New Mutants (4 Stars)

Finally! This film should have been released in April 2018, two and a half years ago. It was pitched as the first Marvel horror film. Then it disappeared. Maybe if I'd read the reports on the Marvel fan sites I would have known what was going on, but I deliberately avoid those sites, because they're full of spoilers. What happened is that the film was poorly received by test audiences, so extensive reshooting was necessary. Then Disney bought Fox Studios in 2019, which led to other problems of a political nature. Disney is determined to keep all the films in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) at a PG-13 rating, but "New Mutants" looked like it was heading for an R, so it had to be toned down.

The film is about five young teenagers being held in a hospital against their will by a sinister woman called Dr. Reyes. There are no other members of staff. The teenagers each have potentially dangerous mutant powers. Dr. Reyes says she wants to teach the children to harness their powers and lead useful lives, but as we guess early in the film, she isn't telling the truth.

Four of the five children appeared as members of the original New Mutants group that was first shown in Marvel Graphic Novel #4. From left to right:

Rahne Sinclair (Wolfsbane) can change into a wolf.

Bobby Da Costa (Sunspot) can turn his body into flames.

Dani Moonstar (Psyche) can bring a person's biggest fears to life.

Sam Guthrie (Cannonball) can propel himself through the air.

The fifth teenager, Ilyana Rasputin (Magik), joined the team two years later. Her powers in the film are teleportation, a metallic right arm and the ability to summon a magic dragon.

Only their civilian names are used in the film. This all takes place before they put on colourful costumes and go into the world fighting evil. Supposedly, "New Mutants" should have been the first film in a trilogy, but after the two year delay it looks unlikely that the other two films will be made.

I was a bit confused by Dr. Reyes. In the comics she was a hero, as far as I could remember, but in the film she's definitely a villain.

The film has received bad reviews, but I greatly enjoyed it and look forward to seeing it again. I like the way the film has the jump scares of horror films, even if this isn't something present in the comics.