The film begins with a young girl and her father attempting to escape what appears to be a horrifying tornado. During the attempted escape, something terrible occurs to the young girl’s father. Shortly after the horrible storm, the young girl wakes up in a bed, and we soon learn that her name is Danielle (Blu Hunt). Danielle is the sole survivor of the tragic storm which took the lives of many people in her small community.
Danielle is told she is in a medical facility, but she soon finds out there’s more to this facility than meets the eye. The facility is, in fact, top-secret and contains four other young people. But these young teenagers, including Danielle, are quite unusual. Danielle is told she and her fellow patients are mutants. The facility they are in was created to hold mutants against their will, conduct various treatments and tests on them, and ultimately discover their powers. If the newcomers cooperate with all the testing and treatment required, they are told they might get transferred to train with the X-Men.
For those who are not aware, this is not a standard type of X-Men film. This film has been created differently and introduces more of a horror aspect instead of being a movie filled with big fights and action sequences. I enjoyed how this film introduced new leading characters who were all fresh and unique to the world of X-Men.
The opening of this film grabbed my attention fairly quickly. Not only do we witness a tragic event occurring to Danielle, but we’re also introduced to many mysteries. Some of these include questions about what actually happened during the tragic event with Danielle and her father, what is the mysterious facility that Danielle is stuck in and who are the fellow mutants that surround Danielle. While we know they are mutants, their skills are unknown to Danielle and the audience. Just when I thought the film had plenty of mysteries to keep audiences engaged, the film introduced an unknown villain who begins to haunt our leading characters. The plot within the first act was exciting and indeed showed potential considering the mysteries that are introduced.
While I found these aspects of the plot undoubtedly pleasing, I can’t deny the film has a few problems which were too distracting for me during my first watch. Firstly, the editing choices are unusual, and the cuts which occur between scenes don’t feel seamless. It also feels like there is footage missing from the final product. While I generally enjoyed the first act and the mysteries that are set up, by the second and third acts, my excitement had begun to reduce. The film also decides to focus on other areas, such as young teenagers having personal discussions and romance or bullying among characters (which is nothing new in cinema). The twists and reveals are generally predictable, but I will say the reveals of all the mutant powers for each leading character were pleasing.
Overall, while I enjoyed this new concept within the Marvel and X-Men universe, I’m saddened to say the results are a mixed bag. On the one hand, the film introduces new characters and a horror aspect unlike what we’ve seen before in the franchise. But, while the first act felt exciting, by the second and third acts, the pace of the film is slowed and focuses on areas such as romance and general teenage discussion between characters. The film’s plot is certainly a great concept, but the results are unfortunately not as impressive as I hoped. The film’s style in regard to editing was also a major letdown and a general distraction to the final product.
5.7/10
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Review Written by Peter Walkden
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