‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem: Steelbook Edition’ 4K Ultra HD movie review
Yet another animated expose about a quartet of four legendary shelled amphibians struck box office gold and is now transformed into the 4K format in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Steelbook Edition (Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment, rated PG, 99 minutes, 2.39:1 aspect ratio, $44.99).
Viewers learn about the four baby turtles mutated by Professor Baxter Stockman’s (voiced by Giancarlo Esposito) green ooze and growing up down in the sewers of New York City. Under the mentoring of also mutated rat master, Splinter (Jackie Chan), they become pizza-loving masked teen Ninjas ready to take down the criminal element.
Viewers meet the fun-loving Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Raphael (Brady Noon), and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) in a coming-of-age, definitive origin story.
These turtles really act like four goofy teenagers looking for acceptance from humans and deciding to get out of the sewers as they go to war against super criminal Superfly (Ice Cube) and his minions to make their dreams real.
Superfly is constructing a device to turn all animals into mutants and enslave the human race, and the heroes enter into a color explosion epic battle to stop him.
Also, the filmmakers include appearances from icons plucked from the 39-year-old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ comic book, TV and movie franchises, such as the heroes’ best human friend April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri) and gang members such as the overt hugger Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd), warthog Bebop (Seth Rogen), rhinoceros Rock Steady (John Cena), alligator Leatherhead (Rose Byrne) and alien bat Wingnut (Natasia Demetriou).
Stylistically pilfering from the blended animation styles of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” the movie delivers a wildly colorful universe using two- and three-dimensional techniques and illustrated with hand-drawn sketching, watercolor, colored pencils and rotoscoped appeal to really bring to life a living comic book.
4K in action: A world bathed in neon hues dazzles under the ultra-high definition format and high dynamic range visual calibrations.
Pause the movie at any time to appreciate the animated craftsmanship. Every frame is a work of modern art.
Character models that sometimes almost look made of clay often shine through the 4K spotlight throughout, such as the impressive bipedal Superfly.
With streaks of light for wings, glowing red eyes, a Jheri curl haircut, painted veins on a torso encased in armor with a pair of small hairy arms protruding from the waist, Superbly is slick to behold. However, his transformation into a super-mutated, multistory-sized walking whale and fly kaiju spewing green ooze will make eyes pop.
Routinely stunning moments include the four turtles sprinting and jumping across buildings with the city skyline and moon behind them, and a scene in a garage with a car spinning in a circle with tufts of white streaks spewing off the tires.
Two options would have made the visual splendor and nostalgia even more impressive. First, a screen-filling aspect ratio (1.85:1) to really highlight the incredible blended styles.
Second, and stick with me, offering a version of the film in black and white. The “hand-drawn” look would delight older viewers smitten by the 1984 comic books from Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird that were originally monochromatic.
Best extras: For an animated film this impressive, I expected much more than a trio of fluffy featurettes (roughly 20 minutes total) mostly covering what the voice-over actors thought about the animation and the story.
Viewers also get a 20-minute detailed tutorial on how to draw Leonardo from the ebullient Art for Kids founder Rob Jensen and his son Jack. Those using the digital code for the movie with the iTunes streaming service will also find a drawing tutorial for Donatello.
I would have much preferred an optional commentary track with familiar writers, actor Seth Rogan and his comedic collaborator Evan Goldberg.
Next, let’s look at the metallic packaging certainly worthy of a “cowabunga.”
The front cover with a black background recreates the movie poster showing half of a flipped skateboard covered in graffiti and the title of the film held by Raphael. The back has full-color illustrated headshots of the four turtles.
The interior spread has four panels on the left of the heroes in full weaponized action, and the right has four panels of the key villains Superfly, Mondo Gecko, Bebop and Rock Steady.
