Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is simply fantastic! Amidst the shell-shocking shenanigans is a story that is heartwarming and relatable. The movie pays homage to the history of the turtles while bringing something fresh to the table.

The first thing that strikes you about the movie is the art style. "Mayhem" is one way to describe it. There are portions of it that seem unfinished and rough. Faces and character models are often not symmetrical in a world that is dark and dingy. Light rays look like crayon squiggly lines, and if this were any other movie, one might assume that the art style is the result of a last-minute attempt to finish the film. However, that is not the case because it fits the movie so well. In many ways, it's like Mob Psycho 100's art style. If Jujutsu Kaisen had Mob Psycho's design, it would look terrible in the same way that this movie's art works well for it but would not work for Across the Spiderverse. The synergy between the art direction and the world of mutants we are introduced to just hits home. All the mutant characters in Mutant Mayhem come from chaotic and random circumstances, yet they must find their way beyond that. In many ways, the art speaks to this.

Speaking of mutants, this cast runs deep with them, from Rocksteady and Bebop with their iconic looks to the utterly gross Scumbag. I do feel like, in many ways, there were too many mutants to fit in the film, with many of them feeling like background characters for most of the movie up until the third act. Only then do we see them play a major part in the story's actual events. All of the villains outside of Superfly are just really flora and fauna until they decide they are not really feeling the villainous lifestyle anymore in the third act. Then, we finally hear more of the ensemble that was brought together to bring these characters to life. Considering that the cast has Giancarlo Esposito, John Cena, Hannibal Buress, and Maya Rudolph, it was a shame that most are barely featured or say anything memorable. The mutants, with ample attention, knock it out of the park.

The four titular turtles are fantastic; this might be the best interpretation of them I have ever seen. For the first time, the turtles feel like actual teenagers, not what adults think teenagers are like. Before someone comes at me, it must be noted that my experience of TMNT begins with the 2003 version and onward. The turtles aren't teenagers in the 2003 and later Michael Bay version. Sure, they like pizza and video games, but they don't listen to music, talk about girls, banter about sports, or anything that actual teenagers do. These turtles change that. Yes, they still like pizza, but Donatello likes anime, Michelangelo wants to do comedy, Raphael wants to go viral, and Leonardo wants a girlfriend.

The voice actors bring life to each of the turtles and make them feel authentic. Micah Abbey's Donatello still sounds smart but adapted to a generation that now accepts nerd culture as cool. He comes off as intelligent without sounding exaggeratedly nerdy. Michelangelo, voiced by Shamon Brown Jr., is charming and nonchalant in a way only a little brother can be. Brady Noon's Raphael is aggressive, with a slight rasp to his voice that's fitting for a teenager, not a chain smoker. Nicolas Cantu's performance as Leonardo makes him as the pack leader sound strong without making him seem too grown up.

The turtles sound like brothers in every interaction they have; they repeatedly roast Leonardo for having what would be his human last name, "Nardo." This familial effect results from producer Seth Rogen having them voice act in the same room, which is a masterstroke. Pair the turtles with Jackie Chan's Splinter, and you have a perfect match. Every line Chan has is perfectly delivered with humor and oozing with energy: Whether it's him telling the turtles how he found them in a pool of ooze or warning them about the dangerous humans who will milk them for their blood, he is excellent.

Ice Cube's Superfly, the main villain, is the only person who upstages Chan's Splinter. Ice Cube is just so cool and tough as a super fly who is supposed to protect Baxter Stockman's mutant children. His voice has a threatening tone and offers a lot of "badassery" to the character. Everything he says has a deep underlying anger, even when he happily says, "Y'all some tortoises." When he first encounters the turtles, there is just a slickness and danger to it. Ice Cube was born to voice Superfly (a sentence I never thought I would write). The most relevant human character we see throughout, April O'Neil, is voiced wonderfully by Ayo Edebiri. She fits the teenage tone of the turtles so well while being much more mature than them. She is her own character as well; she has her motivations separate from the turtles while still fitting the theme of the overall story.

All the characters are so well connected to the story's theme: acceptance. The turtles want to be regular high schoolers, and April wants to be accepted. On the flip side, Splinter wants to hide his family from the world that didn't accept them, while Superfly intends to remove the world that didn't accept him. When all of these ambitions collide, there is great action and humor. Some action set pieces marvelously pay homage to the beat-em-up 2D arcade games of TMNT's past. Splinter has the best action sequence where he uses chairs and all sorts of environmental props to fight just like Jackie Chan…only he's a rat.

The movie is also hilarious but veers into the realm of gross at times with its love of puke. The turtles also have a scene where they overuse the phrase "bacon, egg, and cheese," which is annoying to me but probably funny for an iPad kid. Considering that the film has to satisfy modern young audiences and an older crowd, it makes sense that some jokes may not land for certain groups. And though it is not a big deal breaker, the way Superfly's family turned on him so quickly at the end was a tad jarring. It is hinted throughout the movie that they enjoyed being teenagers with the turtles. Though they were okay with Superfly's plan their whole lives, they side with the turtles, who are strangers to them. Superfly had protected his family since they were babies, so the turning of a new leaf just didn't hit for me.

What does hit, though, is the soundtrack, which has songs for the older crowd like M.O.P's "Ante Up" and A Tribe Called Quest, and newer songs like "Wake Up in the Sky" by Gucci Mane. Superfly's theme, like the character, is dangerous and fly. In conclusion, although the Turtles have been teenagers since the 80s, this movie definitely adds to their timeless legacy.