The Darkest Minds
2/4
Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Harris Dickinson, Skylan Brooks, Miya Cech, Mandy Moore, Gwendolyn Christie, Patrick Gibson
Rated PG-13 for Violence including Disturbing Images, and Thematic Elements
There are some things to like about the newest young adult book series that hopes to follow "The Hunger Games" formula for box office success. There are some nice performances, and the romantic chemistry between the two leads is nicely developed. And while the "big twist" is easy to see coming a half hour before it actually happens, the villain doesn't disappoint and the final fight is well-staged. However, there are some things about this movie that are difficult to overlook. These include a premise that's difficult to take seriously, a plot that requires characters and the audience to undergo temporary frontal lobotomies, and some truly unpleasant scenes of violence and cruelty perpetrated by and to children. A mixed bag indeed.
A mysterious plague has ravaged the world. Before anyone knows what's going on, 90% of the world's children have been wiped out. Those that survive have suddenly acquired supernatural powers. "Greens" have heightened intelligence. "Blues" can use telekinesis to manipulate the world around them. "Oranges" can read minds and control them. "Reds" can breathe fire. For whatever reason, these survivors are feared by the government to the point where the weaker ones area forced into slave labor camps while the more dangerous ones ("Oranges" and "Reds" specifically) are shot on sight. Ruby (Stenberg) is an orange, although she manipulates the doctor testing her to say that she is green. But when she is discovered, she is rescued by a kind doctor named Kate (Moore), whose plans aren't as sunny as they seem to be. Eventually, she meets up with a group of ragtag survivors, a green named "Chubs" (Brooks), a yellow named Zu (Cech) and a blue named Liam (Dickinson). They're on a journey to find the safe haven for the gifted survivors so they can live their lives in peace.
The biggest weakness of this film is undoubtedly the plot. The set-up isn't established very well, the trajectory is anything but smooth, and frequently the characters have to act contrary to their nature or be inexplicably dumb to move it forward. For example. Given this situation, why would the government fear these kids? Fearing someone who can change the mind of someone else is a stretch, but someone who is super smart? That's like fearing Albert Einstein. If anything, the government would want to profit from these kids in some way to ensure superiority. Certainly not kill them. And the villain's motives, when revealed, make zero sense. Partly because they're poorly explained and partly because they're just plain dumb.
It helps that, for the most part, the performances are solid. Amandla Stenberg has a natural presence that makes it easy to get behind her. The only times her performance falters is when the script lets her down, which happens on a few occasions. Equaling her is Harrison Dickinson, who makes an appealing hunk. And unlike Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, he has acting chops to back it up. The two have a nice understated chemistry together, and it doesn't take long for the spark between them to catch fire. If nothing else, the film gets this right. The supporting cast is good as well. Patrick Gibson nails the part of the romantic rival, and I have to mention that his final scene is fantastic. Mandy Moore has shown herself to be a much better actress than a pop star, but she doesn't have many scenes. And Miya Cech manages to be adorable for a character who never talks. The only one who doesn't work is Skylan Brooks. As the obligatory comic relief, he has only one funny line. The rest of the time, he's just annoying.
For all the good the film has, the film is at times quite unpleasant. There are scenes of violence that are pretty intense for this sci-fi adventure story. Kids are given away by their parents to become slave labor at the start of the movie, and it gets worse from there. They're tortured, gunned down, set on fire, experience sexual harassment, and one girl is almost raped. I get that some of this stuff is necessary to set the stage and provide action, but does it have to be this cynical and graphic? Are today's kids not traumatized by this stuff? I mean, sure, movies like the Indiana Jones movies had lots of action, but at least it had a sense of fun and adventure. I guess that the idea is to grab people by being "edgy" and "dark," but having kids kill each other or become the victims of a sexual assault isn't something that kids should be seeing. That the attempted rape is only used to shock and manipulate only makes it more despicable.
So no. I cannot recommend this movie. But it has its good parts. The ending is particularly strong, and made me hope for a sequel (considering that the film is DOA, I doubt that one will be forthcoming). Maybe it's better that there won't be one, so I can use my imagination and wonder where it will go.
Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Harris Dickinson, Skylan Brooks, Miya Cech, Mandy Moore, Gwendolyn Christie, Patrick Gibson
Rated PG-13 for Violence including Disturbing Images, and Thematic Elements
There are some things to like about the newest young adult book series that hopes to follow "The Hunger Games" formula for box office success. There are some nice performances, and the romantic chemistry between the two leads is nicely developed. And while the "big twist" is easy to see coming a half hour before it actually happens, the villain doesn't disappoint and the final fight is well-staged. However, there are some things about this movie that are difficult to overlook. These include a premise that's difficult to take seriously, a plot that requires characters and the audience to undergo temporary frontal lobotomies, and some truly unpleasant scenes of violence and cruelty perpetrated by and to children. A mixed bag indeed.
A mysterious plague has ravaged the world. Before anyone knows what's going on, 90% of the world's children have been wiped out. Those that survive have suddenly acquired supernatural powers. "Greens" have heightened intelligence. "Blues" can use telekinesis to manipulate the world around them. "Oranges" can read minds and control them. "Reds" can breathe fire. For whatever reason, these survivors are feared by the government to the point where the weaker ones area forced into slave labor camps while the more dangerous ones ("Oranges" and "Reds" specifically) are shot on sight. Ruby (Stenberg) is an orange, although she manipulates the doctor testing her to say that she is green. But when she is discovered, she is rescued by a kind doctor named Kate (Moore), whose plans aren't as sunny as they seem to be. Eventually, she meets up with a group of ragtag survivors, a green named "Chubs" (Brooks), a yellow named Zu (Cech) and a blue named Liam (Dickinson). They're on a journey to find the safe haven for the gifted survivors so they can live their lives in peace.
The biggest weakness of this film is undoubtedly the plot. The set-up isn't established very well, the trajectory is anything but smooth, and frequently the characters have to act contrary to their nature or be inexplicably dumb to move it forward. For example. Given this situation, why would the government fear these kids? Fearing someone who can change the mind of someone else is a stretch, but someone who is super smart? That's like fearing Albert Einstein. If anything, the government would want to profit from these kids in some way to ensure superiority. Certainly not kill them. And the villain's motives, when revealed, make zero sense. Partly because they're poorly explained and partly because they're just plain dumb.
It helps that, for the most part, the performances are solid. Amandla Stenberg has a natural presence that makes it easy to get behind her. The only times her performance falters is when the script lets her down, which happens on a few occasions. Equaling her is Harrison Dickinson, who makes an appealing hunk. And unlike Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, he has acting chops to back it up. The two have a nice understated chemistry together, and it doesn't take long for the spark between them to catch fire. If nothing else, the film gets this right. The supporting cast is good as well. Patrick Gibson nails the part of the romantic rival, and I have to mention that his final scene is fantastic. Mandy Moore has shown herself to be a much better actress than a pop star, but she doesn't have many scenes. And Miya Cech manages to be adorable for a character who never talks. The only one who doesn't work is Skylan Brooks. As the obligatory comic relief, he has only one funny line. The rest of the time, he's just annoying.
For all the good the film has, the film is at times quite unpleasant. There are scenes of violence that are pretty intense for this sci-fi adventure story. Kids are given away by their parents to become slave labor at the start of the movie, and it gets worse from there. They're tortured, gunned down, set on fire, experience sexual harassment, and one girl is almost raped. I get that some of this stuff is necessary to set the stage and provide action, but does it have to be this cynical and graphic? Are today's kids not traumatized by this stuff? I mean, sure, movies like the Indiana Jones movies had lots of action, but at least it had a sense of fun and adventure. I guess that the idea is to grab people by being "edgy" and "dark," but having kids kill each other or become the victims of a sexual assault isn't something that kids should be seeing. That the attempted rape is only used to shock and manipulate only makes it more despicable.
So no. I cannot recommend this movie. But it has its good parts. The ending is particularly strong, and made me hope for a sequel (considering that the film is DOA, I doubt that one will be forthcoming). Maybe it's better that there won't be one, so I can use my imagination and wonder where it will go.
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