The New Mutants (2020)

 

Oh, what could have been...

See, this film was originally envisioned to be a horror flick but because the studio got cold feet extensive reshoots and reworkings tried to turn this into just a 'darker' Marvel product and because of this it of course fails on various fronts. It's a damn shame, because if you try you can see glimpses of what they were originally going for.

No use crying over spilled milk, I guess.

After something destroys her entire village, Dani Moonstar (Blu Hunt) wakes up in a hospital/asylum of sorts. She soon meets the apparently only staff member doctor Reyes (Alice Braga) who explains this is a home for mutants who still have to find out their powers. Right off the bat, you know something is off because there is no staff besides Reyes and there are only five kids there. 

Bizarre choice, but maybe the covid-pandemic is partly to blame for this choice at the time.

This group of dysfunctional teens each carry their own problems with them and things become really weird when things and people from their past seem to turn up to haunt them. Maybe Dani is at the heart of this...

Well, of course she is, no real mystery there, but still.

This film gets the characters mostly right, but that is more thanks to some decent acting. Anya Taylor-Joy is always a blast to watch and she is no exception here. Maisie Williams also does a decent turn as Rahne Sinclair, a shapeshifting girl who forms a relationship with Dani. Yes, people lost their shit over teenage lesbian girls. Yes, they need to get over it. It is done really nicely and fits with the story, so shut up about your prejudices, Steven.

But the choppy editing, lack of a comprehensive story and underwhelming scares also make this a snoozefest at times. But again: more than likely not the maker's fault as the studio didn't dare to fully commit to a horrorversion of the superhero genre. And it could have worked. 

In the end, 'The New Mutants' is a very flawed, yet not totally horrible film. It lacks punch and scares, but didn't deserve the massive amount of hate it got. As it stands, it's okay/passable, but nothing special or particularly engaging.