Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | 2023 | PG | – 1.4.3

Why is “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” rated PG? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “sequences of violence and action, language and impolite material.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a kiss, discussions of romantic attraction, many human vs. mutant fights with weapons that leave some people and mutants unconscious and wounded, many mutant fights causing some property damage, many arguments, and some strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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Animated feature about the four mutant turtles that struggle between respecting their parent’s wishes and wanting to experience the world outside their sewer, and hatch a plan to get what they want with the help of a human. With the voices of Rose Byrne, Natasia Demetriou, Ayo Edebiri, John Cena, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph, Giancarlo Esposito, Ice Cube, Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Post Malone, Hannibal Buress, Micah Abbey and Shamon Brown Jr.. Directed by Jeff Rowe & Kyler Spears. [Running Time: 1:39]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem SEX/NUDITY 1

 – A mutant rat and a mutant insect creature kiss (we hear slurping).
► A man and a woman sit on the ground watching a movie in a park and they hug.
► A teen turtle talks about wishing he could have a girlfriend. A teen turtle talks about a teen girl and he is smitten. An adult mutant rat says that he is really attracted to another mutant and his mutant turtle sons gag and cringe at the idea. An adult rat talks about hoping to meet a mutant female and refers to dating sites. When a teen girl and a turtle arrange to meet the turtle says, “It’s a date,” and then becomes nervous about using that terminology. A mutant turtle asks a teen girl to go to high school prom and she accepts.
► A picture of a male bodybuilder is shown on a package and we see his bare chest and abdomen.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem VIOLENCE/GORE 4

 – A mutant fly pulls a device out of the back of a vehicle and four turtles cling to it and each other before falling to the ground as the fly flies away; the turtles are surrounded by men with weapons, one is struck in the face with the butt of a weapon (the screen goes dark) and we later see them restrained in a laboratory where they are zapped and we see their skeletons illuminate as they are “milked” (bodily fluids are extracted) and they yell in pain. Armed men in a truck speed toward a building where a man mixes a glowing ooze in a tube; they barge into the area and are thrown and struck by a flying creature that they try to shoot (one man is scratched on the face and we see slashes), the area explodes and we see the first man lying motionless on the floor. A transport truck’s tires blow when it runs over spikes in the road and it crashes leaving the driver unconscious briefly while the contents of the truck are stolen and put in the back of another truck; the second truck speeds away and is chased by police. A large mutant creature moves toward a truck where men inside yell and we assume they are killed (we do not see the violence other than the truck shaking).
► Four mutant turtles fight many men in a warehouse and one turtle is stabbed in the leg (he yells); the men are all thrown and struck, one man speeds toward them in a car nearly hitting them, and eventually we see all the men lying motionless on the ground. Four mutant turtles fight many men and we see one man struck in the face and several of his teeth are knocked out, and a man is slammed onto a pool table and tied down while being asked for information. A mutant turtle slams on the brakes of a van using a long stick, the van flips, throwing three mutants through the windshield and the turtle speeds away chased by other mutants in different vehicles.
► A mutant rat fights with many armed guards in a laboratory and he stabs one guard, throws and kicks others, tasers one, he uses a chair on wheels to spin himself around, hits other guards with the chair, and he is shot and pinned under a heavy metal cabinet before he cuts his way out using a sword. Many mutants fight one large mutant as a machine is initiated: the machine flashes and an alarm sounds as it is disabled, it breaks apart and something spills into water and we see a giant glowing creature under the surface; it pulls itself out of the water and stands up and roars followed by many zoo animals and creatures that attach themselves to the first giant being. A giant mutant creature squeezes four mutant turtles in its large claw and we hear cracking (as if their shells are cracking). Many mutants chase a giant mutant creature as it lumbers through the streets of a city, and the giant throws cars and buses causing explosions. Many mutants throw a large vial containing a glowing liquid at a giant mutant and when struck it is “demutantized” and shrinks.
► A mutant rat takes four small mutant turtles in his arms and out of the sewer onto a city sidewalk where a woman screams pointing at him and calling him “rat man,” as others throw things at him, he stumbles and drops the turtles and one falls into the street where the rat retrieves him just before being struck by a bus. A mutant turtle throws a throwing star at a watermelon held over the head of another turtle and the star cuts through the melon and hits a teen girl on the sidewalk below; she yells at them and a person on the sidewalk steals her scooter and speeds away as she runs after him and is nearly struck by a car.
► A rat transforms into a humanoid/rat and we see a silhouette on a wall with his limbs stretching. A glowing green ooze seeps into a sewer drain and we see four small turtles moving around in it as we hear about their transformation. People represented as the baddies have exaggerated features with large heads and misshapen facial features. Mutant creatures include a rhino with large fangs, a very large fly with a claw as well as spikes and sharp teeth.
► Four mutant turtles jump across building rooftops in a city carrying martial weapons in several scenes, trying not to be seen; in one scene, they steal several items from a convenience store, undetected. Four mutant turtles walk through sewer drains and next to a subway track trying to avoid being seen; they talk about their father telling them that if they are seen, they will be captured and “milked.” Four mutant turtles practice with martial arts techniques and weapons (swords, throwing stars and a stick). A mutant turtle slashes a watermelon using a sword. A character talks about a plan to transform all living creatures into mutants to destroy the human population; he describes humans being eaten, enslaved and turned into fuel. A large mutant fly stomps on a fire hydrant crushing it.
► A teen girl becomes nervous when she appears on camera in her school news broadcast, she vomits a large amount of green goo on a desk and viewers behind the camera are alarmed (we see the goo splatter and pour from her mouth). A teen girl gags and swallows hard before later vomiting green goo (we see it pour from her mouth). A rat is hissed at and barked at by other rats, a raccoon and a dog, when he is alone in a city and rummaging through garbage. A large shoe crushes a cockroach (we hear a crunch and see it twitch). Flies buzz around overflowing garbage cans in a school. A teen girl complains about being left in a sewer where she watches a “cockroach surfing on a turd.” A character says, “I might puke” (no vomiting is shown).
► A flying mutant threatens four turtles saying, “I’ll pull your bloody heads off.” Several news reports show footage of a crime spree and numerous thefts in a city. News reports describe attacks by mutants. A mutant rat quizzes four mutant turtles about where they have been and he says, “I’ve been freaking out.” A mutant turtle yells at another mutant turtle saying, “You ratted us out,” and he is reprimanded for using that terminology. Four mutant turtles talk about wishing they could be “normal.”

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem LANGUAGE 3

 – 4 scatological terms, 9 mild obscenities, name-calling (demon scum of the Earth, disgusting, monsters, weird, suss, crazy, lame, insane, insanely, stupid, rude, cumbaya, bloody hooligans, wild, fool, April O’Puke, “puke girl”), exclamations (chill out, what the heck, bite me, dang, oh man, shut your mouth), 3 religious exclamations (e.g. oh my God). | profanity glossary |

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem SUBSTANCE USE

 – None.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Genetic manipulation, growing up, mutants, happiness, friendship, prejudice, regrets, heroism, feeling trapped, obsession, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” acceptance of those that are different, Italian Renaissance artists Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem MESSAGE

 – Being different doesn’t make you bad.