Was it worth the wait? – review of the movie “New Mutants”

The new… unfortunates?

New Mutants is a movie based on Marvel comics. It tells about a group of young people endowed with extraordinary powers. For their own safety, they are locked up in a special facility where, under the supervision of Dr. Cecila Reyes, they are to learn how to control their abilities so as not to hurt themselves and others. Each of them, however, has already had unpleasant experiences, proving that they can be dangerous to the environment. However, the heroes believe that thanks to the training, they will soon find their way to the X-Men team. When Dani Moonstar is brought into the facility, dark secrets of the facility begin to emerge. It turns out that the group is in danger.

It is impossible without comparisons

New Mutants is a comic book released in 1982 by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod. Over the years, the group has evolved and experienced new adventures. Finally, someone decided that their story should be transferred to the big screen and this is how the film was made. I wrote about the heroes a bit earlier (you can read the article here), but it was only a presentation of the prototypes. However, it is impossible not to compare the original and the latest version. And I have to say it right away – it will not be a good comparison for the production of 20th Century Fox studio. While in the cinema, I grabbed my head several times and laughed at what the writers did to our homosuperior. The source material was really good and the story itself was interesting. It is known that we will never get a perfectly reproduced notebook, but did it take so many changes? It was decided to add a tragedy to each of the heroes. And while Rahne Sinclair actually has a hard time behind him, did you really have to make Sam a martyr, although in the original he saved, and did not take his life? Did Roberto have to kill his beloved while she saved his life in the comic? By the way, the viewers do not have the opportunity to find out even about a part of the potential of the other gentleman, who, after all, wielded a force equal to that of the sun, but on the screen burned several times and hit the enemy with … a bench! The demonic bear, an extremely important fictional character, has been reduced to the role of a beast that can be pacified. While it looked really epic most of the time, the ending already cried out to heaven for vengeance. Let me just remind you that in the notebooks it was a powerful, cosmic parasite wishing to wreak havoc, not a figment of Dani’s imagination. I also don’t know why it was decided to make Cecili Reyes the main enemy of the group. She was good, she belonged to the X-Men and helped heroes like Daredevil and Spider-Man. And finally Illyana Rasputin. The character that looks best on the screen also got some strange story with the Smiling Gentlemen. Her famous brother Colossus had been forgotten, her Russian roots had not been mentioned, she had been made up of the Limbo dimension, she had not been told what the Sword of Souls she was holding was, and had been given Lockheed, a dragon belonging to Kitty Pride after all, and not to Magic! Let’s add that that it was decided to introduce Essex here as the organization running the center. Since it did not have a major impact on the plot, you could throw in a real opponent of mutants, i.e. Donald Pierce or the Hellfire Club, which he headed. But even this has not been done …

A few pluses

I was wondering whether to start with the good or bad sides of the New Mutants . Unfortunately, there are less of the former for the audience, so I will focus on them first. Although the plot of the film puts Dani Moonstar in the center of attention, Illyana “Magician” Rasputin, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, comes to the fore anyway. The first scenes with the participation of this heroine remind us of … Harley Queen from the Suicide Legion! The writers apparently said that Margot Robbie did so well in her role that it’s worth copying her character and having Anya play the same. It may sound strange, but it wasn’t the worst idea. Illyana is truly remembered by us and it is impossible not to like her. More importantly, however, the protagonist develops and actually begins to be herself, not a copy from the DC painting. He looks really cossack when he starts kicking enemies’ asses. A proper visual setting for the characters was also taken care of. Her glowing eyes, the appearance of armor on her shoulder, the dragon companion and, above all, the Sword of Souls look great and the viewer would like the story to focus primarily on her. It is a pity that its history has not been expanded further.

The second character that deserves praise is Rahne “Wolfsbane” Sinclair, played by Maisie Williams. She also stands out from the crowd due to her character. Not as spectacular as Illyana, but still draws the viewer’s attention. Both actresses and heroines are positive.

