Film Preview: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)

Film Poster

Page Revisions:

(March 19, 2023) Original
(June 4, 2023) New Trailer (#2) — New Posters (#2-#18)
(July 30, 2023) New Posters (#19-#44)
(August 6, 2023) New Trailer (#3)

Release Date:

August 4, 2023

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “The Turtle brothers as they work to earn the love of New York City while facing down an army of mutants.”

Poster Rating: C+ / C+ (15) / B- / C / C (17) / C+ / C+ (3) / C+ / C (4)

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) It’s simple and fitting, but that simplicity doesn’t make it more compelling. There are a lot of details here, but not enough to genuinely excite.

(#2-#14) It isn’t quite clear what the intent behind these “character” posters is. The background is uninspired and while each character name is wrought interestingly with fitting details, the efforts aren’t as interesting as one would hope. (#15) Giving an impression of teens enjoying the world, this design tells us more about the characters’ ages and personalities than we should be expect from this simple a poster design. (#16) The empty sky doesn’t add much to the design and while it lets the figures stand out, that isn’t enough to create an enticing environment for non-fans.

(#19-#35) While each of these character posters has a unique setting and some individual visual affectations, they are too visually unappealing to be compelling. (#36) It captures most of the essence of the characters quickly and easily, but not appealingly. (#37-#39) Format designs, while all the rage, are seldom distinctive, though the Dolby one certainly has more panache than the other two. (#40) It does the same sort of visual lifting as design #34, but also feels a bit more overbearing. (#41-#44) A quartet of individual, but simplistic character posters that add to the lack of visual stimulation we’ve seen in these designs.

Trailer Rating: C+ / B / C

SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: (#1) Cowabunga dude. If you’re a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this trailer should go a long way to piquing your interest in its contents. If you aren’t a fan, there’s nothing really here for you since it requires some measure of built-in understanding of the characters. That’s something that will be needed going forward.

(#2) The plot is given full reference here and it’s done with a knowing wink to fans of the franchise, but with absolutely no foundation for non-fans to get involved. That the animation wants to look like stop-motion, but is computer-generated is an interesting aesthetic, but one that might not have a lot of broad appeal.

(#3) The attempt to make this film more enticing continues to be unimpressive as there’s action and humor on display, but none of it is inviting or exciting.