Pop culture is big, very big. From hundreds to thousands of characters and fandoms there is probably only a handful that are in S tier for multiple generations but when you filter that down to only those who taught thousands the names of at least 4 renaissance painters there is only a foursome who are awesome – The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
We don’t really need to explain who they are, the Ninja Tuttle’s have been around since the 80’s having gone from black and white indie from Eastman and Laird to one of the most popular cartoons on the planet and then being one of the first franchises to span not one but multiple live action films (and probably the only one with a soundtrack featuring Vanilla Ice + that whole Michael Bay era). But in case you do here is the short version.
A truck containing secret radioactive ooze falls into the sewer and lands on 4 baby turtles and a rat, they mutate into a animal/human hybrid and the rat (Master Splinter teaches the 4 Turtles martial arts so they can survive and protect themselves. He also names the 4 turtles Leonardo (the Leader in blue, does anything to get his ninjas through), Donatello (has a way with machines), Raphael (has the most attitude on the team) and Michelangelo (he is a party dude).
Since their first journey outside of comics (and even in) the Turtles have had multiple reboots to keep with the times (being teenagers) with at least 4 different cartoons and multiple comics updating and evolving (mutating?) the Turtles backstory and expanded universe of fighting the evil Ninja Foot Clan lead by an armor covered Shredder and their friends the Mighty Mutanimals (they even teamed up with Batman one time).
The latest film takes the animated path as the latest reboot of the Turtles and aims to do for the Turtles what Spider-Verse did for Miles Morales in more ways than one. Starting at almost the beginning again as Baxter Stockman is raided by the corporation behind the ooze TCRI leading to an explosion and the ooze dripping into the sewer. 15 years later we rejoin the turtles as teens who live in the shadows and hidden from humans of New York during a crime wave of high tech equipment.
You don’t really need to know much more than the basics of TMNT going in as the film is definitely aimed at the younger audience but featuring some pretty solid animation and deep Turtles references for the most long term fan to be happy. Coming from Seth Rogan and long time writing partner, Seth Rogan already has some pretty good creds as a film maker but it is his Comic Book adaption track record that makes him so trusted with this property with Preacher and Invincible already under his belt.
Visually it is hard not to compare this film to Sipider-Verse, while it doesn’t switch between styles per universes there is a definite feel of hand drawn on top of 3D rendered that makes it hard to not say that Spider-Verse & the original comics would not have been somewhat of an inspiration artistically. That combined with some pretty solid action sequences (we particularly enjoyed the montage with the same motions taking down crime gangs but switching gangs and turtles in an TMNT Arcade side scrolling style, makes the whole thing flow like visual butter.
So should you go see it? If you are a TMNT fan than absolutely this should be on your list, if you are not and just liked Spider-Verse, same answer. For everyone else? Yes this is definitely aimed at a younger demographic but do not let that dissuade you as we might easily put this up as one of the best films this year and we would not be surprised if a sequel is already greenlit. In the meantime it’s time to put radical back into your rotation.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is out in cinemas across Australia from today
