11. A children’s film: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)

List Progress: 9/12

Bringing something new to a long-running franchise can be a real challenge; the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have seen dozens of iterations that have landed in all manner of styles and tones. But 2023’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem managed something both novel and back-to-basics by focusing hard on the first word of the title. This is a story about teenagers. 

Mutant Mayhem finds Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo as fifteen year old brothers, doing everything fifteen year olds do: pushing boundaries, rebelling against but still loving their father Splinter, and trying to find their own place in the world. They live isolated in the sewers, but all have cell phones and internet access, so they are immersed in human culture without being able to participate in it. The expressive animation and actually-teenaged voice actors give these characters a lot of warmth and make them feel like family. The threat provided by another group of mutants strikes harder when it is against boys trying to stand against a world that hates them.

Amidst all of the strengths, one of the film’s weak points is its reliance on pop culture references. While it is true that real teens speak with a lot of references and memes, this film will feel incredibly dated very quickly, and the sheer volume of the references can be distracting. The art and animation style could be polarizing for audiences: for all that it brings a lot of personality to the turtles, all of the humans aside from main character April O’Neil look just a little too disfigured and strange. But these are small critiques of what is overall a very fun movie that adds a new flavor to a set of characters that have been around since the 80’s. While some familiarity with TMNT is probably needed to get in the door, Mutant Mayhem has a lot to offer even for people who aren’t dedicated fans of the turtles.

Would I Recommend It: Yes.