Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 37 minutes, Director – Tim Story

A group of college friends reunite after ten years in a cabin in the woods, hunted by a crossbow-wielding killer they must either fight back or win a board game testing their knowledge of Black culture

There are plenty of horror flicks over the years which have revolved around the idea of the central characters having to endure a ‘game’ to survive to the end of the film. Whether it be an escape room, a Ouija board, or one of Jigsaw’s twisted challenges. More often than not the character’s are largely up for taking part before realising the twists and consequences later on. In The Blackening the central group of reunited college friends are repulsed by the sight of the titular board game as they’re greeted by a large, round blackface head in the centre of the board. It’s not long until the voice coming from it leads them into playing the game – get ten questions right, all linking to Black American culture, and survive, plus save their trapped friend (Yvonne Orji).

There are plenty of horror references early on as Scream is emanated in the opening scene, while not long after another character namedrops The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Yet, the film itself doesn’t feel rooted in parody as some may have suggested. While the drawn out opening sequence might lead to initial worry of a long and laboured 97 minutes to come once we actually get into the game itself things pick up. It might take a bit of time for this to be the case (20 minutes or so with only one or two small laughs along the way) as each of the characters have to meet up and re-establish their various relationships – who’s (Sinqua Walls’ Nnamdi) cheated on who (Antoinette Robinson’s Lisa) twice before, and who has that friend’s back for if it happens again (Grace Byers’ Allison and Dewayne Perkins’ Dwayne).

Yet, out of all the characters the one who stands out the most is Jermaine Fowler’s Clifton. An awkward, nerdy figure (reminiscent of Eddie Murphy’s Jiff Ramsey in Bowfinger – Fowler played Murphy’s son in Coming 2 America) who nobody seems to remember the name of. It’s Fowler who initially gets the laughs going as the character’s are finally all together, and as a game of Spades develops one by one they gradually begin to come through more. Once The Blackening begins and the seven (now calmed down, or at least less loud) characters are trapped in the basement/ ‘games room’ they must answer either ten questions, or fight back against a crossbow-wielding killer.

There are a good deal of laughs to be found within the questions and answers of the games as the characters try to frantically remember Black actors who were in Friends, and argue about who’s the blackest and who’s the whitest – a highlight scene. It’s within such moments that the true personality of the film comes through, as it gets on with its narrative and shows its humour. The laughs themselves might not be frequent (there are a good few which simply don’t hit, and some which leave uncertainty as to whether they were meant to be a joke or not) but when they arrive there are certainly some good gags to be found.

Even the horror has its moments as the masked killer gets ever closer and starts to break down the group as they grow increasingly frustrated with the racist game at play. Largely held in some jump scares and moments of attack, particularly when outside and face-to-face with the killer – providing some enjoyable fights – when horror becomes the greater force it works rather well. Perhaps more of an atmospheric thing at times it still manages to bring something with good effect, and again makes the film its own rather than something in the vein of Scary Movie.

Things might be slow and lacking to start with, however as The Blackening becomes its own product there’s an enjoyable film to be had here. While the laughs might be spread out there’s some good sporadic tones of horror to help keep things moving.

Release Date – 25th August 2023, Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 33 minutes, Directors – Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman

A financially struggling theatre camp tries to assemble a production based on the life of its hospitalised founder (Amy Sedaris)

Theater Camp is unashamedly for and by the theatre kids. There’s a self-awareness within the loud personalities on display, and lashings of campiness to go with it. The drive to make the best production possible is on full-display, even if it means absurdly slighting the children in the process – which ten-year-old’s audition best suggested prostitute and who could best convey virgin? This year’s main attraction is the still-being-written Joan, Still, inspired by the life of camp founder Joan Rubinsky (Amy Sedaris).

After falling into a coma at the start of the film, the beloved head of the camp is temporarily replaced by her wannabe-influencer son Troy (Jimmy Tatro). With the place financially struggling he hopes he can save it by bringing in money through his en-Troy-preneurship. While he’s busy with that, the rest of the staff are trying to produce Broadway-level plays and musicals with young aspiring thespians. For much of the mockumentary we see heads of music and drama Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon) and Amos (Ben Platt) desperately trying to put Joan, Still together while craving for their dreams of becoming performers to come true.

