In The Next Mutation, we rejoin the heroes in the usual confines: random sewer somewhere in NYC. The fearsome foursome of Leonardo (Michael Dobson), Michaelangelo (Kirby Morrow), Donatello (Jason Gray-Stanford), and Raphael (Matt Hill), under the tutelage of Master Splinter (Stephen Mendel), continue to fight the radical fight against the evil Shredder(Doug Parker). While meditating in the Realm of Dreams, Splinter is given a warning by friend and fellow kung-fu aficionado Chung I (Dale Wilson) to leave the Realm. The Dream world is no longer safe, and a new evil is on the horizon. Shortly after, Splinter is trapped in the scape by Dragon Lord (Christopher Gaze), leader of the nefarious Rank. Without their leader and “father,” the Turtles become listless and hindered in their ability to stand for truth. The dire situation prompts Chung to send his only “daughter” to the states and assist the clan with her powers of shinobi. When she finds the TMNT compound, it is revealed to them that she is a fifth mutant turtle, and is quickly given the moniker Venus de Milo (Lalainia Lindbjerg). With the combined strengths of five, the Teens start to turn the tide back into their favor over Shredder and his gang. But the devil they know is much less sinister that the one they have yet to encounter. The question quickly becomes, are they ready, willing, and able to do what it takes to sniff out Dragon Lord and bring him down to Turtle-powered justice?
I usually try to give things I review the cliche “benefit of the doubt.” Yes, I understand the entire basis is completely far fetched. Handful of pet store turtle run into radioactive “ooze”, become big/strong bi-ped intelligent beings, and are taught karate by an equally upright and smart sewer rat. Cool, I’m on board with that, particularly so when I was a kid. And to this day, I can still get tons of enjoyment out of the live action films. The problems with Mutation are, unfortunately, largely bestowed upon the writers. TMNT founders and veterans Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird are listed as writers for this project. But it’s really tough to see their influence in this series. I think the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film from 1990 is actually pretty decent. Sure, it’s juvenile, but the story was true to its roots and the plot development was steady. The story/plot structure in this show is honestly really poor. I understand that Splinter got “trapped in the Realm,” but why was he there in the first place? Venus was a fifth turtle sitting right next to the others when Splinter found them, and the explanation is that he just didn’t see her? He develops ninjas, I don’t buy that he would lack the awareness to literally see four shells and overlook the last one.
The development in individual episodes is even worse. Most children’s programing has a “cookie cutter” mentality episode to episode. But here, everything seems “scatter brained.” I know each installment will feature the five of them layin’ the smackdown on Shredder or Dragon Lord forces, but the reasoning behind the individual skirmishes becomes muddled by the end scenes. Additionally, the scripted lines are the usual cheesy stuff we all know and love from the Turtles, while Splinter delivers words of solidity and wisdom. But delivery and timing of lines doesn’t differentiate well between when things are meant to be serious and when it’s pure comedy. This is kind of an odd critique, but if you were to watch an episode or two, you’d see to what I’m referring. On the positive side, the voice acting is done pretty well. The cast says what’s written in familiar tones. Raphael is the a-hole, Michaelangelo is the goof ball, Splinter sounds old as dust, all that good stuff. Visually, Mutation is put together pretty well. The mise-en-scene fits perfectly within the lineage, and the fight sequences are largely intricate and fun to watch. Although some TMNT fans might site heresy, Venus is actually an interesting injection into the tried and true all male Turtle power.
Lastly, the DVD’s look and sound pretty good, even for the age of the show (debuted in September of 1997). And there’s nothing to report in terms of Special Features, because their are none.
