The New Mutants
2020 · Directed by Josh Boone
Original language: English
- science fiction
- horror
The story
Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.
What it’s like
Cold, sterile institutional blues and greys, with the fluorescent hum of a closed facility, and a palette that turns sickly green and red once the powers flare up. The camera stays close and restless in the corridors, drifting through confined rooms and rusted, decaying spaces, with some sudden jolts and sustained dread built on tight framing rather than wide spectacle. The score leans on ominous synth pulses and low drones that swell under the quieter moments. The vibe is claustrophobic and uneasy, a horror-tinged teen drama with a steady undercurrent of unease. It suits a late-night watch with the lights off, when the tension of being trapped can really sink in. Pacing is uneven, with slow stretches of interior anxiety broken by sharp bursts of supernatural chaos. The emotional register is brooding and wary, following five frightened young people as they bristle at their captors, distrust one another and slowly start to lean on each other. Intensity is moderate: some creature and power-driven violence, brief scares and peril, with more dread than gore, and no sexual content. It is for viewers who want a moody, claustrophobic genre film with a strong sense of teen isolation and atmosphere.
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