31 Day of Horror 2020 Day 28 The New Mutants

 

TITLE-The New Mutants

SOURCE-Theatrical screening

I wondered if I should include this in this years 31 Days of Horror. But looking around seems the studio marketed it as a horror film. And it has major horror elements. So I'm including it.

The back history of this film is long. Filmed back in summer/fall of 2017,with a planned April 2018 release. Then reshoots were suppose to happen,they didn't. And Fox got bought up by Disney. New Mutants missed that April 2018 release date. Got rescheduled and missed that date. Finally back at the end of August this year it got a release.I kept thinking "Ok this will get dropped on say Disney+ or Hulu. The film has too much bad press for them to release it in a theater." Seems it was in the original contract that the film had to get a theatrical release. So it was released at a time when most theaters were shut down. But as of this week it is still playing a few near by theaters.Now I didn't expect the theater to be packed when we went. But we were the only people in the theater. Only other time that has happened to me is when I went to see Wired during it's short theatrical run.

Ok so the film.. it appears to be set after all the X-men films but 10 to 20 years before Logan. The film starts off with something attacked when Danni Moonstar lives. Her father rushes her out to the woods and she hides in an old tree. When she wakes up she is at a hospital. One where 4 other teen mutants are living. Each of them of course has powers. And they can't leave the hospital grounds.

At first you think the doctor treating them is on their side. But you quickly learn that she is using them for some evil corp,which I think is ran by the never seen in the films Mr Sinister. 

Seems the demon bear that attacked Danni's homeplace in the start of the film is created by her mind. Her mutant powers are at Omega levels. And after the five team up to defeat the evil doctor they gotta defeat the demon bear.

Yea I know some of yall are asking "So who are the other mutants?"Well you got Roberto aka Sunspot. He can store up solar energy and use that to increase his strength.  Sam aka Cannonball,who can fly but hasn't figured out how to land yet. Rahne AKA Wolfsbane,she can turn into a wolf and a werewolf like creature. And finally Illyana aka Magik,who can open portals to limbo. And can summon a magical sword and armor.

The people they cast as the teen mutants aren't bad. 

Maisie Williams is really good as Rahne. 

And Anya Taylor Joy does a good job as Illyana,even if her Russian accent seems to come and go. I have never seen the other three in anything else. While the actors playing Roberto and Sam are decent ,Blu Hunt is great as Danni Moonstar.

Now there is a major drawback to this film. The reshoots never happened. I am betting what they wanted to shoot was more stuff explaining little things. Little things that unless you read say the first 4 years of the New Mutants vol 1 comic ...well this film will be a bit confusing. Like how Illyana's powers are never really that well explained. In the comic you learn that she was captured at a young age and grew up in Limbo. And the sword and armor she can summon are the Soulsword and use to belong to the demon Belasco. And wow did they not explain Danni's powers that well. She can take someone's greatest fear and make it come to life. Which is where most of the scares come from in this film. 

So yea if you aren't someone that read a bunch of the New Mutants comic I'm betting this film will be very confusing. For those that have it is a nice film version of the classic Demon Bear storyline.

The New Mutants gets a B-.