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From left to right: Maisie Williams, Henry Zaga, Blu Hunt, Charlie Heaton and Anya Taylor-Joy in “The New Mutants”
We have always enjoyed the life and death feats of superheroes to defeat any form of evil. But we must admit that we couldn’t help but laugh the first time we read about the power that, uh, “propelled” Cannonball, aka Sam Guthrie, to superhero stardom.
No, this is not a joke – Sam can generate thermochemical energy to launch himself, launch himself, or launch himself into the air, for whatever crime fighting reason he sees fit.
And it’s even more fun to watch actor Charlie Heaton (“Stranger Things”), who plays the awkward cannonball in director Josh Boone’s big screen adaptation of “The New Mutants,” trying to control the “unique” ability. of her character, with the help of ambiguous mentor Dra. Cecilia Reyes (Alice Braga).
Charlie’s classmates at this mysterious “hospital” for young mutants with underdeveloped superpowers are just as likeable: the snooty Magik, aka Illyana Rasputin (Anya Taylor-Joy), who happens to be the sister of the X-Men member, Colossus, is a talented but undisciplined mystic with teleportation abilities.
Maisie Williams as Rahne Sinclair aka Wolfsbane
Sunspot aka the handsome Roberto da Costa (Henry Zaga) provides “tragicomic” relief when we see him get hit with the solar energy inside of him whenever he gets “too excited” during romantic dates.
For her part, Wolfsbane, also known as Rahne Sinclair (Maisie Williams), struggles to reconcile her wolf skills with her religious beliefs and sexual orientation.
Then there’s Mirage, also known as Dani Moonstar (Blu Hunt), the terrified Native American teenager who wreaks havoc on the people around her whenever she is haunted by ghostly and gruesome visions she can’t control.
It’s Dani’s ability to create illusions based on other people’s darkest fears, deepest secrets, and desires that allow the production to transform from the slam-bang action-adventure genre to horror. But something is notably wrong as soon as it is made clear that there are points in the narrative tactic of “The New Mutants” that do not connect or coalesce at all.
Henry Zaga is Sunspot
Perhaps it would have been easier to appreciate the light-hearted moments involving its charming leads had the film not been overshadowed by the uproar resulting from its filming and post-production problems.
It also doesn’t help that fans of the series are criticizing Boone for his dull excuses for the film’s supposedly “whitewashed” casting choices, especially in regards to Alice Braga and Henry Zaga.
The movie starts to run, that’s for sure, but it loses a clear sense of direction midway. However, unlike last year’s “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” (which has a 22 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes), whose absurd craziness we almost got out, we found something about “The New Mutants” (33 percent cent on Rotten Tomatoes, so far) that kept us engaged.
Aside from its LGBTQ element, performed convincingly, “The New Mutants” playful mix of idiosyncratic actors conveys the team’s fears, joys and sense of wonder with poise and compelling pathos. (This probably explains why Boone’s filming of “X-Men” topped the US box office this week, followed by the suspense thriller “Unhinged,” starring a very angry Russell Crowe.)
Alice Braga plays Dr. Cecilia Reyes
That said, the irony that the two “Game of Thrones” alumni Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner (as Jean Gray went berserk in “Dark Phoenix”) were not considered “substantial” enough to protect their respective X franchises of terrible reviews. it does not escape us. But we digress.
Boone’s decision to delve into the backstories of his underdeveloped superheroes is well used and drawn as a source of horror (think David Yarovesky’s “Brightburn”). But this would have worked wonders if he hadn’t allowed the story to wander long enough to turn his sizzle into a sizzle.
Just as “The New Mutants” begins to conclude its bleak and horrifying monster tale with a kind of mutiny involving the beleaguered quintet, it quickly degenerates into a superficial tale of superheroes consolidating their powers to save the day.
We can’t help but feel that, while it has visible elements about it, other better-made productions had “been there, done that” with more style, coherence and less cliché.
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