Eastman and Laird rapidly developed the world surrounding their sarcastic, teenage turtle protagonists, introducing the archenemy Shredder and ally April O’Neil, a reporter. The series heavily referenced dark ’80s action comics, particularly Frank Miller’s iconic interpretation of Daredevil. Although the concept had been around since the ’60s, Miller utilized Daredevil to revolutionize superhero storytelling, delving into the psychologically complex nature of the blind crime fighter and pitting him against gangland villains in Hell’s Kitchen. Despite their satirical nature, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics were gritty and intense, filled with black-and-white action scenes that showcased the turtles skillfully dispatching their enemies without cracking a single joke.
Only as the comic series progressed and expanded into television and movies did many of its defining elements emerge: the Turtles’ love for pizza and catchphrases like “cowabunga,” their rebellious desire to escape the stern rule of Master Splinter and explore the world above their sewer home. This transformation propelled an indie hit into a favorite among children that, for the most part, was viewed as uncool. The live-action film in 1990, featuring actors in rubber suits, achieved box-office success, but its sequels received diminishing returns and are now mostly remembered for their delightful cheesiness (the second one includes a dance sequence with Vanilla Ice). In 2007, an animated feature called TMNT acknowledged and paid homage to these movies but embraced a more serious tone, finding moderate commercial success. Then, in 2014, Michael Bay produced another live-action reboot of the series, featuring CGI monstrosities, which earned some money but faced plenty of critical backlash.
It remains unclear why studios persisted with live-action adaptations when realistically portraying very tall turtle-like characters posed a perplexing challenge. Much of Mutant Mayhem’s success undoubtedly stems from the simple yet clever decision to create a fully animated film bursting with vibrant visuals, reminiscent of the format-breaking style that made the Spider-Verse movies such a sensation. Directed by Jeff Rowe, Mutant Mayhem radiates with energetic and exaggerated animation, often resembling sketches found in a child’s schoolbook. Rowe and his team tap into the underground atmosphere of the early comics but infuse it with the color and vitality of the later cartoons. This approach also extends to the characterization of the turtles themselves.
Originally, Eastman and Laird’s four turtles (Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello) were portrayed with a more serious and somber demeanor, although they were still teenagers, learning the ropes and eager to impress their sensei. Mutant Mayhem maintains this dynamic but gives the turtles actual teenage voices, each prone to excited ramblings and exuberant monologues. April O’Neil, traditionally a television news reporter, now assumes the role of a high school journalist with the endearing enthusiasm and amateurishness of her turtle companions. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, known for writing the classic teen film Superbad, also contribute to the script. While Mutant Mayhem lacks the raunchiness of Superbad, it captures the essence of youthful awkwardness.
Blending authentic teenage experiences with thrilling action sequences, Mutant Mayhem delivers exhilarating battles against mutant foes. Rowe has cited movies like Oldboy as influences, and the film successfully conveys the grotesque and intense nature of these enemies. The pulsating score by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor diverges greatly from the sounds of Vanilla Ice. Rowe and his team skillfully navigate the fine line between adolescent excitement and bone-crushing action. Mutant Mayhem is a martial-arts movie crafted for children that manages to secure its PG rating by a narrow margin.
Of utmost importance to individuals like myself who grew up playing with Turtle toys is the fact that Mutant Mayhem does not come across as a pandering attempt at nostalgia. The endurance of the Turtles brand may lie in the simplicity and flexibility of its original concept. If it veers too far towards either grittiness or silliness, subsequent reboots can easily recalibrate. Nonetheless, the entire franchise hangs in the balance, with toys perpetually needing to be sold and the possibility of cheap fast-food promotions looming on the horizon. Amidst Hollywood’s relentless exploration of 20th-century pop culture, Mutant Mayhem stands out as one of the rare reboots that pays homage to its franchise roots while offering something fresh and new.
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