The pair have worked at the camp for over a decade, almost all of the staff have some form of close connection – and intense passion for their work, not afraid to run an intensive regime. The bond comes through in the performances which convey strong ‘theatre kid energy’ barrelling throughout the film. Co-directors Gordon and Nick Lieberman (who co-writer with Platt and Noah Galvin) make the most of every scene, getting as many laughs as possible out of them, yet still getting effect out of the bursts of drama.

Waiting For Guffman is perhaps an obvious point of reference, however if that film were to focus on Legz Akimbo Theatre Company (the titles of previous main event musicals produced by Amos and Rebecca-Diane are enough to inspire such thoughts) with added lashings of campiness then you’d almost have Theater Camp. Acknowledging the aspirations of the adult characters whilst managing to point out some of strangeness which arises from this. Yet, still within that specific theatre world, well-contained within the colourful bubble of the camp.

Great direction is often hard to notice within a comedy, particularly a mockumentary, but their work shines through in an excellently directed comedy, and one of the funniest mockumentaries for a good few years. It could be so easy for the film with its self-awareness and occasional (presumably) slightly heightened instances and conversations to slip into irony. A key musical number could match the rest and simply reflect the characters bursting into song as their lives revolve around performing and ramping up the flamboyance. Musical flamboyance is certainly still on display but irony is nowhere to be seen. It’s a scene of heart with love for the theatre and those who are passionate about it. There are plenty of laughs to be found within this stretch, but never at those performing.

“We’re theatre people, we know how to turn cardboard into gold” says overworked technician Glenn (Galvin) to Tatro’s increasingly worried Troy. It’s a point which truly comes to life in these final stages where after 70-80 (frequently laugh out loud funny) minutes of showing the intensive lessons the teachers put this summer’s young attendees through there’s a fitting and worthwhile conclusion. One for and by the theatre kids.

One of the funniest mockumentaries for a number of years, Theater Camp is excellently directed with the whole cast and crew getting the most laughs possible from the flamboyance that’s on display. Self-aware but never ironic, this is a very funny celebration of theatrical passion.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 33 minutes, Director – Josh Greenbaum

After learning that he’s been abandoned, young dog Reggie (Will Ferrell) is determined to travel home to bit his former owner’s (Will Forte) penis off, learning to be a stray along the way

Strays finds a lot of humour in pointing out the everyday things that dogs do. They poo, they pee and occasionally they hump things. When pointing this out as just that, things they do, the laughs fail to arrive. However, when positioning them as misunderstandings – central dog Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell) never quite understands whether his neglectful owner Doug (Will Forte) is playing with the dog or himself – there are more laughs to be found. While there may be a slight infrequency to such gags when they arrive they certainly make a good landing and provide plenty of amusement in the moment.

As we follow Reggie, abandoned a three hour drive away from home, initially believing that it’s just a long game of fetch, he gradually learns how to become a stray. It’s with the help of fellow stray Bug (Jamie Foxx), therapy dog Hunter (Randall Park) and sidelined-to-a-puppy Maggie (Isla Fisher), all of whom accompany him on his journey to return to Doug, all so he can bite his former owner’s penis off.

At 93 minutes Strays is a tight film and doesn’t outstay its welcome. A series of events, sketches and recurring gags make for an amusing watch that works best when bringing in a slight element of self-awareness. Both in terms of the dogs and their gross out actions; one scene in an adoption centre leads to groans of slightly disgusted amusement, and a handful of references – Josh Gad makes an appearance in the vein of his A Dog’s Purpose voice work. As a whole the generally light narrative and the events which make it up are used to the traditional idea of ‘what if x innocent idea swore and did drugs’, however it doesn’t fall into the trap of entirely lazy jokes. Yes, there are plenty of dumb jokes throughout, but a good number of them amuse and help to pass the time.

It may be strange sometimes looking at lingering shots of the dogs with their mouths moving to the shape of their words, but that’s more a light element of uncanny valley. Strays isn’t entirely a film you can complain about being disconnected from or completely emotionally invested in, it’s there to be an R-rated summer comedy, designed to make you laugh with crude and sweary humour. And it does a rather good job at that. While there may be a gap between some jokes, and certain gags may wear thing quickly, there’s enough present within the short run-time to make it enjoyable viewing for the time that it’s on, especially when working on the laughs instead of hoping for them from the more everyday aspects of a dog’s life.

