This is one origin story that would have benefited from less table-setting
There are delayed movies, and then there’s “The New Mutants.” Originally slated for an April 2018 release before being pushed back to February of the following year, it was then delayed another six months so as not to compete with “Dark Phoenix.” Then Disney’s acquisition of Fox pushed the film back to April of this year, by which time theaters were already closed due to the pandemic. Now it finally arrives at what could charitably be described as an inopportune moment: in the middle of that same pandemic, which is very much not over. The first, most important question any potential moviegoer has to ask themselves is whether seeing this or any film is worth the risk inherent in venturing to a movie theater. I won’t presume to answer that question on anyone else’s behalf, but suffice to say that “New Mutants” isn’t exactly a groundbreaking cinematic experience. It’s the kind of movie many fans will surely want to like — the idea of an X-Men-adjacent story with a horror slant is, at the very least, a slight deviation from the superhero norm — and while it lives up to that modest promise it certainly doesn’t go above and beyond. Directed by “The Fault in Our Stars” helmer Josh Boone, who co-wrote the screenplay with Knate Lee, “The New Mutants” takes place at an abandoned hospital where five teenage mutants reside semi-voluntarily while learning about themselves and their powerful abilities.
