The New Mutants (2020) Review

 rating: ****

the story: Young mutants in a kind of rehab center.

review: The X-Men film series began in 2000 with a girl named Rogue who was trying to get over the traumatic way she discovered her mutant abilities. In a lot of ways, it ends on the very same note. That’s as appropriate as it gets.

The problem, if it can be said to be one, with that first film was that Rogue’s journey was completely stolen by other plot elements (and a breakthrough performance by the best-known X-Men actor; you know his name). By the time she makes her last appearance in the series (X-Men: Days of the Future Past), it was apparently possible to pretty much cut the part entirely but later release a different cut of the film with it, and actually market it that way. 

Anyway, New Mutants focuses squarely on the archetype Rogue established. Most of the cast is unknown, including the actress who plays lead character Dani Moonstar, Blu Hunt, who is unlikely to garner a bigger career from the role. Alice Braga is the authority figure running the center. Among the other young actors are Game of Thrones alum Maisie Williams and Anya Taylor-Joy, who turns out to be the highlight here, just as she’s been an emerging star in general (among other roles she starred in the Unbreakable sequels, Split and Glass).

It seems any time someone’s powers are a problem in these X-Men movies, it involves perception of reality. Several attempts were made to explore Jean Grey (including the nominal final X-Men, Dark Phoenix), and X2, originally received by fans as a standout superhero movie (since lapsed), as well as the Legion TV series. Dani’s of course part of that trend. No powers in the movie are especially unique, but they’re used effectively (as is a sock puppet, which is eventually...not a sock puppet), as extensions of character rather than the whole character (which can sometimes be a problem in superhero movies).

Bottom line here is that you don’t even need to be a fan of the series, or even superhero movies in general, to enjoy the results. You can follow the story as recovery and acceptance. As part of the series it’s a fitting final statement, and finally puts all distractions to the side and lets the audience dwell on the customary mutant (and Marvel in general) concept that powers usually cause equal amounts trauma as anything else. 

I’ve enjoyed the series all along, so it’s nice to enjoy the last one, too.