Working best when developing gags and working them into the world of the film, the laughs might occasionally be infrequent, but there’s enough of them within Strays to make for amusing viewing for the luckily short run-time.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 7 minutes, Director – Ángel Manuel Soto

Whilst searching for a job to allow his family to keep their home, Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) finds himself becoming the host for an alien scarab, providing him with a futuristic suit of armour weapons system

DC’s previous two films this year – Shazam: Fury Of The Gods and The Flash – have, amongst their merits and flaws, fallen into something of a modern superhero cliché. Dealing with huge world-ending, city-destroying events or some form of multiverse with multiple versions of multiple characters. Blue Beetle may be familiar with its own set of clichés, but it’s of the origin story kind we were seeing a few years ago from both Marvel and DC. Yet, the heart of the film isn’t in the action or indeed the development of Xolo Maridueña’s Jaime Reyes into the titular hero, instead it’s in his relationship with his family.

Having just returned home from college, graduating in pre-law, Jaime is met with a pile of bad news. The family home is at risk of being taken away, business isn’t what it used to be – especially since his father (Damián Alcázar) had a heart attack – and there’s very little money coming in to pay the recently-tripled rent. So, Jaime does his best to throw himself out there to get the best job possible, however this unexpectedly leads him to possessing an alien scarab which chooses him as its host. The suit of armour with its various advanced weapons (voiced by Becky G) is designed to protect its host at all costs.

Jaime’s family are there when he’s first connected to the suit – in an almost body-horror like sequence – they become key targets when Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), a wealthy businesswoman who has been searching for the scarab for at least 15 years to turn it into a weapon, tries to track Jaime down. There’s plenty of heart amongst them as the tight-knit group attempt to band together in this strange set of circumstances – “we’ve been through worse”, “have we?”. Yet, they also bring about much of the film’s humour. Not just in the way they bounce off and lightly make fun of each other, but also in their own individual personalities. Slight conspiracy theorist uncle Rudy (George Lopez) is a highlight with his loud personality, and Lopez avoiding a conventional ‘full-on comedic conspiracy theory’ performance, helped by dialogue which doesn’t make this the sole trait of the character.

The Reyes clan are brought into the action as the film goes on, particularly in the third act. Helping to provide some chuckles and amusement as the film starts to show its run-time. While the opening stages, and indeed much of the film, breeze by, particularly thanks to the entertainment factor once it’s established that there is no world-ending threat at play, the ending feels rather drawn out as the film goes for one big climactic battle to round off its protagonist’s journey, and sort out its villain/s. The film as a whole might have its familiar elements, both helping and hindering it on different occasions, but as a whole there’s a likable piece of work here thanks to the family unit at the heart of it – and indeed the humour and entertainment factor throughout.

While its uncomplicated nature both pushes the film and holds it back there’s an entertaining nature to Blue Beetle thanks to its humour and the familial bond at its centre, even during some of the bursts of action – even if some push the run-time a bit far.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 3 minutes, Director – Justin Simien

A group of strangers find themselves trapped in a haunted mansion, or else stalked by ghosts, trying to figure out how to free the house of deadly spirits

Up until now it’s seemed that the best way to adapt Disney’s Haunted Mansion theme park ride is to have it star The Muppets. The two major adaptations (2003’s fine-enough Eddie Murphy starrer and this most recent take) have appeared to be responses to other Disney rides-turned-films (the at the time in-production Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl and Jungle Cruise respectively). Going in you wonder, particularly with a 12 rating attached, how well the film will manage to balance spooks and gimmick, and indeed how well you’ll have to know the ride.

Indeed, there may be plenty of nods and references to Disney’s seemingly iconic ghost train but not so in-your-face that they’re clear and alienating to those (like myself) who have never visited. Instead, there are a number of good gags scattered throughout bringing plenty of chuckles. It’s these which ease you in after an opening few minutes which suggest the film won’t know which direction to take the ‘scares’ and how gimmicky it wants to be, even in the moment. However, as the cast comes together there’s plenty to enjoy.