The third positive aspect of the film is the special effects. Most of them, at least. We are again inspired by what we have already seen and again this is not the worst. We are talking, of course, about the Smiling Gentlemen, who are nothing more than a combination of Slenderman and Jack Skeleton from Halloween Town . After all, they cause some anxiety and fear, which is what they were made to do. The scene where the rain falls on the protective dome around the center is also pleasing to the eye. Admittedly, we saw something similar in the second part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallowsduring the Battle of Hogwarts, but again it is a well-realized effect. And finally, news. I have already mentioned the setting around Illyana, so I will not repeat myself. I will just add that I would like to visit the Limbo zone with her for a longer time to admire the creators’ vision of this place. Well, from a distance and it looked interesting for a moment. Finally, I will mention one of the main enemies of our heroes, that is, the Demon Bear. There was really an effort to make it memorable. It is impossible to look indifferently at the scene of his fight with Illyana (yes, that Magic in the foreground again). It is a pity that it lasts so short. And you can regret even more what happened to this huge bear at the end. But that’s another story.

The last plus of the film is the music created by Marek Snow. It may not be outstanding, but it is memorable and does its job. It has been properly adjusted to what is happening on the screen. It accelerates and slows down accordingly. In moments of terror, it makes us uneasy. So it is without fireworks, but perfectly correct.

A handful of minuses

It’s time to get down to the negative things. Let me start by saying that the writers of New Mutantsthey probably did not know for whom they were creating the production. On the one hand, we have elements of horror here. Closed. a bet full of dark secrets, ghostly visions and appearing demons suggest an older recipient. At the same time, we have a group of teenagers here, making jokes and organizing parties, which in turn perfectly fits the potential expectations of the younger audience. Ultimately, the movie doesn’t go to anyone. In addition, at times everything looks as if the creators are running out of time and have to rush forward. The stories of the heroes are very incomplete and it is difficult to get attached to our mutants, and at the same time take their dramatic fates seriously. We also observe numerous jumps and so in one moment Dani wants to kill herself, but after a few seconds she does not want to anymore. Magic is afraid of monsters, so he can draw his sword and fight like a real hero. What has changed in a few minutes? This will remain the director’s secret. And then there’s this unfortunate ending to the Demon Bear story. It’s a pity that such an epic demon was made into a teddy bear at the end.

The second problem of the film is the acting. I don’t know if it’s the script, director or the lead actors themselves, but it doesn’t look good. As I mentioned, Anya Taylor-Joy is doing very well and Maisie Williams is doing at least right, but nothing like that can be said for the rest of the cast. Blu Hunt as Danielle Moonstar didn’t catch my attention. It is bland and only wanders around the center, not really knowing what is going on around it. She lacks charisma and personality, and her story, although the most extensive of the group, is not captivating. Henry Zaga as Roberto “Sunspot” da Costa was probably supposed to be a funny bully, and we got a boy who might not be in the film. Someone else would wash the dishes. Alice Braga, the film doctor Cecilia Reyes, is theoretically an antagonist. Practically, her contribution to the plot is not very large. You don’t see that she is bad and can hurt someone. It’s best at the time of… your death. And also known from the seriesStranger Things Charlie Heaton, playing Sam “Cannonball” Guthrie. After the Netflix production, I expected more from this actor. If he tried to be Jonathan Byers, maybe we’d get something interesting. Meanwhile, we have one more hero wandering in the background.

I’ve already talked about good special effects. Unfortunately, there is also the other side of the coin. The way Sunspot looks after its transformation and its “seared” girlfriend cries out to heaven for vengeance. This is very unrealistic and looks like it was made in a movie like Birdemic . The protagonist looked much better six years ago, when he had his role in the production of X-Men: The Past To Come . There was also no effort with Wolfsbane. The creators could put some effort into her transformation from human to wolf and show her in the form of a werewolf. In this way, it would still gain in our eyes. On the other hand, if it was to look like her Brazilian colleague later, it might be better that the transformation was abandoned.

After all

It goes without saying that The New Mutants movie will not only fail to be a hit, but rather will be included among Marvel’s worst productions. And no wonder: an underdeveloped script, some special effects, poor acting or unnecessary changes compared to the original. All this will not impress viewers and critics. Even Illyana’s magic cannot save the picture. Though there’s something about it at the same time that doesn’t prevent it from completely mixing with the mud. Perhaps the point is that we have waited so long for himself, for new Marvel movies, or for the opening of theaters in general. Maybe it is a joy that we have the opportunity to sit in the hall, which means that we are not completely disappointed after the screening. That’s why it’s worth seeing him and getting to know the New mutants team yourself .