Michael Bay‘s take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a short-lived franchise that ran from 2014 till 2016; perhaps, Seth Rogen‘s upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem might have better luck with the iconic characters. Michael Bay’s success as the director of the Transformers franchise seemed to make him the perfect fit to bring the Ninja Turtles to the big screen. However, despite Bay’s experience with blockbuster franchises, the first movie of the franchise was only a moderate success with the second failing to make a splash at the box office, leading to the cancellation of an intended third movie.
Just when everyone thought the TMNT franchise was dead, a new animated movie — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem — was announced. There are some significant changes already underway with the upcoming reboot, making it probable that the movie will revive the TMNT franchise after the lacklustre performance of the Bay’s movies. Here are the problems Bay’s movies faced and why fans are hopeful for Mutant Mayhem.
Why Michael Bay’s TMNT Movies Were So Bad
From the start, Bay’s TMNT franchise did not excite fans. When the first pictures of the CGI Mutant Turtles were released, they failed to garner curiosity or intrigue instead disappointing fans. However, the director had designed the characters to be photorealistic. Regardless, the design was not a hit with fans who compared the turtles’ look to the 1990 TMNT film, with the 1990 movie gaining favor and applause for its practicality.
The Michael Bay TMNT franchise also suffered from a severe disparity in the films’ general tone as it kept shifting between serious live-action fighting and humorous jokes. As a result, it confused the audience on whether these films were made to target teenagers or adults. Additionally, casting Megan Fox as April O’Neill also received complaint from fans. In fact, Peter Laird, TMNT co-creator, spoke against Fox’s casting, saying it didn’t make sense for the role.
Why Mutant Mayhem Being Animated Gives It A Better Shot
After taking a dark turn with Bay’s TMNT movies, TMNT Mutant Mayhem can finally take the franchise back to its original glory–all thanks to its art style. The animation of this reboot is reminiscent of the original 80s and 90s style that everyone loved. Unlike previous movies, this one has younger voice actors that will help fulfill the “teenager” concept of the movie that was absent in previous productions.
One of the major reasons why Michael Bay’s TMNT movies flopped was the bulky character designs. TMNT Mutant Mayhem solved this problem by bringing back the iconic 90s Mutant Ninja Turtles’ character designs that are much similar to the original TV series. Although there are several reasons for Mutant Mayhem to succeed, we will only know for certain when the movie is released. But one thing is for sure, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem differs from Bay’s Previous TMNT movies. Mutant Mayhem arrives in theaters on August 4, 2023.
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