While not an entirely traditional film there’s a familiar ensemble cast in a haunted house vibe to this particular flick. All trying to work out how to free the titular location of deadly ghosts, or else be haunted by them outside the grounds. LaKeith Stanfield leads as Ben, a tour guide brought in by Rosario Dawson’s Gabbie, and her young son Travis (Chase Dillon), for his links to capturing images of ghosts. Soon a team involving a priest (a miscast but still likable Owen Wilson), a questionable medium (Tiffany Haddish, on expectedly good form) and a university professor (Danny DeVito) is assembled, all trying to solve the mystery of the house and it’s changing landscape.

Amongst the laughs there are some solid scares dotted throughout. Keeping the generally family-friendly nature whilst managing to bring in a sense of eeriness and creepiness to certain scenes involving ghoulish action. It adds to the fun of the haunted house style which director Justin Simien seems to be trying to capture, and does so rather well. Even more emotional moments which stand out from the rest of the film manage to just about fit in and not disturb the overall flow of things – one in particular is sold well by Stanfield with an unexpected, complimenting pay off from DeVito.

There may be some slight dips every now and then, largely as the film threatens to just tip over into being too long, but overall there’s an entertaining time to be had here. Largely thanks to an ensemble cast who help to bring about a number of the chuckles throughout whilst avoiding an overall gimmicky feel. This doesn’t feel lazy or forced, it’s a good piece of family entertainment.

Once it settles itself Haunted Mansion makes for a familiar ensemble haunted house movie. With good performances from those involved bringing about a number of chuckles, and some solid spookiness along the way, there’s an entertaining ghost story here.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 14 minutes, Director – Neill Blomkamp

Ace driving simulator player Jann (Archie Madekwe) finds himself competing at the Gran Turismo Academy in the hope of becoming a professional race car driver

Although inspired by the video game franchise of the same name, and being based on a true story directly linked to it, Gran Turismo seems to try and distance itself from the hit PlayStation games. Being more focused on telling that true story, perhaps in the hope of not being labelled as a full-on video game adaptation. Aspiring race car driver Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) insists to both his father (Djimon Hounsou) – who wishes that his eldest son would finally put together a plan for his life and stop wasting time with games – and almost everyone else around him that it’s not a game, it’s a simulator. A simulator which could get him into a career of motor-racing in the real world.

It’s an opportunity which is expanded when he finds himself at the Gran Turismo Academy – a special training course designed to find the best player in the hope of turning them into an actual professional driver. The process is helmed by two opposing figures. While Nissan marketing executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) believes in the project and how it could bring Nissan to a new audience who actually want to drive, meanwhile engineer and trainer Jack Salter (David Harbour) views the scheme is a failure from the very start, surely it can’t work?

Well, jumping from one stage to the next to the next the narrative proves otherwise. It makes for a rather by-the-books feeling as Jann develops and learns the real stakes at play when strapped to a turbo-powered car instead of sat in gaming chair. The elements which construct the film as a whole make for something watchable, but with the amount of familiar bumps and issues which are present within the convention something good is stopped from being really good, despite the occasional promise which is on display.

The promise comes most of all during the race sequences. Those which bring in video game styles and briefly, for a few seconds every now and then, replicate the visual look – not just having a 5th place sign above Jann’s car. Shots such as this are so underused you almost wonder why they’re present in the first place – even the early stages hold intense close-ups on the actual video game so that you can’t properly tell what’s happening in them. As is the case for various shots of what’s seemingly happening inside of the car’s engine at certain times, although in this case such points are likely for those who understand the inner workings of the cars proving, as Jann says, that the title product isn’t a game, it’s a simulator.

Harbour is perhaps the biggest draw as he warms to Madekwe’s well-performed character and tries to urge him on, he certainly gives the best performance in the film. He’s the character we cut back to most in response to what Jann’s doing on the track, where, again, there is some good action amongst the various cuts and breaks here and there. As a whole things move along and provide enough engagement to fill out the 2-hour-and-14-minute run-time, which just about avoids feeling too long. There are bumps of familiarity along the way, and the feeling that the film holds itself back by not being sure as to how much it wants to be linked to the video game which inspires its events, but overall there’s good, if not great, viewing here.

Gran Turismo holds itself back by not knowing how much it wants to be linked to the video game, despite it providing its best elements. There are good performances and some good moments of racing action, however convention and cutaways stop such moments from having room to breath.

