The New Mutants

This review may contain spoilers!

I never thought that I would be so emotionally invested in the last Fox produced X-Men film, but here we are. I would give The New Mutants a 7.5/10.

The New Mutants follows a young group of mutants who have manifested dangerous abilities and are kept within a dark holding facility in an effort to teach them to control their powers. However, not everything is as it seems at the facility and the nightmares of the young mutants begin to come to life.While watching this movie it didn't take long before I realised something; this might not be the best X-Men universe film but it is the most X-men film we've probably ever had. Let me unpack that a bit. The X-Men have always dealt with significant issues around equality and civil rights, often through the filter of a big superhero battle or threat. This film presents us with a facility that isolates and attempts to correct young people because they are mutants, because they are different from others. The main protagonist of the feature is a Native American girl who is the sole survivor of an attack upon her reservation and is now suffering through that loss while trying to navigate a very hostile new environment. This film takes it's time to get going in the first act but once we get to see the leading characters interact with one another and form bonds then you really begin making a connection with that which you're watching. One of the biggest examples of this I thought was the relationship that developed between Dani and Rahne, these were two very vulnerable characters who worked together to rescue one another from the prison that had been trapped in. I also felt that the horror elements of the film served the narrative strongly, crafting a way for us to understand the characters more while also presenting really bone-chilling adversaries for our heroes. The cinematography for the film is consistently nice to watch, keeping a really intimate dynamic between the numerous leads and making expansive use of the original set pieces. The special effects for the film almost always look great, the design for Magik, Lockheed and the Demon Bear being some of the creations worthy of note.

Charlie Heaton, who played Sam Guthrie, is wracked with guilt over the origins of his power when we are first introduced to him; Heaton balances a character who is fiercely loyal to his friends while devastated by his harrowing past. Blu Hunt, who played Danielle Moonstar, holds strong in the difficult position of lead protagonist; Hunt's journey from the hurt of being a sole survivor role to discovering love and a family in her new friends is such a great character arc to watch. Henry Zaga, who played Roberto da Costa, is immensely charismatic from the moment his role appear onscreen; I like the tough facade he displays in front of the group initially and how quickly that crumbles by film's end.

However, the best performance came from Maisie Williams, who played Rahne Sinclair. I loved Williams as Arya Stark but really this might be my favourite role of hers that I've watched so far. She has a very guarded approach when first introduced, the hard aspects of her past leave her reluctant to move forward. Yet in spite of this she is driven forward by a desire to escape, she wants to be in control of her power so that she can move on and live normally again. From the moment they first share a long scene together I was blown away by the chemistry between Williams and Hunt, they have this shy yet trusting friendship that evolves into this really lovely dependable onscreen romance. Superhero film romances are often notoriously bad but this was one of the strong aspects of the feature without a doubt, just watch the scene where Williams' character gets embarrassed about her wolf ears in front of Hunt and you tell me that isn't amazing. Williams crafts a role who grows stronger after facing her fears and by finding someone to fight for in the facility, she becomes the hero who will stop at nothing to save those she cares for. This was a knockout role and one of my favourite new superhero performances.

The New Mutants was a surprisingly good hit for me but it was also supposed to release a couple of years ago and it shows. The film never really went through the full production process it was intended to and the narrative does possess some very disjointed moments to watch. This manifests with sudden scenes in which characters get very friendly with one another very quick or the nightmare component of the film escalates dramatically. These are fine thing that with a little tuning could've run much smoother. The first act of the film isn't a great starting point; the arrival into the facility is a long drawn out introduction process that lays out the setting, characters and key plot elements in several long exposition heavy scenes. The ultimate result is a rather slow beginning that takes its time to pick up the pace. The film also has no significant plot twists in store for the audience, the source of the nightmare creations is abundantly obvious from as early as the first ten minutes and the threat of the facility they are all housed in is a bit of a given. The final fight of the film is a bit anti-climatic in the sense we don't get much of a powers display and the idea of kindness to yourself defeating the big bad is a bit of a tough sell. There are several effects or editing moments in which some of the background drama has clearly created a rushed if not entirely polished visual product. The score for the film flaunts some very eerie tracks but there's nothing here that you'll really remember or that will have you on the edge of your seat come the end of the film.

Anya Taylor-Joy, who played Illyana Rasputin, was caught with the wild card role that was just too twisted and zany to ever really flesh a likeable character out of; Taylor-Joy's character was the 'bully' character who was tough to like and her certain about change wasn't very convincing. Alice Braga, who played Dr. Reyes, was a very toneless role who was pretty easy to predict as the feature antagonist; Braga just played the scientist component of this character as drily as possible which sadly lead to a pretty forgettable role.