"New Mutants": the disappointment that has been waiting for several years

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The latest X-Men movie tries to be drama, horror, and superhero, but fails in everything.

On September 3, Josh Boone's film New Mutants was released on Russian screens. Initially, the picture was planned to be released in the spring of 2018 as part of the X-Men cinematic universe. But the release date was postponed three times, the tape was finalized, and then the failure of "Dark Phoenix" nearly ruined 20th Century Fox. Saved only by the deal with Disney.

Already before the premiere, everyone had suspicions that the "New Mutants" was in for a fiasco. In the United States, Disney Film Publications Refuse to Review ‘New Mutants’ Until Disney Offers Safe Screening Options refused to organize press screenings subject to quarantine measures. Probably to prevent journalists from trashing the film beforehand.

Alas, the fears were confirmed. The picture has been in production for too long and is simply outdated. But the main thing is that Josh Boone never managed to do something original. He tried to take a different look at the world of mutants, adding a horror atmosphere and teenage drama to traditional superheroics. But each of these components looks too predictable. Therefore, the film can only be described in one word - banal.

Bad horror movie

In the center of the plot is a representative of the indigenous population of America, Dani Moonstar (Blue Hunt). After the reservation, where her family lived, was destroyed by a mysterious monster, the girl ends up in a medical institution. Dr. Cecilia Reyes (Alice Braga) explains to Dani that they contain young mutants who have not yet learned how to control their powers.

The heroine gets to know other residents of the hospital, quickly finding a common language with the werewolf Rain Sinclair (Maisie Williams) and conflicts with Ulyana Rasputina (Anya Taylor-Joy). By the way, in the original she is Ilyana, but the localizers can only be thanked for such a replacement. In the United States, they don't stand on ceremony with Russian names.

Soon, the children are haunted by nightmares from the past, and at the same time the heroes realize that Dr. Reyes has his own plans for them.

The plot looks as traditional as possible for a horror: the death of the protagonist's parents, some kind of closed institution where monsters are hiding in the dark. In addition, the superhero component allows the authors not to go too deeply into explaining the powers of the characters: everyone already knows about mutants.

Very quickly it starts to seem that the director simply grabbed the most formulaic elements from typical horror films and added them to the picture in no particular order. There is an atmosphere of constant surveillance (the characters are watched with the help of video cameras), and terrible dreams, and scary stories in the attic.

Later, there will be night swimming in the pool, frightening masks, under which even more frightening faces, monsters jumping out of the dark, and much more that horror fans have seen dozens of times.

Referencing and even copying the classics could well have worked, because it is not for nothing that horror films are so popular so far. But "New Mutants" are trying to scare the most banal screamers, abruptly moving from slow editing to very ragged and adding loud sounds. The special effects in the picture are mediocre, and the evil looks absolutely faceless (literally, up to a certain point).

There can be no question of any suspense and eerie atmosphere. The viewer will flinch a couple of times from abrupt transitions and the unexpected appearance of a monster, but nothing more.

Run-of-the-mill teen drama

Template moves might be overlooked if they remained the background for the successful story of the heroes themselves. Ever since the days of Carrie, destructive superpowers have often become analogous to growing up and childhood trauma. However, here too, the "New Mutants" have serious problems. The authors give all ideas head-on, forcing the characters to articulate their thoughts and actions. And in the center of the plot they put the most boring face.

The story of the same Rain Sinclair looks much more interesting. Although she was forced to tell everything about herself when she first appeared. Moreover, during group therapy, the doctor directly asks patients about the "first time". Apparently for those who did not understand the direct analogy between superpowers and puberty. And Raine immediately gives out a dark story about a priest.

The rest of the characters are literally a set of stereotypes. Miner's son Sam (Charlie Heaton) with a guilt complex who uses his powers to torture himself. Spoiled and insolent Bobby da Costa (Henry Zaga) comes from a wealthy family. Ulyana, who hides problems and fears behind rudeness.

It’s not hard to guess that teenagers will have to overcome differences and unite for teamwork. Only in the "Breakfast Club" and dozens of other films, such a move was revealed much more emotionally. By the way, Boone wanted to focus specifically on the famous painting by John Hughes, but the studio made too many edits to the script.

In "New Mutants" all serious topics seem to slip through in a hurry. Thoughts of suicide, first love, childhood traumas, danger to oneself and others - they talk about everything in passing, inviting viewers to think out the story themselves. And the idea of defeating one's own fears was crumpled up and thrown into the very final, where it can simply be overlooked.

Because of this, it is very difficult to feel sympathy for any of the characters. Although very young (at the time of filming) actors really try, and it's nice to look at them. Moreover, now many of them are well known to the viewer: Charlie Heaton is starring in the popular TV series Stranger Things, and Anya Taylor-Joy plays with M. Knight Shyamalan and Edgar Wright. Maisie Williams was even smarter: she became famous thanks to the image of Arya Stark in "Game of Thrones", and her heroine was sometimes called the "wolf girl". The role of a werewolf in New Mutants seems like a clear reference to the famous project.

An unnecessary superhero movie

Most of all, the transfers damaged the comic component of the picture. Drama and horror don't change much over time. But we can say for sure: if New Mutants were released in the spring of 2018, they would be perceived as an original author's experiment in superhero cinema. Not too lucky, but deserving of life. Now this film is simply not needed.

Two years ago, the X-Men universe took on a second wind: noir noir Logan was released, everyone was waiting for the continuation of the incredibly popular Deadpool. The second season of Legion, a cheap but atmospheric series from the same world, just kicked off on the small screens.

It seemed that X-Men were moving away from banal superheroics to versatile author projects, which was so lacking in other cinematic universes. Boone's film at that time could attract a young audience who loves horror to the screens. And the director himself was thinking about a whole trilogy.

After the failure of "Dark Phoenix", the world of "X-Men" became a symbol of the unsuccessful completion of the franchise, and fans expected at least some kind of rehabilitation from the "New Mutants". Over the years, viewers have been shown many trailers, posters and backstages from the set. The film is supposed to correct the unpleasant aftertaste.

But in fact, the picture is simply outdated during production. And in all respects. And first of all, it is not even a simple video sequence that upsets - no one can be impressed with such special effects. For 2018, the idea of a team of rogue superheroes learning to work together could be considered original. But now there is "Doom Patrol" and "Umbrella Academy", revealing such stories much more interesting.

With the most cinematic universe "X-Men", the film is associated with only a couple of hints. Therefore, one of the final twists seems simply superfluous: the authors mention heroes that no one has seen. And if "Logan", "Deadpool" and "Legion" such detachment only helped, giving freedom, then the "New Mutants" it deprives an important basis that can make the plot more complete.

Taking into account the difficult fate of the film and the sincere love of the creators and actors for it, I would like to treat “New Mutants” with condescension. But the picture came out at the worst possible time, in the newly opened cinemas, together with Christopher Nolan's "Argument". Two years ago, her failure might have simply been overlooked. And if the film was released, for example, on Amazon Prime, then it would be less picky.

But the "New Mutants" simply have nothing to hide their problems and shortcomings behind. The randomness of the plot, where genres interfere with each other, and too abrupt transitions kill all the viewing pleasure.

Rare films that endure and shoot for many years turn out to be masterpieces, or at least good. Of course there is Mad Max: Fury Road and The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. But in order to maintain the tone and not give up under pressure from producers and studios, you need to be Terry Gilliam or at least George Miller. Josh Boone is not that kind of creator. Alas, it remains only once again, already finally, to say goodbye to the X-Men franchise, which ended in the most pale and inglorious way.