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 35 minutes, Director – Adele Lim

Asian American Audrey (Ashley Park) is going to China for a work trip, however with her friends alongside her things quickly go off course during a pivotal meeting which extends their stay.

Part of the key of Joy Ride is the fact that the core group aren’t all friends. The four central performances effectively capture the feeling of people who only just know of each other through a mutual friend. The bonds are loose, but they quickly build as it’s clear the character’s have heard, and in some cases briefly met, enough of the more unfamiliar faces in question.

The core link is Audrey, an Asian American lawyer hoping to make partner at her firm. Adopted by a white couple shortly after birth in China, she’s spent almost all of her life in the US. Meanwhile, her best friend Lolo (Sherry Cola) is the daughter of Chinese immigrants, speaks the language and claims to have more of a connection to the culture. Lolo is tagging along with Audrey on a work trip to act as her translator while she tries to secure a deal for her law firm. Nearly 30 she finds herself in a ‘look after your cousin’ situation as loud, K-Pop fan Vanessa (Sabrina Wu) – nicknamed throughout the film as Deadeye – joins them far beyond the flight. While Audrey isn’t initially best pleased with re-meeting Deadeye, it’s far bigger than the rift between Lolo and Audrey’s best friend from college Kat (Stephanie Hsu), the pair have never met and seem to be competing from the second they finally do.

The performances throughout show the growing relationship between all four characters as tentative. Whether because of social anxiety or simply wanting to seem the better friend almost all seem to be putting on some form of thin act, and not just within the group. There are plenty of laughs to be had as the various barriers are broken down and the situation worsens for each figure. After a negotiation goes wrong a meeting with Audrey’s birth mother could save the day, but it’s not going to be easy to find her. While she focuses on work, and her identity constantly playing on her mind, disturbances to the course continue to arise.

Sex and drugs are on the menu in the more explicit sequences of the film, with a good deal to laugh out loud at – some sequences keep the momentum going for quite some time as they show the characters in different locations as part of an increasingly chaotic montage. Where things succeed in regards to this are particularly in the feeling that such gags don’t feel present simply for the sake of being explicit. They’re built up to and work within the narrative, and not entirely used for a shock value either. The narrative as a whole has plenty going on and goes to a number of different places in the short space of 95 minutes. 95 minutes which go by very quickly thanks to the laughs brought about through the interactions and conversations of the group of mutual friends.

There’s an overall enjoyable trip (with a handful of individual trips along the way) here. One which manages to pack plenty of events and locations into its short run-time without feeling too busy. Led by a strong group of leads who create an effective estranged chemistry with each other which pushes the comedy and arguments throughout. There’s a good deal of joy to be found within this particular joyride.

With four lead performances nailing the estranged relationships which bring the central group together Joy Ride brings plenty of laughs within the packed 95 minute run-time.

Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 56 minutes, Director – Ben Wheatley

Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) uncovers both an illegal mining operation at the deepest, deadliest, point of the ocean, and three megalodons.

2018’s The Meg was very much what you expected it to be. A slightly silly summer actioner fitting in with its premise of a long-believed extinct megalodon shark attacking seagoing holidaymakers, with Jason Statham leading the fight against it. Now the sequel, with three times the megalodons, is upon us. Marketed as a much more self-aware film matching the ridiculousness with a grinning sense of humour it turns out that Meg 2 is also exactly what you expected the first film to be.

The tone treads the middle ground between seriousness and silliness, often leaning more towards the former in the first half as Statham’s Jonas Taylor leads an expedition-gone-wrong into The Trench – a layer below the ocean where all kinds of prehistoric creatures reside. It’s a long walk, with jumps back and forth between multiple characters and strands building up to the eventual discovery of an illegal mining operation. A villain is built-up only to be revealed as a quickly disposed of plot point. Everything is simply building up to the second half, and largely the megs making their way to sea level and a new group of tourists trying to enjoy a getaway.

As the action plays out the absurdity of the situation is leaned into. Statham gets some amusing one liners as he carries around metal bars with bombs attached to them in the hoping of defeating the giant sharks. Yet, there are still multiple supporting characters – and a not-quite-villain – to cut to. It causes proceedings to feel busy and overstuffed as the B-movie style action plays out. As a schlocky B-movie Meg 2 works well. Generally fine, if lacking, amusement for the time that it’s on; but certainly something which feels as if it’s largely building up to the main spectacle of Statham riding a jetski across a wave towards a megalodon (undeniably the coolest shot in the film, with a number of others hindered by dodgy CGI).

