The Nightmare Begins
Dani’s powers unintentionally unleash hell on her fellow New Mutants, turning the hospital into a haunted house of sorts. Roberto comes face to face with the animated, fiery skeleton of his ex-girlfriend, Sam takes a trip back into the mines, and Rahne is attacked and branded by an apparition of the evil priest who attacked her before the film’s events. Illyana sees herself as a child, scared and totally alone, with only her puppet to comfort her as demons creep over her.
Illyana’s nightmare seems to indicate that she was sexually assaulted as a child. The monsters wear smiley faced masks, but they were soulless, hungry demons underneath it. I assume that this tragedy is what The New Mutants director Josh Boone was suggesting, and if that is really the case, Illyana has a powerful, emotionally moving backstory. The problem is that the truth of the situation is never stated. Her backstory, her connection to Lockheed and Limbo, everything that makes her who she is, are only ever explained vaguely and briefly.
It’s entirely possible that what I read as symbolic monsters which represented her feelings about her assaulters were actually real demons, and I’m simply over-analyzing. Movies need not spell everything out for the audience, but this particular bit of story needed to be clearer for it to have the desired resonance.
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That being said, while Illyana could have used more fleshing out, she stole the show. Anya Taylor-Joy delivered easily the strongest performance in the film, had the best fight scenes and the most impressive costume design. I really wish that she was the focal point of The New Mutants as opposed to Dani Moonstar. Blu Hunt doesn’t display the same level of acting ability as her co-star, yet. Illyana captured my attention and kept me engaged in every scene, while Dani delivered countless lines that lacked passion or heart.
In the defense of Blu Hunt, there is only so much an actor can do with wooden dialogue. While The New Mutants is not the worst written X-Men film, it certainly has the weakest dialogue.
Soul Makes Up For The Shortcomings
What The New Mutants lacks in strong verbiage, it makes up for in spirit. There were at least a half dozen scenes that sent chills down my spine. Rahne’s screams as she comes face to face with her worst nightmare broke my heart. Reyes’ monologue to Dani about putting her dog down was one of the most captivating lines in the entire X-Men franchise. The look of adrenaline-filled exuberance on Magik’s face as she cut down her demons made my spirit soar, and Sam’s line in the third act about having to get better (mentally speaking) made me grin from ear to ear.
The New Mutants is far from perfect. Logical inconsistencies, an uneven script, and a painfully short runtime stopped this movie from reaching its full potential. In spite of all that, you can tell that this movie was a passion project for the cast and crew. The final entry in the Fox X-Men franchise has more heart than most of its predecessors, even if it’s a weaker film pound for pound. Does it break the timeline (which was already swiss cheese, admittedly) with its Logan reference? Does it inexplicably expect casual fans to pick up on the deeper meaning behind the “Essex Corporation”? Indubitably.
But at the same time, The New Mutants, the final chapter in the X-Men franchise tries to tell an unique, relatable and above all else, inspirational story in the Marvel Universe. I cannot help but respect that. I enjoyed the film despite its shortcomings, and I truly believe that fans of the franchise will as well.
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