TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES; MUTANT MAYHEM-May have Its Moments

As a young parent,  I have a fondness for this fearsome foursome which allotted my son plenty of imaginative, active playtime fun.  Now streaming on Prime Video is a full length animated action kid movie, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.  I was curious but skeptical that these characters could charm me with their capers in a full length film.  The film is written by established comedians and filmmakers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.  There was a lot going for the movie from the get-go including martial arts fight-scenes, brotherly bantering, teenage angst of acceptance and the aesthetics of New York City at night.  The look of the film has a bold, daring style using a mix of animation tricks.  Artistic flourish and terrific voice overs did not suffice to sustain interest.  Still, there should be shout outs to star power voice overs of Jackie Chan the turtles' loving, over-protective adoptive dad, sensei Splinter, Maya Rudolph as the villianous Cynthia, Ice Cub as the mutant Superfly out to destroy mankind, Rose Byrne and Paul Rudd as other weird mutants.  The young actors giving life to the Ninja Turtles were all excellent and Ayo Edebiri as April, the human teen who collaborates with the Turtles while aspiring to be a reporter is sensational. There are additional moments in the film that offered refreshing entertainment.  April's interview questions to the Turtles, most of them as jotted notes in her journal were laugh out loud funny and precisely what one would want to ask given this exclusive scoop.  Sensei Splinter's flashback story to how they all became mutants and family was gratifying.  The soundtrack to the film offers up 80s and 90s hip-hop works with the movie's tone.  The powwow where the Ninja Turtles convene with the other mutants and they decide to consider themselves cousins added a pleasing twist.  Despite these interspersed moments of levity and creativity there was not enough to overcome the trodden supercilious plot to stop total annihilation which forces me say to MUTANT MAYHEM, meh, unless you're still a kid.  Better still, if you're a kid, go out and play.