While many sites have decided against reviewing The New Mutants, one of The Hollywood Reporter's Paris-based film critics has shared their verdict on the Marvel movie, and it's not so good.
They start by explaining that the only way you'll find it an "eye-opening experience" is if you've never seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer, A Nightmare on Elm Street, or an asylum-set psychological thriller. It gets worse, as the trade notes the movie "will provide an eye-rolling case of déjà vu," adding that Josh Boone's take on these characters is "Generic and, at its best, straining to be heartfelt."
"Even the handful of twists meant to be vaguely new, such as a same-sex love affair between two of the heroines, wind up feeling familiar, which is perhaps why Boone actually inserts a clip from an episode of Buffy showing the same thing," the review continues. "The movie isn’t even as scary as it could be, a fact that could be explained by the need to maintain a PG-13 rating, but in the end we’re only reminded of recent teen horror ensembles like It that worked much better."
Praising the performances of the female cast members, it concludes with a, "It’s just too bad the movie that launched them doesn’t have the same impact. As far as the mutant franchise goes, it never makes its last stand."
This is obviously just one person's opinion, but if it turns out to be indicative of the rest of the reviews, it may explain why Disney hasn't held any press screenings.
What do you guys think?