Posted on Aug 5, 2023
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return, rebooted and reinvigorated, for 'Mutant Mayhem'
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https://www.npr.org/2023/08/04/ [login to see] /mutant-mayhem-review-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles
Rebooting a superhero origin story is a bit like serving up a prequel: We already have the gist of how we got here, so there'd better be a good story to tell along the way.
That's doubly true when the superheroes in question were already known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a name that does a fair bit of narrative heavy lifting on its own. Any time spent showing how our heroes got to be mutants, ninjas, teenagers or turtles is likely to be time wasted, especially when they're on their seventh theatrically released movie, which is saying nothing of all the TV shows, toys and reams of comic books fans have experienced along the way.
Rebooting a superhero origin story is a bit like serving up a prequel: We already have the gist of how we got here, so there'd better be a good story to tell along the way.
That's doubly true when the superheroes in question were already known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a name that does a fair bit of narrative heavy lifting on its own. Any time spent showing how our heroes got to be mutants, ninjas, teenagers or turtles is likely to be time wasted, especially when they're on their seventh theatrically released movie, which is saying nothing of all the TV shows, toys and reams of comic books fans have experienced along the way.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return, rebooted and reinvigorated, for 'Mutant Mayhem'
Posted from npr.org
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Posted 9 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem doesn't entirely hit its stride until it shifts into third-act resolution mode — an inversion of so many superhero origin stories, which can become rote as stuff gets flung into buildings — but it's consistently buoyed by its inventive and playful animation. Director Jeff Rowe has talked about a desire to make the film look like it was made by teenagers — to evoke youthful passion and intensity — and he pulls it off, making a film that's always visually in motion. At times, it resembles a kind of hand-drawn claymation; at other points, it evokes sketch books; collectively, it shares a fair bit of creative DNA with the Spider-Verse movies. The fight scenes feel particularly kinetic, thanks in part to a top-notch score (by Oscar winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) and needle drops that incorporate lots of '90s hip-hop (a smart touch given TMNT's place in that decade's history).
Whether or not Mutant Mayhem breaks through Barbenheimer's sturdy hammerlock on the summer 2023 box office, it's sure to win over the franchise's fans. And if you've stayed away from TMNT over the years — whether because of "Cowabunga!" or "Ninja Rap" or Michael Bay or whatever — don't be afraid to break out your swords, shout something that sounds cool and leap back into the fray."
..."Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem doesn't entirely hit its stride until it shifts into third-act resolution mode — an inversion of so many superhero origin stories, which can become rote as stuff gets flung into buildings — but it's consistently buoyed by its inventive and playful animation. Director Jeff Rowe has talked about a desire to make the film look like it was made by teenagers — to evoke youthful passion and intensity — and he pulls it off, making a film that's always visually in motion. At times, it resembles a kind of hand-drawn claymation; at other points, it evokes sketch books; collectively, it shares a fair bit of creative DNA with the Spider-Verse movies. The fight scenes feel particularly kinetic, thanks in part to a top-notch score (by Oscar winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) and needle drops that incorporate lots of '90s hip-hop (a smart touch given TMNT's place in that decade's history).
Whether or not Mutant Mayhem breaks through Barbenheimer's sturdy hammerlock on the summer 2023 box office, it's sure to win over the franchise's fans. And if you've stayed away from TMNT over the years — whether because of "Cowabunga!" or "Ninja Rap" or Michael Bay or whatever — don't be afraid to break out your swords, shout something that sounds cool and leap back into the fray."
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Looking forward to it. Meanwhile my 4yo is looking forward to the new Paw Patrol movie. My 17 and 9yo already punished me with the Barbie movie. LMAO
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