Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 – Lost in New Jersey – Movie Review

TL;DR – Not only is this a delightful return to these characters, but it is also one of the best and pointed explorations of the hollowness of AI in a way that I think their target audience will completely get.   

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this short film.

The Tubular Tortoise Karate Warriors.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 – Lost in New Jersey Review Introduction

Back in 2023, I witnessed a rare event: we got a new outing in a long-running franchise that felt both entirely respectful in the way it approached the franchise, but was also not afraid to change things up for a new generation completely. It took strength, it took artistry, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was also a bunch of fun in the process. Well, I am glad to see that we get to have a new story in this world as we return to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

So, to set the scene, it has been some time since Mutant Mayhem, and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Raphael (Brady Noon) and Donatello (Micah Abbey) are out shopping for Christmas presents for Splinter. This is the first time they have been able to do this out in the open, so it is a bit of a thrill. However, their joy is turned to horror when they witness an advertisement for a toy line that is clearly them, if the person making them only heard about the turtles third hand and went with it. Well, this will not stand! And the Turtles must do something about it! Only problem is that this will mean taking a trip to … … … New Jersey … … …!

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Awards – My Top 20 Films of 2023

So far, in our awards, we have looked at Action, Animation, Best of Australia & New Zealand, Cinematography, Costumes, Emotion, Fun, Music, Tension, and Worldbuilding.

However, in this last entry into our Best of 2023 awards, we crown our Best Film of 2023.

All films are subjective, so our list might look completely different from yours. Of the 121 films we reviewed last year, 113 had their Australian Theatrical/Streaming Release in 2023. This is the list we draw our entries from, and you can see the complete list of movies HERE.

Much like last year’s list, we have had many staggered releases towards the end of the year in Australia. So we may have films here that were released in 2022 for you but 2023 for us, and there may be some omissions here because we won’t get those films until later in 2024, which is why you won’t see The Holdovers on this list (it will be on the 2024 list)

Highly CommendedAsteroid City, Crater, John Wick: Chapter 4, M3GAN, Nimona, Sweet As & They Cloned Tyrone

Okay, with that out of the way, let’s dive into the first entry in our list of Best Films of 2023.

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