Teenage brothers Leonardo (voice of Nicolas Cantu), Raphael (voice of Brady Noon), Donatello (voice of Micah Abbey), and Michelangelo (voice of Shamon Brown Jr.) live in the sewers beneath New York City with their father, Splinter (voice of Jackie Chan). Desperate to be accepted among humans above ground, they venture onto the streets of NYC where they befriend a student reporter, April O’Neil (voice of Ayo Edebiri). They embark on a mission together to stop Superfly (voice of Ice Cube) from achieving his evil plan to turn all of the animals in the world into mutants.

      Despite a screenplay with five screenwriters, namely, writer/director Jeff Rowe and his co-writers, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem accomplish a rare feat these days: it has a focused plot that's not overstuffed, and it avoids tonal unevenness as well as distracting, undercooked subplots. The plot itself isn't anything exceptional or surprising, but the way that it's executed is very much impressive with some small surprises found in the witty, funny and tongue-in-cheek dialogue. Superfly makes for an interesting villain, especially how he has no shame in framing the Turtles as the evil mutants. His sidekicks, one of whom has a tendency to sing, aren't as happy to be around him as they seem. It's amusing to watch how the Turtles convince them to stand up for themselves and what they truly believe in. April is also a well-written character because just there to move the plot forward; the filmmakers see and treat her as a human being who's been bullied and who suffers from anxiety when she reports the news on the air which causes her to vomit on-camera. It's also refreshing to see a larger, mainstream outlet cite her properly as the original source when they report the news that she was the first one to break. Fortunately, the film has just the right blend of comedy, action and thrills. Adults and children will be entertained simultaneously. Unlike the recent Haunted Mansion, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem finds its groove within the first 30 minutes and maintains it with very few dull moments.

      Another of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem's strengths is its stunning visual style that combines 3D and 2D animation like in the recent animated films The First Slam Dunk and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Much of the animation has darker shades that provide the film with some grittiness. Some scenes even have a bit of a neo-noir vibe. Clearly, a lot of time, money and passion has been contributed to the animation, so it's good to know that it resulted in a visual style that becomes part of the film's substance. Moreover, there are no pacing issues. The pace moves quickly, but not too fast. The action scenes don't overstay their welcome nor do they exhaust the audience. At an ideal running time of 1 hour and 39 minutes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is an exhilarating, witty and thrilling adventure for the whole family with just the right balance of action and comedy. Be sure to stay through the end credits for a mid-credits scene.