The New Mutants: An Anticlimactic Finale to the X-Men Saga
Not worth risking your health over.
It’s finally here! After being delayed FIVE TIMES, The New Mutants graces the silver screen in a period where practically nobody is going to the movies. Mask and face shield in hand, I went to an empty (I was the sole customer of the entire venue) theater to see the 4-year old end to the FOX era of X-Men movies.
After last year’s atrocious Dark Phoenix, expectations were incrementally low — especially with the fact that the film suffered through a terrible production; reshoots that were mandated to make the movie “scarier” but were never made, resulting in multiple delays. Let’s not forget the director constantly clashing with the studio to preserve his vision and controversies of whitewashing surrounding actor Henry Zaga, who plays an Afro-Brazilian character.
The film allegedly tells the story of Danielle Moonstar (Blu Hunt), who, after a tornado devastates her entire reservation, awakens in a hospital run by Dr. Cecilia Reyes (Alice Braga). She tells Moonstar she is a mutant and must stay inside the hospital until she’s able to control her powers. However, Moonstar does not know what her powers are and is stuck with other teenage mutants, as their worst fears are now creeping over the hospital. You have to wait, at least, 80 minutes before The New Mutants kicks in, as you’re stuck watching a pointless dud that feels like the final dump in the garbage can for FOX before the Marvel Cinematic Universe relaunches the franchise.
In 2018, I remembered being incredibly excited to see The New Mutants on the big screen, as it would be the franchise’s first attempt at horror, but also one of the first “scary” superhero films. The “new art form” of comic book movies has evolved exponentially since the MCU explored many genres through their movies, allowing filmmakers to be more creative and not be afraid to take risks for the audience.
Unfortunately, The New Mutants is neither innovative nor scary. Nothing happens for the first 80 minutes of this movie, as we observe a band of “gifted” teenagers fooling around in the hospital, not being able to control their powers while being quasi-haunted by their inner demons. Are the creatures we see the characters’ inner demons? The movie never develops any of the protagonists properly. They’re just mutants locked in a hospital, preparing to work for the Essex Corporation (they even re-hash some of the “documentary” footage from James Mangold’s Logan to tie everything together), who happens to have inner trauma.
Of course, if you want to make a character-driven comic book film like Todd Phillips’ Joker, go for it, but you need to explore this one feat for the audience to be engaged: character development. It seemed like the film wants to throw in “scary stuff,” which is comprised of nothing but cheap jump scares and shoddy-looking CGI creatures, without explaining what causes the characters so much grief, above one throwaway line to tell what the inner demon is.
Never once does The New Mutants explore pain, anguish, or sorrow, yet sets it up to explore those themes. Because of this, the characters aren’t interesting enough for me to become fully invested in the film. There isn’t a story; all you see are teenagers either playing truth or dare, doing group therapy, and, sometimes, encounter trauma until they have to fight an imaginary giant bear.
There’s no legitimate antagonist or threat in The New Mutants, as what we’re seeing are lifelike illusions, created by Moonstar. When they happen, you wonder to yourself, “why am I watching this?” Since the antagonists aren’t real, the one action sequence featured in the movie feels pointless and superficial, as we’re only watching real-life heroes fight an imaginary being.
Since they’re stuck in a hospital, with no connection from the outside world, the “Demon Bear” isn’t frightening and is easily beaten by Moonstar, who’s finally able to hone her power to be….what exactly? None of the character’s abilities, which contribute to their anguish, are explored.
They’re mutants who sometimes can/can’t control their power, but only when they want to. When Illyana Rasputin (Anya Taylor-Joy) is confronted with visions of her childhood, of creatures wearing smiley masks, all she does is yell in terror instead of using her magic sword to defeat them. Instead, Sam Guthrie (Charlie Heaton) takes a fire hose to beat them senseless instead of…projecting himself into the air (which he does after, but why not be the first thing you think of?). It’s a virtually empty film, with nothing to offer for both fans of Marvel/X-Men and The New Mutants comic books which the film is based on.
The New Mutants contains admirable performances by insanely talented actors, but it’s not enough for me to recommend it, let alone tell you to risk your life to see this movie. It contains no legitimate threat or instances of character development, the scares aren’t effective, and the “story” is non-existent.
If you want to see it on the big screen, there are ways to see it safely, as I did: an empty theater during weekdays (not Thursday nights or Fridays!), or what theater exhibitors refer to as “off-peak times,” in which virtually nobody goes to see a movie. I would usually see a film on opening day, but it isn’t smart to be with other people in a closed environment during a global pandemic. When I was sure nobody was going to see it, I bought a ticket and went to the theater. Did I feel safe? Of course! I was the only one! Heck, an employee came in before the movie and told me I could remove my mask!
But the real answer should be: was it worth it? Based on this review, I should’ve seen TENET instead (and I will this Wednesday…if no one shows up).
