Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

The next time you see Seth Rogen and/or Evan Goldberg, be sure to buy them an extra large anchovy pizza in appreciation for — well, a lot of things, but specifically Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

The screenwriters’ elder millennial take on Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo and their ooze-riddled New York City is the closest a film has come to recapturing the juvenile fun of watching the animated series circa 1990. And in the hands of directors Jeff Rowe (also part of the writing team) and Kyler Spears, the material pairs well with an appealing animation style that sharp minds have accurately described as the sketchbook of one of the more artsy kids in your elementary or middle school class come to life.

Packed with borderline excessive humor to keep 30/40something viewers hooked, whether child-free or in attendance with their kids, Mutant Mayhem tells an engaging enough origin story of the anthropomorphic reptiles. Under the close watch of their adopted father Splinter (memorably voiced by Jackie Chan and resembling a hodgepodge of NYC immigrant nationalities, meshed with a giant rat), the adolescents yearn to be part of the human world. That wish is soon granted as they attempt to stop criminal activity by the mysterious Superfly (Ice Cube, who deserves a special award for his comedic vocal stylings).

Along the way, our heroes (voiced by young actors who do admirable work) and aspiring high school journalist April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri, The Bear) encounter a range of entities from the source comics, many of whom take on different personas than viewers may be expecting. In the hands of the scribes and the animation team, these mutants prove consistently weird in wonderfully creative ways, elevating the serviceable plot with wackiness galore.

Likewise augmenting the experience is a tremendous old school hip-hop soundtrack that melds exceedingly well with another top-notch original score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. With so much going right on sight and sound levels, it’s easier to stomach the climactic battle’s Across the Spider-Verse-esque visual chaos and cheer on future installments of this resurrected series.

Grade: B. Rated PG. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande.

(Photo: Paramount)