Review | The New Mutants movie review: X-Men spin-off is even worse than you expected
- Set in a containment facility for young mutants, this coming-of-age tale has a baffling story line, a cynical subplot, and an awful ending
- Blu Hunt plays the central character, Anya Taylor-Joy has some fun playing bitchy blonde Illyana Rasputin, and the X-Men barely get a look-in
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1.5/5 stars
Marvel’s mutant hero franchise has been a patchy series at best. For every high (X2, Days of Future Past , Logan ), there’s been some incredible lows (The Last Stand, Apocalypse , Dark Phoenix ). Largely set in an asylum for new mutants, this coming-of-age saga falls into the latter category, despite a watchable performance or two.
The central figure is Dani Moonstone (Blu Hunt), newly admitted to a facility designed to contain young mutants who have yet to understand their powers. Running the joint is Dr Reyes (Alice Braga), keeping them under strict observation with surveillance cameras, microphones and, if they really get out of hand, force fields. “This isn’t a hospital,” Dani is told. “It’s a cage.”
Cheyenne Indian by birth, Dani arrives after an incident that has seen the loss of her father and others on her reservation. Her fellow mutants in lockdown also hold on to their traumas like PTSD patients. Some, like bitchy blonde Illyana Rasputin (Anya Taylor-Joy), willingly give up their secrets – a sword-conjuring sorceress, she’s killed 18 men. Others – like Brazilian rich kid Roberto (Henry Zaga) – are more guarded.
Befriended by Scottish witchy teen Rahne (Maisie Williams), who stops her contemplating suicide, Dani’s unique powers are of particular interest to Dr Reyes, who works for the mysterious Essex Corporation. Meanwhile, the X-Men themselves get a cursory mention – just to make sure we know this is set in tangentially the same universe.
Director of hit teen tale The Fault of Our Stars , Boone should have been well positioned to make The New Mutants. Instead, this baffling tale comes off like a supernatural Breakfast Club, with mild doses of horror (demons, bears, wolves and sharp-toothed skeletons) and even a same-sex romance subplot that feels entirely cynical.
At least Taylor-Joy has fun with her vamp role. Ditto Stranger Things ’ Charlie Heaton, as the lightning fast Kentucky kid Sam. But with a third act that falls down a black hole, patched up with an excess of visual effects, any interest in the characters or their fates evaporates. What a desperately disappointing movie.
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