Today, I’ll be exploring the pros and cons of two movies circulating around the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Movie (which I will be referring to as Rise) and Mutant Mayhem. SPOILERS AHEAD.
I won’t be taking one stance or another, but feel free to let me know your favorite and why!
Rise is a 2022 movie following a animated show of the same name in a 2d style. The film was released by Nickelodeon and Netflix on the Netflix streaming platform. In the movie, the turtles and their friends go up against their strongest enemy yet — the Krang.
Pros:
- Interesting character design compared to other iterations of the turtles
- Return of classic characters, like the male version of Casey Jones (Jr.)
- Compelling story line
- Peril!!!!
- Frightening villains
- Stellar animation
- Good symbolism
- Cute ending
- New outfits/ setting from the 2018 show
Maybes:
- A LOT of violence, especially compared to other TMNT movies
- Heart-wrenching angst that gets solved almost immediately
Cons:
- Some of the dialogue is a little cringe
- It makes more sense if the show is watched before the movie, but the show is split onto two different steaming platforms
- Time travel arc is filled with paradoxes
- Magic (again, the show needs to be watched first)
- Death in the first two minutes
- Light eye trauma
I liked this movie a lot, but I also watched the show in it’s entirety, including a series of mini-episodes on YouTube, and without the show, the movie from the beginning doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Mutant Mayhem is a 2023 movie released in theaters by Paramount. It’s animated in a comic-book style meant to be reminiscent of drawings in a lined notebook. Currently it resides on the Paramount+ streaming platform. In this movie, the turtles fight to be accepted by society.
Pros:
- The theme is about racism spoken through the mouth of mutants
- The animation is pretty awesome
- The turtles happen to be losers, therefore relatable compared to other iterations
- Impressive soundtrack
- Compelling story
- Follows a similar format to most of the TMNT animated series plot order, but in shorter form
- The fight scenes are really well choreographed
- New backstory for Splinter and why he doesn’t trust humans
- Interesting non-turtle characters
- Violence, but not very graphic
Maybes:
- Not necessarily new character designs compared to older iterations, just small differences
- The movies very dark in lighting, making it hard to see sometimes
Cons:
- A bit too fast-paced
- The cast has more higher-level celebrities for no reason
- Milking
I also really liked this movie and I’m gonna give it a rewatch soon.
Which movie is your favorite?
