Marvel fans have been waiting for so long and have watched the movie get delayed multiple times, but believe it or not, The New Mutants is finally about to premiere. The hype is pretty high, then, but there’s also the worry that it’s going to be another Dark Phoenix and prove to be not worth the wait. The first reaction to the X-Men spinoff has now been revealed, however, and it gives the film a positive, if not glowing, review.
Insider Mikey Sutton has shared the reaction of a source who’s already seen the movie and labels it a “claustrophobic, icy teen drama” with echoes of “trippy horror fare” from the 1980s such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Shining. Unfortunately, the film’s “central flaw” is said to be that it doesn’t “push the envelope” enough when it comes to the horror content.
It’s apparently much better than X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix, though, with the cast all said to be terrific – particularly, Anya Taylor-Joy as Magik. Sutton’s source hopes to see them show up again in the MCU, too, as has been talked about before. To be clear, though, there are said to be no actual MCU nods or connections in the film. That’s only to be expected, however, as it was shot long before the Disney/Fox merger.
On the whole, the source awards The New Mutants a B+ grade and mentions how there’s a “genuine love” of its characters and for its comic book roots on show. And while it isn’t an outright scarefest, like a lot of fans were hoping for after that initial trailer came out in 2017, it was never going to be what with its PG-13 rating. Besides, it sounds like there’s much else to enjoy besides its horror moments.
At long last, The New Mutants hits theaters on August 28th. Will it be worth the wait, though? We’ll find out soon enough.