We've got our first glimpse at Seth Rogen's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and it is quite something. Haven't seen the teaser trailer? Want to watch it again? You can check it out below.
The first thing that strikes you when watching this teaser - after the striking animation, that is - is that these Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles actually act and sound like real teenagers. It certainly helps that they're being voiced by actual teenagers. The banter between them is perfect! In this mere glimpse of what is to come, we're seeing teenagers being teenagers; causing chaos in the search for fun and entertainment. Granted they're also humanoid mutant turtles, but I guess that means teenagers are pretty much the same in every species. Parents will undoubtedly be pointing to the central scene depicted here when explaining to their children why they can't be trusted with anything sharp!
Despite the fact that the movie centres around one of this planet's most annoying entities - that's teenagers, not turtles - the movie appears to have a really fun vibe. In fact, after Michael Bay's foray into the Ninja Turtle universe I thought my time as a fan was well and truly over. However, seeing this teaser reminded me of watching the cartoon when I was a kid (although back then, thanks to the British government, they were Hero Turtles). Seth Rogen and his team certainly appear to have found a way to make the movie appeal to both life-long fans, as well as a whole new generation. I'm sure Rogen will have put his own unique spin on the humour, something Donatello finds out in the trailer.
As I've already mentioned, the animation is quite something. Although very unique, there appears to have been some inspiration taken from the likes of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and The Mitchells vs The Machines. A curious balance between cartoony and real. From a world building perspective, everything looks sort of familiar, and somehow wildly different. Even with their brief appearance, Rocksteady and Bebop, for instance, look incredible, not to mention massive. They may actually prove worthy adversaries for our young heroes, physically anyway. I think it's reasonable to anticipate some cool action scenes, something that is strongly hinted at. But it's also the little touches, like Michelangelo's braces and Donatello's glasses. The filmmakers have clearly tried to capture the teenage experience, as well as making a movie about some kick-ass ninjas embroiled in mutant mayhem, although I'm not sure where these guys found an optician or orthodontist that would treat them.
Other than the obvious origin type story - one that sees the turtles emerging from the sewers, as well as some "mutant mayhem" - right now there's no real hint at a plot. What is clear however, is that the movie features an epic voice cast. Master Shredder is surprisingly/unsurprisingly absent (at this point he's not even on the cast list), but if Rocksteady and Bebop are around surely the Shredder can't be far behind. Even Master Splinter, who is voiced by the legendary Jackie Chan, only makes the briefest of appearances, blink and you'll miss it. But the guys themselves, our "heroes in a half shell" look to be a lot of fun, and the same goes for their introduction to April O'Neil (Ayo Edebiri), with their smooth discussion surrounding the word 'ooze'. Which one do you think sounds better; 'goo' or 'ooze'?
It may only be the briefest of glimpses, but I have gone from mildly curious to rather excited over Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Seth Rogen's love for the franchise leaps off the screen from the very start. Clearly we are far away from 'Bayhem'! The animation is striking, the banter is hilarious, and thanks to some kick-ass action and antics it looks like the movie will live up to its title. I have high hopes for this.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is set to hit UK cinemas on 4th August 2023.
What did you think of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem teaser trailer? Leave a comment below or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also email us at moviemoustache@gmail.com.
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