2023 has been the year of franchise fatigue as new releases from Marvel, Star Wars, DC, and pretty much every movie series has seen diminished quality and/or dwindling reactions. That’s why Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is such a rad blast of fun. The TMNT franchise may be on it’s dozenth reinvention after nearly 40 years, but this fresh take from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg might be the absolute best take on the Turtles ever. Why? Because Mutant Mayhem synthesizes everything we love about the turtles — the action, the attitude, the pizza — and pumps it full of heart. These are teenage turtles who act like teenagers and are voiced by actual teens. What a concept! This makes what could have been a cheap franchise cash-in feel more like a bold innovation — like when Playmates Toys released those Turtle figures with shells built to store weapons and snacks on their backs. All this nostalgia paired with a hilarious and modern script and unleashed via bodacious, scratch-tastic animation? It’s as good as pineapple and pepperoni pizza, dude.
©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Col
