With three years in production, the film ‘The New Mutants’ finally sees the light of day. From reshoots to the sale of 20th Century Fox to Disney and several postponed release dates, including one due to the coronavirus pandemic, the film has not had an easy run.
Adapted from the book of the same name by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod, ‘The New Mutants’ was originally intended to be a spin-off of the X-Men franchise but is now serving as its final installment.
Written by Josh Boone and Knate Lee, the film mixes horror with teen drama in its depiction of troubled young people trying to come to terms with their superpowers. Seeing ‘The New Mutants’, one might remember shows like ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Stranger Things’.
The film begins with a Cheyenne Native American Dani Moonstar’s (Blu Hunt) father hiding her in a tree as her family is hit by a tornado. Next, we see her waking up in a remote psychiatric institution with her hands cuffed to the bed. Scared and confused, she cannot remember how she got there but she has glimpses of her entire family being wiped out in a deadly storm. Dr Cecilia Reyes (Alice Braga), who runs the facility and keeps its patients confined via the glowing orange force fields she generates, explains to Dani that being the only survivor of the disaster she has untapped mutant powers which she will be able to safely cultivate in this secure facility.
Dani’s latest addition to the mutants is trying to get a handle on their abilities. But unlike others who know what powers they possess, Dani still has to figure out what’s her superpower. For instance, Roberto can manipulate solar energy, Sam can fly at jet speed, Illyana has inter-dimensional sorcery powers which can manifest itself as horrific beings called the ‘Smiling Men’ and Rahne’s lycanthropy allows her to turn into a wolf. The only common thing between them is that all of them are haunted by the demons of their past. The four mutants believe that Dani’s entrance into the facility evokes some kind of evil as strange events are happening with each mutant experiencing their greatest fear come to life.
Though everything goes smoothly in the hospital, Dani is restless. She finds Dr Reyes’s theory of cultivating their powers a little odd and later suspects her when there appears to be no other staff member. Soon she finds that Dr Reyes is also a powerful mutant who can manipulate plasma-energy force fields preventing them from leaving the facility.
Despite their supernatural powers, it is shocking to see that they don’t question their existence at the facility for once. They only remember Dr Reyes mentioning Professor X’s mutant academy. They believe that once they master their powers, they will be selected for Professor X’s School for Gifted Youngsters.
When Dani figures out what is wrong with the hospital they are kept in, she tries to convey this to the others and find a way out but the mutants don’t trust her. Soon they begin to come to terms with the idea that their powers have origins they are being encouraged to suppress, not examine, and everything they are experiencing is a result of a psychic wound and they must ask Dr Reyes whether they are the good guys or bad.
Based on a comic book storyline that started in the 1980s, the film isn’t content to follow in the franchise’s footsteps. Director Josh Boone’s complicated storyline barely goes beyond surface-deep on a thematic level, making it hard to believe that the production took three long years to present that. Though cinematographer Peter Deming does a good job with Tom Hardy’s ‘Capone’, he fails in the horror/fantasy genre.
The only good thing Boon did is choosing an ensemble cast as each character adds layers of panache and emotion to the plot, making it bearable to watch the 90-minute film. Illyana as Taylor-Joy, famous for her role in ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, perfectly essays the mean girl attitude while passing racist comments on Dani. Charlie as Sam skilfully conceals a family tragedy he is trying to forget through his goofiness. Henry as Roberto plays the part without much self-mocking humour. Dani, high on her cultural heritage, shines as a one-dimensional YA cipher. Williams comes across best as Rahne depicting the terrors she endures from those who persecute her because of her powers.
Despite a game cast, ‘The New Mutants’ horror elements are not scary and as a superhero film, it fails to truly excite. While some have termed it as a disaster, what emerges instead is merely a film so meagre that it barely leaves an impression. A disappointing finale to the X-Men franchise. 
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