Whether you watched “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” for pure nostalgia, to have a night out with your friends, or simply for a new experience, you can find a common consensus: this movie projects everything you would want to see in an animated superhero movie.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” was released on Aug. 2, and was well received due to its boundless visuals, well-perceived story, star-studded cast, and most importantly, the relatable characters. This reboot adds a wholesome twist to the story of the four infamous turtles, as they are seen with unique personalities, in addition to their own skill sets.
Mutant Mayhem starts, and we quickly encounter Mikey, Donnie, Leo, and Raph; during this encounter, the four turtles represent exactly what looks to be teenagers with free will.
It does not take long to connect with the turtles, as all of them have features that resonate with you. Unfortunately, the freedom the turtles possess is limited: they are artificially mutated turtles living in a world full of humans. With the turtles being so different, it is almost impossible to connect with the human world. Instead, they must be enclosed in the sewer system, never to associate with the surface.
As seen in the film, all of the turtles have hopes and dreams that they wish to reach and live on. Unfortunately, it is hard to be accepted in the city of New York without being immediately judged or screamed at. Mutant Mayhem gives us a taste of this behavior when Master Splinter, the turtles’ mutated father figure, travels out of the sewers and is promptly judged based on his appearance. The behavior of New York citizens easily reflects on the real world, where most people are often judgmental or scared of certain people, depending on their ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality and more. With this in mind, the movie reveals to us that despite who we are, it is completely okay to be different. Being different is what makes us human, and being able to accept and reach out to others resonates with braveness, and the turtles guided us throughout the movie, ultimately helping us realize that.
Knowing that it will be hard for the turtles to be accepted by society, a plan is immediately decided: they record their personalities and actions to show the city who they are. They strive to show how they can be trusted and treated just like every other human. It is shown how without changing any of their characters or personalities, they give it their best shot to be accepted within a society where everything is straightforward; this even goes more in depth with the four turtles risking their lives to save the city of New York against the antagonist willingly. Near the end of Mutant Mayhem, we see the future of the turtles. They are able to attend school with the rest of the human society, which is ultimately what the turtles wanted. Despite being who they are, the turtles were able to party at a highly anticipated school dance, which allowed them to finally feel free without being shunned by the outside world. Instead, they were accepted and respected, for both saving the world and just being extremely cool turtles.
Mutant Mayhem shows people of all ages that it is completely okay to feel comfortable in your own skin. Standing out takes bravery, even though fear is part of it too. Despite everything this movie teaches, the most noticeable lesson from this movie is that no matter whether you are a human, turtle or an insanely giant fly, stepping out of your shell is the first part of bravery, which leads to many more accomplishments that come your way after that.
