As the leads in Jeff Rowe’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” spoke with all the momentum of my kids when they have a bottle of Prime—it’s a new energy drink for those out of the loop—I thought about the difference between fast-paced and hyperactive when it comes to this kind of movie. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and its incredible sequel are undeniably fast-paced, but the momentum is right for the material. “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” co-written by this film’s director, also packs so much into its runtime that it’s impossible to catch it all on first viewing. Those films are fast because they’re fueled by so much creativity that you can see their ideas bursting off the screen. “Mutant Mayhem” is fast because it thinks it should be. There’s a difference. Using its hyperactive nature to disguise how there’s not much going on, “Mutant Mayhem” is a pretty shallow venture thematically. Having said that, it also has undeniably strong visuals and enough creative voice work to make it tolerable on a hot August day when families need an air-conditioned theater for a few hours. I wish the mayhem of it all led somewhere more rewarding.

Yes, it’s another origin story. Despite being the seventh film to feature these characters, Rowe and co-writers Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg go back to the beginning of the TMNT saga, opening with a scientist named Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito) creating the infamous ooze that turns ordinary creatures into mutants. When the authorities break into Baxter’s basement lair, the ooze is spilled into the sewers, and the rest is comic book history as a quartet of turtles becomes fast-talking humanoid creatures named Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), and Raphael (Brady Noon).

Fans of the franchise know that the turtles are nothing without their leader, Splinter (Jackie Chan), a rat who was also transformed by the ooze and became the father to the teenage mutants after teaching them the ninja skills to protect themselves. Splinter is extremely overprotective, ordering the boys to stay away from human beings at all costs or risk being milked by them (don’t ask). A flashback reveals that Splinter tried to introduce himself and the turtles to the humans, but they were somewhat understandably terrified. Now they all live underground, as the turtles sneak out to get supplies and wish they could have a normal teenage life beyond the sewers.

Meanwhile, one of Baxter’s experiments responds very differently to the chasm between the human race and the mutants now living underground. Whereas Splinter wants to hide, Superfly (Ice Cube) wants something closer to vengeance. He’s assembled a group of mutants that include Genghis Frog (Hannibal Buress), Leatherhead (Rose Byrne), Rocksteady (John Cena), Wingnut (Natasia Demetriou), Ray Fillet (Post Malone), Bebop (Seth Rogen), and Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd). Throw in Maya Rudolph as a mysterious figure trying to find the turtles and Ayo Edebiri as April, the human being who befriends the turtles and tries to introduce them to the above-ground world, and you have a stellar voice cast. Once Superfly and his cadre of creatures join the action, “Mutant Mayhem” gets exponentially more fun as each great actor is allowed fun voice beats to shine.

The visuals of “Mutant Mayhem” also explode when Superfly and his gang join in the fun as the animators bring their A-game to creative character designs that recall the source material but also pop on the big screen. The entire film has that “Spider-Verse” aesthetic that looks like a comic book come to life. The characters can go from simple animation that looks hand-drawn to something more like stop-motion animation and then back again in a manner that keeps the film visually engaging.

I just wish those visuals got more depth from their characters and story beats. “Mutant Mayhem” is ultimately a coming-of-age film, the story of four teenagers who discover a reality they want to live in between Splinter’s overprotectiveness and Superfly’s anger. While that’s an interesting theme, and it’s nice to see a version of this franchise take the word “teenage” seriously, it’s also pretty light for kids and their parents who can handle more complex themes. It feels like there’s a variation on this script that takes as many risks as the visuals do instead of going predictably from point A to point B in the coming-of-age playbook. 

Most damagingly, as ridiculous as this may sound, we really don’t learn enough about the turtles, who are reduced to one or two traits as they’re pushed along the action track of the movie. De facto leader Leonardo is the most responsible of the crew and develops a crush on April. The other three barely even get that much development. Of course, not everything can be “Mitchells” or “Spider-Verse,” but those films grounded pieces of the coming-of-age genre even as they raced through their stories. Maybe it’s a product of my age or lack of energy drink intake, but “Mutant Mayhem” too often just feels hyper.

In theatres on August 2^nd.

We first see Helen (Ellie Kemper) sitting alone at a party. All around her, people are talking, drinking, laughing, and dancing. She does not seem to notice anyone and no one notices her. She pulls out a piece of paper to re-read her list of goals for an upcoming hiking trip:

1. Find a deeper connection to nature.
2. Rise up from my own ashes like a freaking phoenix.
3. Earn a damned certificate.

The party’s host is Helen’s brother, Duncan (an endearing performance by Alexander Koch), and she is only there to give him her keys so he can house-sit for her. But he has gone off with his girlfriend, so she gives them to Duncan’s best friend, Jake (Luke Grimes of “Yellowstone”). He asks her to stay: “You used to be so much fun.” She bristles, “I’m like so much fun you wouldn’t be able to comprehend it.” We don’t need to wait to see her give Duncan a laminated to-do list for the house-sit to understand that what she cannot comprehend is how not fun she has become.

The ashes she wants to rise from are her divorce and the unhappiness that led to it. But you do not have to have seen many movies to guess that she will learn to acknowledge some other ashes from her past on the trip and that when the leader, Beckett (Ben Cook), says that the hike, 81 miles on the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut and New York, will be “daunting but beautiful,” he is also talking about life and all of the challenges and opportunities we face.

You will probably also guess where this is going when Duncan’s friend Jake shows up as one of the hikers. He and Helen pretend they have not met before to avoid complicated explanations. Like a mapped-out trail, you know where it will end up, but there’s enough to enjoy along the way.

And there is plenty to enjoy here, including cinematographer Daniel Vecchione’s postcard-pretty scenery of New England fall colors, some poppy needle drops, and a gorgeous Pablo Neruda poem. Some characters are, as one of them says, “all more than we seem to be.” Each of them has an opportunity to surprise us and themselves. Shayvawn Webster has a warmly positive energy as the upbeat Windy, who has one of the film’s most meaningful moments relating to the title. Gus Birney probably has the most surprising revelation as the initially ditsy Kaylee. Even Beckett, the barely-older-than-a-Boy-Scout leader, shows us another side. The pre-credit sequence has a funny compilation of his most frequent comment. Blythe Danner is always a treasure and pure delight here as Helen’s grandmother.

The story’s heart is Kemper’s Helen, of course, and this role is a perfect fit. Helen is less sunny than most of Kemper’s roles, allowing her to show more subtlety, depth, and complexity. Her essential radiance is evident throughout, even with (apparently) no make-up in the scenes on the trail. Kemper has a monologue, a story from her childhood, which calls on her to show a vivid range of expressions as she recalls the before and after of a traumatic loss. It is very moving to see the fleeting softness and joy on her face as she remembers the “before” part of the story and then the grief, shame, anger, and effort she has put into compartmentalizing those memories for many years. 

Grimes has a less showy role; one might say the Ken to her Barbie. His big reveal will be no surprise to anyone. But he brings a welcome tone of wry humor to Jake, and we can see his feelings for Helen long before she does. More important, by that time, we want her to see them. 

Writer/director Vicky Wight adapted the popular novel by Katherine Center, following their previous collaboration on “The Lost Husband.” She keeps the tone bright but makes room for quieter moments. Some in the audience might be inspired to hike the Appalachian Trail, but all will be reminded that the beginner’s first step to happiness is gratitude. 

On Netflix now.