It’s an action sequence which doesn’t rely on heavy close-ups on characters in bulky costumes, meaning that you can’t entirely see what’s going on in the moment or the scenery which they comment on being so eye-catching. This is a key frustration of the early stages as the plot plods along waiting to properly kick in. However, if I said the film as a whole felt two hours long I’d be lying. Yes, there are plenty of bumps and issues along the way, but it generally goes by well enough in terms of time, and perhaps a lot of this is down to the B-movie tones which are featured throughout, and the style of the third act which sees Jason Statham go from Shark Puncher to Shark Kicker.

Meg 2: The Trench is a busy film with multiple characters who all seem to be there to add seriousness to what should be a slightly sillier film. Luckily, the second half recognises the B-movie nature that should be present and brings enough silliness and schlock to make for an amusing enough sequel.

Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 40 minutes, Director – Jeff Rowe

Looking for acceptance in New York four young mutant turtles (Nicholas Cantu, Brady Noon, Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr.) find it in a group of tougher mutant animals, although they may have darker intentions for their relationship with humans.

Despite having multiple iterations over the years, including a number of seemingly successful TV series, there’s perhaps been a feeling around the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that a number of their core personality traits are very much products of the late 80s and early 90s. It’s likely that this view is down to a general lack of familiarity with the characters beyond ‘the basics’, and having seen a couple of their big-screen appearances. Regardless, the TMNT quartet feel firmly in place in 2023, with their usual love of pizza and the occasional ‘cowabunga’, as they’re allowed to still feel like teenagers while engaging in some modern-day, fresh-feeling – yet not dark and gritty – violence.

A highlight sequence involves a car chase led into by 4-Non Blondes’ What’s Up – after an excellent punchline involving the song, perhaps one of the best gags of the year. The graphic novel style of the animation rushes by with blurs amongst the fast-flowing movement of vehicles and mutant animals. The titular turtles (Nicholas Cantu, Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Brady Noon) thought things were going pretty smoothly as they’d made their way into bulky villain Superfly’s (Ice Cube) gang. For 15 years they’ve been trapped in the sewers, honing their ninja skills with the help of their rat father Splinter (Jackie Chan), Bruce Lee flicks and the occasional instructional VHS, hoping for the day they might be accepted by humans instead of creating fear.

However, there’s hope in aspiring high-school journalist April (Ayo Edebiri) who appears to accept the turtles for who they are, even if some of their actions seem a little strange. Yet, they’re the actions which come across most as teenagers simply joking with each other. There’s a natural sense to a lot of their dialogue, and while it remains to see how well some of it will age, there’s an enjoyable humour to much of it; and, most of all, you actually believe that they’re teenagers (it likely helps that they’re brought to life by a group of likable teenage voice performances). Teenagers who still have the ability to fight off a bad guy with the ability to destroy an entire city.

Things move along with an entertaining style and pace, helped by a sense of threat and darkness from the central villain. Indeed the gang as a whole demonstrate a threat, but for the most part they act as comic relief, particularly when voiced by the likes of Paul Rudd (playing a character who, like Rudd’s real life appearance, seems to have not left the 90s), Natasia Demetriou, Rose Byrne and John Cena. The core source of antagonism is Superfly, with Ice Cube’s performance getting across a lot of the aforementioned darkness. Such feelings help with the tiered stages of the third act battle in the streets of New York. A colourful, finely animated set of events heightened because of the personality of both the characters and the animation.

There’s plenty of well-captured action throughout – one montage in particular of each turtle showing off their skills features an excellent rotating camera shot just to top the whole thing off. The modern style comes through in such action sequences as they move quickly with plenty of entertainment factor. Capturing the equally enjoyable personalities of the central figures, brought to life through likable performances and dialogue. Pizza Hut better get ready, they’re about to get an increase in business.

A fast and enjoyable set of gags and action sequences help to make a finely-animated modern day venture for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as Mutant Mayhem allows them to actually feel like teenagers through both performance and dialogue.