BY JOHN CARTER JR
What we are and who we are are two different things. What we are is all the components or attributes that make us up. What I am is a human person with my own gender identity, sexual orientation, racial identity, experiences, eye color, skin color, voice, body, and so on. Who I am is what I stand for, how or why I choose to make decisions, and how all the components that make up what I am influence the way I move through the world or respond to the present.
Being accepted for who you are is a struggle common among many people; we want to be loved for who we are. That being said, it is hard for many to be loved or accepted for who they are when the “what” is stigmatized and demonized by the world. Having your capacity for love or acceptance to be considered can be reduced to your skin color, your sexuality, your weight, your alignment with global beauty standards, your gender identity, and so on. Imagine what it would be like to be a teenage boy, who happens to be a green turtle person hybrid living in the sewer system of New York with their literal Rat father (while also dealing with the regular pains of growing up).
Paramount’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” directed by Jeff Rowe, is now among a trilogy of distinct yet perfectly executed interpretations of the nearly 40-year-old Ninja Turtle IP. It stands among the best films in the franchise’s history alongside the Classic 1990 “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” directed by Steve Barron and Andy Suriano and Ant Ward’s “Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie” (2022).
The film is filled to the brim with excellent characters, action sequences, art design, comedy, and fresh takes on classic Ninja Turtle heroes and villains alike. While many have stated the film bears resemblance to the Sony Spiderverse films, a more accurate description of the film’s art or aesthetics is like a painting meets stoner-art-kid school notebook meets Laika Studios stop motion character design (and that’s a limited description).
The film’s color palette is exquisite with the green ooze color both the Turtles and Nickelodeon are known for being used prominently, but also beautiful use of red, blues, and purples. This gives New York a sort of Gotham City rogues gallery color aesthetic that makes me want to see this film again on that merit alone. It is pure visual deliciousness, with some character designs being so appealing to simply behold (both the Turtles and Superfly are standouts because of this).
The music of this film is also very well chosen and makes the film such a vibe to listen to; here’s to hoping for a release of the film’s soundtrack. Two standouts that come to mind after a first viewing of the film was Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” during a fighting montage demonstrating the Turtles fighting skills and the best use of Gucci Mane, Bruno Mars, and Kodak Black’s “Wake Up in The Sky” to introduce us to the main antagonist of the film, Superfly, played by Ice Cube (who was perfectly cast). Among the perfect castings include Jackie Chan as Master Splinter, Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom, and Rose Byrne (who recent;y appeared in “Insidious: The Red Door”) as Leatherhead, to name a few.
The story centers around the Turtles’ desire to be accepted by humans and to be able to live among them as regular teens. They are not allowed to pursue what they want and share who they are without first being mistreated for being what they are. This is driven home by their father, Splinter, who has general distrust and trauma caused by humans. This fuels the fears they have of others and the doubts that they will ever be accepted. It influences their motivations throughout the film, with the boys setting out to solve the crimes of Superfly simply to be accepted and to show the humans that they are “Just like them.”
However, when it seems like the humans are incapable of getting past what they are, the boys reconsidered their reasoning for doing this in the first place, changing their motivation to do good and not to be accepted for what they are, but because they are doing what they believe is morally right and protecting people’s lives (even if those people have no love for them in their hearts).
The Turtles’ journey is similar to people who are demonized, villainized and therefore dehumanized. People who aren’t the “right” race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, body type, and so on aren’t inherently bad or good just because of what they are. People with qualities that deviate from what is accepted as the best or what is “right” are not wrong simply because of prejudiced attributions. The Turtles and Superfly, along with April and the TCRI scientists (and all the other characters in the cast), represent the moral spectrum among all peoples. This reflects reality and is an important message in combating prejudice. Every character in this film has assumptions about others because they are different; however, it is the content of their character – not the components that make up one’s physical self – that tell us who someone is. It is up to us individually to determine if anyone is good or bad.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is a perfect theater experience. It is among the best Ninja Turtle films in nearly 40 years of the franchise’s existence. It is colorful and visually stimulating, as well as having a unique art design that will leave the viewers wanting more. It is heartwarming, and the cast of the film deserve their props for serving such a connecting performance. It is among the best films of the year for its narrative and themes concerning being accepted for who you are and the sometimes impossible uphill battle to simply be considered when what you are isn’t the accepted norm, beauty standard, or something that has traditionally been under the unfair scrutiny of prejudice. It was sheer excellence, and I urge audiences to see it in theaters.
Cowabunga! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles gets 8/8 pepperoni pizza slices for its art, performances, and messages.
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