If you’re a fan of fighting turtles, you’ve had a hard time recently. But after two disappointing adaptations by Michael Bay, there is now finally a new edition of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on streaming subscription that is well worth seeing
There are heroes who are so iconic, so immortal, that every generation deserves its own version. Be it Batman, Spider-Man – or a group of pubescent mutant turtles. Thanks to Michael Bay, the latter recently took a running start on the green noses. But in 2023, they were given a loving and graphically ingenious new edition with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
The Turtles made up for pretty much everything that wild action and even a Megan Fox in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 couldn’t save. And conveniently, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is now part of the streaming offer from Paramount+.
In the new Turtles movie on Paramount+, four young mutants learn what heroism really means
Who hasn’t been there? You’re a mad scientist, tinkering with your all-transforming goo. But the project is snatched from you, a test subject escapes and the goo ends up in the sewers. There it transforms an unsuspecting rat and four small baby turtles into anthropomorphic beings with human consciousness. So far, so … not quite normal
(Mutants in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem)
This “not quite normal” is really starting to get to Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello, who have now grown into teenagers. Their foster father Splinter keeps them away from civilization because he distrusts humans. But the four of them want nothing more than friends and a life at high school. When they meet reporter April O’Neill, this dream seems within reach.
The four of them help April in her time of need and come up with a brilliant idea: if they become heroes, humanity will surely welcome them with open arms. So they want to help April with her investigations. At first, they have no idea how much trouble they are getting themselves into. But the Turtles soon realize that not only fame and glory await them as heroes, but also a whole lot of responsibility.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem streams on Paramount+
More on the latest Ninja Turtles: Action spectacle with 1000 ideas and Spider-Man gimmick – four heroes fight for their entire universe
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is an all-round successful reboot and the Turtles are finally real teenagers again
The last really big screen appearance of the Ninja Turtles was quite a while ago. Despite all the fanfare and Megan Fox, Michael Bay’s two live-action adaptations failed to win over either fans or critics. This new version, however, returns to what makes the turtle boys so endearing: humor, wacky action, comic charm and lively, believable characters
(Four nice guys in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem)
No scary CGI Turtles here, whose appearance is more alienating than sympathetic. Instead, we are dealing with an animated film in a wonderfully idiosyncratic comic style. Textures appear as if drawn with crayon and marker, garish, colorful and as if taken from a teenager’s diary. What’s more, the superhero action is dynamic and looks great thanks to the great fight choreography.
However, the movie shines most thanks to its four heroes. Four heroes who fool around, fall in love for the first time, get on each other’s nerves, but are also there for each other. Who, like real teenagers today, adore Marvel actors and watch anime late into the night. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles haven’t felt this authentic and approachable for a long time. Four boys with worries and dreams – just normal
