The New Mutants - Movie Review
What do you get when you take some of the best talent up and coming in Hollywood and throw them into an X-Men film, that’s then advertised as a non-X-men Teen Slasher? A damn good movie that got buried by its studio.
Let’s discuss.
The New Mutants is a sci-fi horror film set in Fox’s now dead X-Men Cinematic Universe. It’s brought to us by writer director Josh Boone. You may know him as the director of the film adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars or the writer of the TERRIBLE remake of The Stand. Not a sterling resume I know, but let’s give him a chance here.
The film centers on a group of teenagers in a treatment home for, you guessed it, New Mutants. Our introduction to treatment center is through its newest inductee, Dani Moonstar played by Blu Hunt. She’s just witnessed the death of her entire Reservation at the hands of a phantasmic demon bear. She joins a diverse group of kids who all have similar, tragic pasts. Each of them is burdened with not only their changing body, but a deep-seeded trauma tied to the awakening of their powers. They meet for group therapy under the watchful eye of Dr. Reyes played by the fantastic Alice Braga. Unfortunately, the therapy only compounds the kid’s issues and at night the monsters come out. Each of the children must face their literal demons before the night is through. For better or for worse, they have to band together or risk losing everything.
Oh, Also… it’s the best X-men movie since X-2 and one of the few I would actually enjoy rewatching. As an X-Men fan there’s only really a handful of good / decent live action movies. You’ve got X-2, Days of Future Past, Old Man Logan, and two-thirds of The Wolverine and NO Deadpool doesn’t count. This film is a love letter to the fans of the New Mutants and recent X-Men runs, most notably X of Swords. The film is loaded with Easter eggs in the dialogue as well as in the set dressing. The most exciting of which was the inclusion of nods to the best villain (not ruined by Brian Singer) from the X-Men: The Animated Series, Mr. Sinister.
Spoilers I hear you yell.
How can I spoil a film with Marvel buried and has 0 chance of ever having a follow-up?
This film gained a bad reputation from the behind the scenes conflict both on set and off. With Marvel/Disney buying Fox’s film assets near the original release date and then shelving it for multiple years due to creative issues… aka the film was made to be R-rated and Marvel projects in the MCU aren’t allowed to be. Disney required the filmmakers to edit, reshoot, and repeat again and again, which does give the film a disjointed feel. It still has some great scares, but I wish I could have seen the original cut.
Let’s go over things about the movie I liked, but I know Disney hated.
Spoilers Ahead!
A Native American lead character. While Blu Hunt’s acting felt a little too much Disney Channel original movie for me, the fact that she was playing a non-apologetic, non-stereotype Native American character in a modern film was refreshing. My grandfather was a member of the Cherokee Nation and I grew up in the Southwest. I’m familiar with both the history and current state of Native American affairs. I’m so glad that the film didn’t preach at the audience or use her ethnicity as a weaponized soapbox. Her being Native American was important to the story, but it wasn’t a Woke-bat hitting us in the face.
A Lesbian love story. The relationship between Dani and Rahne (Maisie Williams) develops so organically that when they finally kiss, it brings a smile to your face. It’s a beautiful moment and one that Disney fails at time and time again. Romance in the MCU is basically just Disney smashing to action figures together making smooch sounds. See Age of Ultron and Captain America: Winter Soldier for evidence.
No Cameos / End Credits scene. I mentioned Easter eggs throughout the film. These things were subtle. What I was worried about was seeing Hugh Jackman or Patrick Stewart swoop in and save the team at the end. You know, how MCU films often ruin a great moment or ending. During the climatic battle of the film I was terrified that they would pull that BS, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The special effects are incredible. Especially considering that this was considered a B-tier project, the CGI is mind blowing. I do my screenings on an 82” Samsung QLED 4k HDR / DOLBY Vision TV and if the SFX is bad, it’s real obvious. In this, the art style they used for the effects is Phantasmagorical. In not going for hyperrealism they found the perfect spot for dream demons.
Demon Bear. I want one.
I mentioned Blu Hunt’s shortcomings as a lead actress felt a bit bland and forced, but I can’t praise the rest of the cast enough. The standout is the always amazing Anya Taylor Joy. She’s become a fixture in horror having starred in The Witch, Winter’s Bone, Thoroughbreds, Split, and (unfortunately) Glass. She never gives a bad performance. It helps that she gets to play the bad girl, Magik aka Illyana Rasputin. She chews apart every single scenes she’s in like a tiger in heat and for the most part plays the character exactly how she is in the comics. If you’ve read the kinda recent X-men even X of Swords, you’ll know what to expect.
Not to be outdone is Anya’s Winters Bone co-star Charlie Heaton playing Cannonball aka Sam Guthrie. Heaton is best known for Stranger Things, but he doesn’t ever get much to do in it. In this, he’s the emotional center of the film. Much like in the comics that inspired his character, he’s the one person the team everyone gets along with. His Southern Drawl is the calming voice amongst the feisty bunch. You feel his pain as he relates the tragedy that came with his power.
And then there’s Maisie Williams… What an adorable creature. I don’t know how anyone could say an ill word about this beautiful little elf. I didn’t watch Game of Thrones, because I don’t care. Don’t try to convert me. You Game of Thrones fans are as bad as Scientologists. This was my introduction to Maisie and I was extremely impressed. I love her face and hope she does more in the horror genre.
Watch this movie.
It’s a perfect film to watch for Halloween. It’s got a great haunted house vibe, some cool creatures, and a whole lot of attitude.
New Mutants is Streaming on HBO Max as of this writing. I was able to pick up a 4k blurry copy at Best Buy on their pre-Black Friday online sale for $12 bucks.
