The Darkest Minds
2018 · Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Original language: English
- action
- adventure
- drama
The story
After a disease kills 98% of America's children, the surviving 2% develop superpowers and are placed in internment camps. A 16-year-old girl escapes her camp and joins a group of other teens on the run from the government.
What it’s like
Bright, glossy studio photography with saturated colour and clean digital sharpness, the look of a mid-budget YA adaptation: fluorescent-lit camp corridors in cold blue-white, then warm amber and sun-faded highways once the teens are out on the road. Camera work is mostly conventional coverage with some handheld energy during chases and bursts of slow-motion when powers flare, and the landscapes are wide and empty in a way that makes the country feel hollowed out. Sound leans on a driving orchestral-electronic score that swells at every confrontation, with sparse quiet in the emotional beats. The vibe is earnest, urgent and wistful, a bit of sunburnt unease that tips into adventure. Pacing is brisk, with the story moving from captivity to flight to found family, and the emotional register stays hopeful and tender without going deep. Its people's arcs follow frightened kids learning to trust each other and to use what makes them dangerous. Violence is present and fairly sharp, with powered attacks, shootings and some child peril, but it stays PG-13 in feel: no gore, little lingering cruelty. For people who want a propulsive dystopian road trip with a warm core, friendship, and teens who fight back.
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