#i'd give it like an 8.5/10 (maybe a 9 upon rewatch but we'll see how that goes)

[twiyke]

MUTANT MAYHEM THOUGHTS IT WAS SUPER AWESOME LET'S FUCKING GOO

BANGER BANGER BANGER FILM. definitely the thing i liked most was the visuals - the style is SO UNIQUE (with the deliberately misshapen designs and grungy colours with harsh neon contrast and the FUCKING !! SKETCH/SCRATCH LINES DUUDE), and the animation was just so full of personality and an absolute joy to watch.

AND SHOUT OUT TO THE EFFECTS AND LIGHTING ANIMATION ESPECIALLY HOLY SHIT ??? every time they had the scratched on light rays or scribbled smoke and dust i started like DROOLING dude.

the cinematography was also just absolutely amazing - incredible use of the medium to do these fantastic running shots with complex angles. favourite sequence was definitely the side shots of the boys fighting and interrogating people (SO smooth and the fighting choreography was incredible and showcased their styles and personalities so well, and the intercut sense of MOTION. dude. banger.)

AND !! THE FUCKING SOUND DESIGN!! especially the score dude MY GOD i loved the use of pitchy and unconventional instruments it fit the movie to a tee.

LOVED THE CHARACTERS! particularly the boys and the other mutants (mondo wingnut and leatherhead especially). all the interactions were super sweet and well-written and i just LOVED the VA performances - played off each other immaculately. i love how cringe and unapologetically TEEN the turtles are. and adored splinter too.

i think i'm glad they focused more on developing their relationship as a family than individual character arcs, because it helped reduce any bias or favouritism for specific turtles (COUGH leo and raph ahem), and also worked best with the super fast pacing, i think. didn't feel too cramped in all the busyness.

that said, i did struggle with the comedy a bit? particularly the reference humour. NOT THAT IT WAS ALL BAD! quite a few got a laugh out of me, but there were so many packed into such a small amount of time that it ended up getting a bit distracting. felt a bit like "let's wave all our properties in your face" and kind of out of place at times (i would've preferred for them to be less frequent, or for the references to be knock-offs)

i don't think the plot was the MOST compelling, either, but really that's fine, because it wasn't trying to be. the focus was on the art and action and dynamics and it is completely fine for it to focus more on that than thematic and emotional beats.

oh also i can't decide whether i love or hate the milking joke. funny at times but the more they retreaded it the more uncomfortable it felt lmao.

overall i think it is the most technically impressive tmnt movie, that i've seen at least, and from a cinematography point of view? ABSOLUTELY MIND-BLOWING. but it isn't necessarily the most emotionally compelling tmnt movie, and you know what? that's okay! because is wasn't trying to be, and it absolutely excels at what it aims itself towards.

#tmnt mutant mayhem #tmntmm #mutant mayhem spoilers #tmntmm spoilers #objectively in terms of production value cinematography sound design and so on? the best tmnt film. #but i do think the rise movie is more emotionally compelling and has more character complexity #AND YOU KNOW WHAT? THAT'S AWESOME! variety is the spice of life and they both excel in different ways #i'd give it like an 8.5/10 (maybe a 9 upon rewatch but we'll see how that goes) #and i think it's a must-watch if you're into animation and art because it is SO stunning and stylistically unique and just fantastic really