The New Mutants wants to be a horror movie about mutants trapped in a secret facility. Instead it plays like a slow, talky character drama with a monster hiding off-screen. Josh Boone directs and co-writes with Knate Gwaltney, and the film arrives late, after years of delays and reshoots canceled. It is the thirteenth and final installment in the X-Men film series.
Trailer, via 20th Century Studios.
The Five Teenagers
The five young mutants each have a tragic backstory tied to their powers:
| Character | Power | Tragedy |
|---|---|---|
| Dani Moonstar | Illusions, possibly precognition | Survived a tornado that killed her entire reservation |
| Samuel Guthrie | Jet propulsion, temporary invulnerability | Collapsed a coal mine, killing his father and coworkers |
| Roberto da Costa | Solar energy | Burned his girlfriend to death while swimming |
| Rahne Sinclair | Wolf transformation | Killed the priest who called her a witch, escaped her devout village |
| Illyana Rasputin | Sorcery, Soulsword | Abused as a child, left her family |
Alice Braga plays Dr. Reyes, a strict mentor who runs the facility and can generate protective fields. She brings the five together after each of them has either caused or experienced a tragedy.
The Love Story at the Center
Rahne and Dani have a romantic bond that Boone calls “the spine and focus” of the film’s character-driven material. Boone identifies with the character’s strict religious upbringing, which helped persuade Maisie Williams to join the project.
What Goes Wrong
The film drags badly in its middle stretch. Characters spend long stretches talking about their pasts instead of fighting to escape. The facility’s horrors are hinted at but rarely shown in full. When the film finally leans into its horror setup, the payoff feels thin after so much buildup.
The Cast Holds It Together
Maisie Williams and Anya Taylor-Joy both bring strong performances to their roles. Blu Hunt as Dani and Charlie Heaton as Sam ground the film in its central conflict. The supporting cast, including Adam Beach as Dani’s father and Happy Anderson as the village priest, fill out the world without stealing focus from the young leads.
Why It Missed Its Mark
The New Mutants was meant to arrive in April 2018. Delays pushed the release to August 2020. By then the film had lost momentum, and its mixed reviews followed it to theaters. It earned $49.2 million worldwide against a production budget of $67–80 million.
The Verdict
The New Mutants is a failure of ambition. It has a strong cast, a promising premise, and a talented director. None of that adds up to a satisfying movie. Boone’s decision to treat the horror elements as background music to a character drama leaves the film without a clear identity.
Key Facts
- Director: Josh Boone
- Writers: Josh Boone, Knate Gwaltney
- Runtime: 94 minutes
- Release date: August 28, 2020
- Box office: $49.2 million
- Budget: $67–80 million
The film is now a footnote in the X-Men franchise, a cautionary tale about letting a project sit too long before it reaches audiences.
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