The New Mutants (2020) Movie Review

    After the success of both “Deadpool” and “Logan”, it was clear that the “X-Men” franchise didn’t need to be confined to the basic superhero genera, and can mingle with other genera styles. When adapting the X-Men’s “New Mutant” characters, it was decided to dabble into the horror genera, which is an ambitious idea to say the least. While I’ve read very little of the New Mutant comics, I’m at least generally familiar with them. It certainly helped that I grew-up watching the “X-Men: Evolution” animated series, which featured most of the principle New Mutant characters. I then remembered a distinctly creepy episode from season four titled “Ghost of a Chance”, which featured a young girl named Danielle Moonstar, who in the face of danger brought everyone’s fears to life. As such, she was nicknamed Mirage, and her story seemed like a good one for a horror themed comic-book film. Naturally, she takes center stage in the 2020 movie simply titled “The New Mutants”, but dose her film effectively merge with the horror genera the same way “Deadpool” crossed itself with comedy … um … almost. Let’s take a look at what works and what doesn’t … in what is apparently going to be the last entry in the live-action “X-Men” franchise.  

    Our story begins with the young Danielle Moonstar, also known as Mirage, who awakens one day to find herself trapped in a mysterious mutant facility with four other young teens, and one single shady doctor watching over them. As if the situation wasn’t uncomfortable enough, Mirage learns that her home town and family were killed in a freak weather disaster, which only she survived. With no chance of escaping, she decides to learn of her new abilities, while also getting to know her fellow classmates … or captors as she soon realizes. 

Further mysteries and secrets are revealed, friendships are formed, enemies lurk in the shadows, and frightening entities begin manifesting throughout the complex … with the newest member Mirage being at the center of all the problems. I’m sure I’m not the first one to make these comparisons but … it’s very much like “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” … meets “The Breakfast Club” … meets Steven King’s “IT” … and eventually meets “X-Men”. The film is certainly committed to being a different experience from any other “X-Men” movie, as it’s confined in a single location, doesn’t have any returning characters, in fact there’s only a passing mention to the original team themselves, and there’s not even much action until the very end. Despite all that, this movie still feels like it fits right-in with the X-Men universe, and it’s nice to have an entry with a completely different personality.

    It’s also refreshing to have an “X-Men” movie with characters that haven’t been featured in any of the previous films. The one exception is the fire powered teen called Sunspot, who had a minor role in the 2014 movie “X-Men Days of Future Past”, and now has a bigger role this time around. On that note, the absolute best thing this movie has going for it is an ensemble of terrific character performances. Most of the cast is recognizable from hit TV shows like “Stranger Things”, “Queens Gambit”, and obviously “Game of Thrones” … because every current X-Men movie needs a cast member from that show. This time it comes in the form of Maisie Williams, who plays the shapeshifting mutant called Wolfsbane ... who is absolutely my favorite character in the whole film. Despite playing one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite TV shows, Maisie Williams in this film wins me over with a personality and performance that’s completely different from her Arya Stark portrayal. The character is also incredibly lovable, and provides a warm presence in an otherwise cold and bleak setting. Charlie Heaton is likewise a welcome presence in the role of the mutant Cannonball, who can launch himself at great speed. New comer Blu Hunt putts her all into the leading role of Mirage, and delivers a passable performance in the face of all the other recognizable talents.

   However, I think the best performance overall goes to Anya Taylor-Joy in the role of the angsty teen mutant called Magik. This character comes off like an antagonist at first, making things miserable for Mirage and her fellow captives, but over time, she becomes more then just a one-note bully. On top of that, it’s Anya Taylor-Joy’s performances that gives the character more layers then even the script provides. She also has the coolest powers, generating her own suit of armor, a magic sword, and can even jump through portals. Rounding up the cast is Alice Braga as the figurative Nurse Ratched of the picture called Dr. Reyes. In the comics, Reyes was a minor member of the X-Men who preferred nursing over physical combat, so it’s interesting to make her the main antagonist of this movie. She has the power to create shields, which keeps everyone trapped, and Alice Braga makes the most out of her performance. However, it’s still weird that of all the high-profile villains in this series, it's this nurse who'll mark the very last one.    

    As stated above, the character Mirage dose lend herself to a good horror themed story, but it’s unfortunate that there’s little surprises to all the spooky mayhem and creature appearances. Even my previously mentioned “X-Men: Evolution” episode “Ghost of a Chance” added extra layers and disturbing twists to the character, and made her story effectively haunting as a result. This film by contrast plays the long-game in discovering that her illusion powers are the cause of all the creepy creatures, and there’s not much else beyond that. The haunted apparitions themselves are unintentionally hilarious at times, and I never once found myself spooked by any of these designs. Although, I am still a sucker for the haunted house formula, and will always enjoy these conventions on some level. What is effectively creepy is the mystery surrounding this hidden mutant school, and how there’s a faceless overlord giving commands to the school’s shady doctor ... who may just command her to kill a student on the spot. Eventually, it’s revealed to be the same evil organization from the 2017 movie “Logan”, right-down to showing stock footage of the film during a montage.    

    As the spooky visions get out of control, the shady doctor Reyes decides to kill Mirage, and put an end to this nightmare. This is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and our young heroes band together to revolt against their captor. Victory is short lived, as their activities draw the attention of a mysterious outside entity simply referred to as “The Demon Bear”, who’s the same entity that destroyed Mirages home in the opening. What follows is an exciting battle that mixes superhero spectacles, with haunted house conventions. 

While not on par with what most other comic-book movies offer, I still found this a genuinely entertaining climax. The student named Magik then summons a tinny purple dragon named Lockheed to aid in battle, which is something I never thought I’d have the privilege of seeing in an “X-Men” movie. In the comics, the dragon Lockheed belonged to Shadowcat, but regardless, seeing that little guy in live action had my inner fan-boy squealing with excitement. Still, even with the extra fire power, the only one who can vanquish the demon is the girl who can bring fears to life … and she’s currently in a coma, fighting her own inner demons. The visuals are trippy, the action exciting, but unfortunately … even I’ll admit, there’s something underwhelming about a final threat that comes in the form of a giant CGI bear. On top of that, everything resolves in a rather anticlimactic conclusion ... in which the demon is vanquished through the power of love and caring … like a stupid Care Bears movie. With that said, it’s a passable finale to a middle of the road X-Men movie. 

   As our hero’s finally leave the complex, I genuinely want to see where their stories go, but unfortunately, there are no plans to continue with this series. The movie then wraps-up with some gorgeously designed closing credits, which feel like they should belong to a bigger movie then this. In the end, it was fun to see my favorite comic-book franchise take this interesting new direction into the horror genera, and the result was a passable, fun haunted house film … with just enough super-powered excitement to leave me satisfied. 

While the plot is very run of the mil and predictable … the committed performances from a strong cast, along with the novelty of seeing lesser characters from the X-Men comics finally on the big screen, was just enough to make this a genuinely satisfying experience. The down-side is that the whole film dose feel rather disposable, like a passable set-up for a series that will never happen. Had this been a pilot for a TV show, it would have been better … as a stand-alone movie … it’s okay, but kind of forgettable. It had its worthwhile highlights, and managed to tie-into the series, while still being a self-contained experience. I could actually see this film gaining a cult-following of its own in time. As of now, it’s a competently made, albeit generic outing, in a long-running franchise that really just needs to take a rest from the theater. At the very least, “The New Mutants” was a novelty for feeling so different from any other film in the series … and sense it’s tied into my favorite superhero franchise, I’ll at least remember it for that.

Thanks for reading my review of the 2020 comic-book film “The New Mutants” … and continue to enjoy the movies you love.