Minor Spoilers ahead.
It may have taken a long time to get here but after several delays (which included at one point being wiped from Disney’s release schedule entirely) The New Mutants opened this past Friday in theatres, so was it worth the wait?
This movie goer says yes, it was worth the wait however it arrived at the wrong time. The world is still caught up in the ongoing success of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet which keeps surpassing expectations seemingly every day in how well it’s performing in the current climate, however it’s nice to see something Marvel related back on the big screen after Black Widow got the boot from May until late October.
The story of The New Mutants follows Danielle Moonstar, your typical teenage girl who is abruptly wakened by her father when their small town comes under attack from an unknown force. Together they flee into the nearby woods where Danielle is rendered unconscious after falling down an embankment.
She awakens to find herself in a lone hospital ward where the voice of a woman named Dr Reyes greets her and informs her of why she’s here. Throughout the course of the film we’re introduced to the other mutants currently housed at the facility, including Anya Taylor Joy’s Illyana Rasputin (known as Magik in the comics, sister of the X-Men’s Colossus) and Maisie Williams Rahne Sinclair who has the ability to morph into a wolf. Rounding out the misfits is Sam Guthrie who can launch himself through the air at breakneck speeds and Roberto Da Costa who’s like a knock off Human Torch.
Whilst trying to coexist, the gang are thrown into aligning with one another when each of the teens darkest fears starts to manifest itself and seep into their reality, forcing them to fight for their survival.
This is a film that’s an amalgamation of several genres (soppy teen drama, psychological thriller and horror) and once it makes it past the opening it comes into its own and is a welcome addition as a spin off from the main X-Men series, especially with an awarded 15 age rating certificate which gives it that little bit more breathing room to be darker.
The only criticism I have with this film is its length, having waited so long for it like so many others it feels too short and it’s a shame we’ll never get the trilogy like director Josh Boone had hoped for. Awe well, was certainly a fun flick and we’ve still the main women’s arrival to wait for – DC’s Wonder Woman 1984 and Marvel’s Black Widow both coming in October.
– James
