laura-24027 Review of The New Mutants

The New Mutants (2020)

Good coming of age drama/action - not really a horror.

[7/10 · 20 September 2020]

I enjoyed the New Mutant comics growing up, & was so looking forward to seeing the characters I loved make it to the Big Screen. When they said it would be filmed as a horror, I didn't think I'd be able to watch it, as horror movies freak me out. I needn't have worried, because while there are some creepy characters/ creatures, it did not have that horror atmosphere, & I wasn't scared at all.

PROS: -The young cast, especially Dani & Illyana. Dodgy accents aside, they all did a good job of conveying teen angst & having to cope with their powers in an unfamiliar/ possibly enemy setting.

• I thought the idea of having them in an institution, & being in the dark about who put them there, & Reyes true motives, was good & was a good foil for the manifestation of Dani's power.
• The effects were pretty good.
• Dani & Illyana's powers were pretty awesome.

CONS:

• Why was there only one Doctor/ supervisor in the whole place, considering these kids have potentially dangerous & uncontrollable powers? There's not even any tech support, with all the monitors etc...
• Rahne's character is deeply religious in the comic, & constantly conflicted about her power. It doesn't gel for me that she would embark on a lesbian relationship, or if she did, that she wouldn't be apprehensive or have guilt about it.

-The kids (in the comics, from what I remember) are supposed to be not long out of puberty, when their powers are manifesting, & they (with the exception of Rahne) all looked about 17-18. Sam, I thought, looked older than that.

• Why didn't Rahne turn full wolf in the action scenes? In fact she was hardly a wolf at all. I wanted to see more of all their powers.

Overall, flaws aside, I enjoyed the movie. If I hadn't read the comics, I'd probably have enjoyed it more. Apparently they aren't making any more movies about the New Mutants, which is a shame, because there's potential there. I'd love to see more of Illyana's backstory.