TMNT: Mutant Mayhem First Reactions Have Twitter Running On Turtle Power

Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" franchise has become a pop culture staple since its introduction in 1984. It has maintained its global popularity through comics — the medium it originates from — movies, TV shows, and countless pieces of merchandise, allowing all kinds of talented creatives to leave their mark on Eastman and Laird's creation. The latest to do so is director Jeff Rowe, who has brought Michaelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), and Raphael (Brady Noon) back to the Hollywood forefront.

Rowe's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" puts the four beloved shelled heroes up against an army of mutants as they investigate a hidden crime syndicate. Per usual, this "TMNT" adventure brings action, laughs, heart, and plenty of pizza, all wrapped up in an art style that's rough around the edges yet colorful and lively. These elements proved to be a winning combination with Rotten Tomatoes critics, who came together to give the film a collective high-five ahead of its release. For the most part, it seems that Twitter is equally enthusiastic about Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey's latest big-screen adventure.

Twitter appears to be running on pure Turtle Power as glowing early reactions to "Mutant Mayhem" pour in.

As "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" emerges from the sewers to kick off its theatrical run, fans of the crime-fighting reptiles are already singing their latest film's praises.

"Please don't sleep on this movie. Go to the theater and support movies that dare to be this weird, beautiful, and driven by artists & storytellers who clearly love the material," said @AlliterAndy, urging could-be moviegoers to check out "Mutant Mayhem" as soon as they can. @jacksmissionlog also urged folks to check the movie out in their tweet, adding, "Everything about it was phenomenal!!" @TMNT4EVA was especially impressed by the film, citing it as having everything they could possibly want in a "TMNT" movie.

In their mini Twitter review, @rgangstad seemed to get a lot out of "Mutant Mayhem," writing, "The older I get the more I appreciate movies that remind me of being young and feeling young. #MutantMayhem was that. The music, the visual style, the turtles skipping chores to have fun." Making as bold a claim as one can make in the animated movie community, @saiyan1211 put "Mutant Mayhem" on a similar level to the widely-acclaimed "Spider-Verse" films. As for @CharGoHello, they believe it's easily the best "TMNT" silver screen adaptation to date.

If one is to make a "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie, it's imperative that the titular heroes themselves are done right. According to many "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" viewers, one of the strongest aspects of it is its depiction of the TMNT team.

Twitter user @icharlie0 tweeted, "This version of the turtles are definitely the most real and random I love them so much," and while it's not their favorite version, @AstroRocket has pinpointed what makes them so special. "It was refreshing seeing the turtles acting like actual teens instead of using slang from 20 years before their time," they commented. @dimplejunnie seems to agree, recalling Raph, Mikey, and Leo's attempt to appeal to Donnie's love of the K-pop group BTS as a highlight of their sibling dynamic in the film.

In the eyes of @howard_kyron, the "Mutant Mayhem" version of the turtles, as well as the take on the "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" series, do the best at capturing the fact that they're all teenagers. @NicholasJLevi concurred in their tweet, expressing that they often feel more like college kids than teens in other adaptations. At the same time, @MZwritings points out that even though the movie keeps the turtles themselves pretty consistent with other versions, it does a great job of tweaking their individual characterizations in new ways.

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" is now playing exclusively in theaters.