Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (2022)

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie earns its slice by taking a goofy, hyper-kinetic version of the Turtles and dropping them into a genuinely big, sci-fi spectacle—without losing the warmth that makes these brothers worth rooting for. The animation snaps and crackles with inventiveness, turning every fight into a colorful, readable burst of motion, while the jokes land with the loose, lovable energy of friends riffing under pressure. Beneath the chaos there’s real heart, especially in the way leadership, ego, and family loyalty get tested, giving the action weight instead of just noise. It does get surprisingly intense for a TV-PG cartoon at moments, so the very youngest viewers (or anyone wanting a purely light romp) should be warned—but if you’re on the fence, this is one of the most fun, polished, and emotionally satisfying Turtle adventures in years.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie is clearly aiming to be a bigger, darker, end-of-the-world event that pushes Leo into a real leadership moment, and it delivers that with fast, flashy action and a surprisingly intense sci-fi threat for a TV-PG cartoon. The trade-off is that the plot can feel pretty straightforward and “mission-to-stop-the-invasion” familiar, so if you want a clever mystery or layered storytelling, it may come off as disposable once the credits roll. It also smooths over some of the show’s more offbeat charm in favor of epic stakes, which can make the character beats feel a bit thinner than fans might hope. If you’re here for energetic animation, jokes, and a brisk TMNT adventure, you’ll have fun; if you want the series’ specific vibe or deeper character work, this probably won’t be your favorite Turtle outing.