‘The New Mutants’ film review

How’re You Livin’,

Movies are a wonderful piece of art that we can all enjoy. Whether the genre is action or comedy, romance or tragedy there are many movies that you can find that will suit your taste. I myself am a sucker for a good movie packed with action, thrills and a little bit of chills. If you love action thrillers, then The New Mutants is for you. There may be only one thing that I love more than a good action movie, and that is a Marvel movie. The New Mutants delivers both to their audience all in one package. This new movie delivers action, mystery and chills in a cinematic universe that is all too familiar. For all you Marvel movie fans out there, The New Mutants is a must watch.

This film is an important one to watch for several reasons. First, this new movie will be the continuation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the “mutants” will star in roles as heroes and villains and central characters to the upcoming plot. After the end of Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe reached a definitive end for the Avengers story line. With the end of this tale and a change of licensing, Marvel is now able to focus on the other side of its universe, the mutants and the X-Men. The New Mutants holds vital importance within the new focus of the Marvel movies. This movie allows the Marvel Cinematic Universe to reset/restart the mutant continuum by establishing a new central lore and history. In doing so, the film is able to introduce new characters, recurring themes, and information that can be utilized in future films. The movie is vital in that it establishes the new focus of the Marvel Cinematic Universe allowing it to progress towards new stories.

Danielle Moonstar within one of the horror-filled scenes of the film

The movie itself has a wonderful, yet small, cast. Danielle Moonstar, Dani for short, is a new mutant with an unknown mutation which she is attempting to discover and control. Rahne Sinclaire (Wolfsbane), played by Maisie Williams, is a quiet and kind-hearted soul that shows Dani kindness and patience in this cold and strange environment. Illyana Rasputin (Magik), played by Anya Taylor-Joy, is a hard-spoken and stubborn mutant who hides trauma in sadness behind her cruel and cold demeanor. A familiar face if you ever watched the cult classic Stranger Things, Charlie Heaton plays Sam Guthrie (Cannonball), a quiet, dependable young man covered in injuries. Roberto da Costa (Sunspot), played by Henry Zaga, is a young, wealthy playboy that would much rather kick back and relax and than charge headfirst into danger. The final player within this movie is Dr. Cecilia Reyes, played by Alice Braga, the guiding figure of the young mutants who acts on vague and mysterious motives.

The stars of The New Mutants, from left to right: Danielle Moonstar, Sam Guthrie, Rahne Sinclaire, Illyana Rasputin and Roberto da Costa

The movie focused on a small cast of actors and actresses all of which have certain powers and abilities revealed throughout the movie. The movie itself starts with our protagonist Danielle Moonstar, played by Blu Hunt, as she wakes in a terrible and mysterious storm of which the cause is unknown. Due to the trauma, she loses consciousness. After the storm subsides, she awakes in a mysterious facility under the guidance of Doctor Cecilia Reyes. It is then revealed that this facility is one made to train new mutants to control their powers so that they can help serve the world as denizens of justice. As it would be suspected, Dani is a new mutant herself. However, she herself does not know the nature of her mutation. This new Marvel movie is filled with twists and turns, mystery and action. With more mutants present at the facility, Dani is tested and meets new and wonderful people in order to grow as a budding hero. They all must work together in order to unravel the mysteries surrounding them. As the plot progresses all these secrets are revealed and the characters discover the true nature of their environment.

The protagonist of The New Mutants, Danielle Moonstar

The New Mutant Movie was not a bad movie but it certainly was not the best. This movie is definitely at the middle of the pack. The movie was certainly one filled with action and mystery. However, I believe that the presentation of it was not done to the greatest degree that it could have been. The movie is classified as horror/fantasy. Despite this, I believe the genre is misplaced and not executed as well as it could have been. Marvel is certainly known for their action but this “horror” film of theirs simply did not make the cut. I certainly love the effort and energy put into the film but it moved slowly at the start and seemed rushed towards the end of the film.

The cast of The New Mutants standing together

Despite this, The New Mutants was an enjoyable movie to watch. It showcased new characters that are immediately loved. It helped establish a new cinematic continuum. It helped create and reset the Marvel timeline in relation to the mutants and the previous X-Men movies. They did this all while creating a film filled with mystery, thrills and action. Due to this, I enjoyed the movie as well as it’s importance for setting the precedence for Marvel movies to come. This Marvel movie is certainly one to watch and one I do recommend for its importance in the Marvel continuum. If you enjoy action, sprinkled with thrills, mystery and a dash of horror then The New Mutants is just the movie to watch!

Rating: 6/10