The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been a pop-culture mainstay since the late 80s, and yet it’s fair to say that their cinematic outings have been a mixed bag at best. The early live action movie series from the 90s started strong but delivered only diminishing returns with subsequent sequels. An animated big screen reboot in 2007 proved underwhelming and failed to ignite the box office. And the less that can be said for Michael Bay‘s tone death live action movies from a few years ago the better. Now though, with this brand new animated take on the franchise masterminded by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg making its way onto cinema screens, the Turtle’s movie careers appear to have taken a positive upswing in fortunes.

Like all the best reboots, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem takes the whole franchise back to basics, whilst adding in some fresh new ideas to keep things interesting. The origin of the Turtles is updated but covered in less then 5 minutes, leaving more time for the screenplay to explore and play with the characters as they struggle with their urge to be accepted by humanity amid a battle to save it from the evil machinations of militant mutant Superfly (Ice Cube). It’s an inspired move on the part of the writers and directors, one that in turns lends the film a deeper meaning and plenty of feels alongside all the gross-out humour and martial-art mayhem.

The production team’s love for all things TMNT oozes throughout the movie but cheap nostalgic callbacks are thankfully few and far between. The screenplay does lift elements from different parts of the franchise and supplant them into the film (most notably bits from the comics and the 80s animated series) but the way the filmmakers blend these components with modern concepts and thematic ideas is what gives the film much of its heart and soul. There is an unfortunate overreliance on pop culture references throughout, but the film’s endearing sense of humour and loveable characters ensures that this is never the main takeaway here.

Speaking of loveable characters, the casting is frankly on point here, especially in regards to the Turtles themselves. Hiring actual teenagers to voice Leo, Raph, Donny and Mikey is an inspired idea, and the end result gives the film a distinctive sound and a genuine quality that previous versions simply haven’t had. Shamon Brown Jr., Micah Abbey, Nicolas Cantu and Brady Noon‘s performances are distinctive and energetic, and each imbues their respective character with plenty of personality. Equally impressive is Jackie Chan as Master Splinter, a genius bit of casting on the part of the producers, whose performance gives the film so much of its humour and heart.

The characters sound great, but the visuals are even better. The design and animation is sublime, almost on par to that of the Spider-Verse movies, and whilst the action is not always as inventive or daring as it could be, there’s a degree of confidence and a push to go further evident in every frame. When the big set-pieces do kick off, the film comes alive with a rush of wild vibrancy and zest, which is in turn complemented by inspired art direction and camera work. The graffiti tinged, rough pencil-esque look lends the world a wonderful visual style, whilst the grotesquely designed characters that inhabit it remain in keeping with the film’s central theme of acceptance (the only characters that look aesthetically pleasing are the Turtles and April, whilst every other character looks out of shape and slightly off kilter, clearly a reflection on their prejudice towards the Turtles).

Fan of TMNT or not, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is an animated triumph that is well worth your time and money. Packed to bursting point with a shell-load of heart and hilarity, this fresh new take on the heroes in a half-shell is arguably the best TMNT movie ever committed to celluloid, thanks to the inspired visual flair and its endearing, modern take on the beloved comic book characters.

Turtle Power!!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is out in cinemas now