THE NEW MUTANTS

After multiple delays, rumors, and a buyout from Disney, Fox's last lap in the X-Men/Marvel swimming pool is just what you expected it to be: mediocre. The film slowly builds as we're introduced to Danille Moonstar, played by Blu Hunt. After a tragedy, she wakes up in a hospital, unaware of where she is or why she's there. She's met by Dr. Reyes (Alice Braga) who fills her in on the details. She's soon introduced to the rest of the group, who are all given there travel size backstories. The women are out front for most of this film, while the boys play second fiddle. The star of the show is easily Anya Taylor-Joy, as the bullying and headstrong Illyana Rasputin (aka Magik). She swallows up every scene that she is in with a spectrum of emotions from strong, to frightened, with not much else in between. Never a good sign, the film was plagued by problems and it showed onscreen. While the performances were there and the actors tried to make it work, the script (or lack thereof), held them back unfortunately. Now that Disney/Marvel finally have the characters back in their possession, they'll make the X-Men movie fans have been clamoring for for years. 5/10