The New Mutants (2020) Review

This film was meant to hit cinemas in 2017 but delay after delay has meant that this film has finally hit the cinema in 2020, when apart from Tenet there is nothing else out so I guess people might actually watch it. I have now watched it and here is my review for The New Mutants. The premise of the film sees a group of young mutants in a hospital, when they realise something is something sinister is going on. 

Main Character

Blu Hunt plays Danielle Moonstar and she is set up as the main character here. I thought she was fine, she does the best she can with the character, despite the fact that the writing isn't that great. She has good chemistry with the others in the film but there is just nothing particularly remarkable about her and the film doesn't give you a great reason to get invested in her story here. 

Supporting Characters

The main supporting characters are played by Maisie Williams and Anya Taylor-Joy and I thought they both did good jobs here, they are good actresses and they show it off here, especially Taylor-Joy who is the best character here for me. The rest of the mutants are fine too and the doctor played by Alice Braga does a fine job even if you know where the story is going with her. The issue is that there are some interesting things to do with the characters but the film doesn't take the time or effort to really explain these things and again it makes it hard for you to care because the film just gives you no reason to with it's lacklustre writing. 

Story

The idea of a group of mutants being stuck in a hospital is interesting, especially when it comes to their power sets and the way they are presented. It is at its best when it looks at how their powers affect them on an emotional level and how it led them to be in the hospital. The issue is that it doesn't give you enough time with the characters and really the characters have really similar backstories that it makes you think that they couldn't be bothered to come up with more then one backstory. Also the ending of the film is really abrupt, it's like the last action scene takes place and then the film ends, leaving you let down. 

Script

The script here has some moments, I mean especially with the horrors that the characters face. I mean Taylor-Joy's character has some really interesting moments here that you just want to know more about and don't. The intrigue is there and the film does a decent job of ramping the tension, but this film suffers from the obviously generic way the script is presented. You know how this film is going to go from the beginning to end and that makes it feel like a let down, with some pretty lacklustre dialogue. 

Style

The style of the film as mentioned above does a good job in ramping up tension and intrigue. I am not usually a horror film fan, but this film actually uses its horror elements well and makes it quite scary. It also doesn't rely on jump scares which is usually the reason I hate horror films so it deserves credit for that. But this film's first real 30 mins is dull and slow, which makes it a bit boring and a slog, which for a film that is 90 mins long that is quite a long time. Also there is a bit of a clash between the horror and superhero elements of the film and this does make for a clash of styles at time. 

Overall

Overall, this is an average film that will probably be forgotten about in the memory very quickly. This film had so much potential but fell short and isn't worth the time really. 

Rating - 5/10