Formulaic storyline produces the dullest of action
The Darkest Minds (M, 104mins) Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson. Reviewed by James Croot ★★
No doubt the producers of this latest Young Adult fantasy had dreams of creating the next Twilight, Harry Potter or The Maze Runner.
But the ploddingly predictable premise and enervating execution means it’s far more likely to suffer the same fate as the likes of I Am Number Four, Vampire Academy or Beautiful Creatures.
As in Alexandra Bracken’s 2012 novel (the first of five in the series), the threat to humanity (or at least its youth) comes in the form of Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neuro degeneration.
Wiping out 90 per cent of an entire American generation in months, it leaves those who’ve survived it with a variety of ‘‘superpowers’’, ranging from telekinesis to the ability to manipulate electricity and, in very select cases, the ability to manipulate minds.
Fearing what the remaining adolescents might do, the government decides to round them up and place them in camps where they can be monitored and controlled.
Ten-year-old Ruby Daly (Amandla Stenberg) was one of the ‘‘lucky ones’’, or so her parents thought until the Centre for Disease Control came to spirit her away. For her part, Ruby was troubled by her parents seemingly failing to recognise her just before the arrival of the authorities.
Even more frightening, her supposed abilities had her earmarked for termination until she ‘‘willed’’ the consulting doctor to change his assessment.
Six years on and Ruby has learned how to survive, if not thrive, in her captivity. But an unexpected opportunity comes with the arrival of ‘‘Doctor Begbie’’ (Mandy Moore).
Instead of conducting a routine check-up, she warns Ruby that her life depends on her escaping soon and that she and the rest of the Children’s League are here to help.
One daring breakout later, the pair meet another member of the League, only for Ruby to have a sense that he may not be a straight shooter.
So when she encounters a trio of similarly souped-up juveniles, Ruby takes her chance and joins them on their journey to the East River – the fabled home of a group of free children led by the famous authority evading ‘‘slip kid’’.
After the initial intriguing pandemic setup, it’s all pretty much downhill for The Darkest Minds. Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3) and screenwriter Chad Hodge (Wayward Pines, Good Behavior) fail to offer anything new to an already jaded genre and deliver a story that raises more questions than answers.
Quite apart from the obvious similarities to the likes of the far superior Tomorrow When the War Began and Divergent, there’s also familiar ground covered here for anyone who has seen Zombieland, Deadpool 2 and The Host.
What is undeniable though is that Darkest Minds isa depressingly formulaic collection of young adult fantasy movie tropes. There’s the drearily inevitable double cross, the predictably pyrotechnic heavy finale and painfully obvious literary allusions.
Throw in a supporting cast of TV escapees from the likes of Prison Break and CSI, and Darkest Minds feels like a wannabe movie franchise that already knew it was on borrowed time.