Film review: The Darkest Minds

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Fox sent us to an advanced screening of their latest YA adapted film The Darkest Minds. Check out our review of the film below!

 

 

Rating: PG-13

Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Screenplay by: Chad Hodge

Based on novel by: Alexandra Bracken

Produced by: Shawn Levy, Dan Levine

Cast: Amandla Stenberg, Mandy Moore, Bradley Whitford, Harris Dickinson, Patrick Gibson, Skylan Brooks, Miya Cech, and Gwendoline Christie

When teens mysteriously develop powerful new abilities, they are declared a threat by the government and detained. Sixteen-year-old Ruby, one of the most powerful young people anyone has encountered, escapes her camp and joins a group of runaway teens seeking safe haven. Soon this newfound family realizes that, in a world in which the adults in power have betrayed them, running is not enough and they must wage a resistance, using their collective power to take back control of their future.

 

 

 

Reviewer’s thoughts: 

The Darkest Minds is a very compelling story with life-or-death stakes that makes for the perfect YA dystopian escape. 

The Darkest Minds film is an adaptation of the first book in a series of four. The film is true to the book in that it ends on quite the cliffhanger. Though there is some resolution to the story, it definitely didn’t feel concrete as a stand-alone film (or book as it ends the same way). I really hope the sequels get made so we can see the rest of the story come to fruition in film format.

I loved the casting of the film. Amandla perfectly embodied the Ruby in a way that was very faithful to the character the book lovers know. She displayed an innocence and gentleness that was vital to the story. Mandy Moore as Cate also was an excellent choice. Her maternal nature on ‘This is Us’ carried over to the film, and I found myself captivated by her every time she was on screen. The four main kids in the film were all perfectly imperfect together and meshed in a way that just worked well for the YA audience.

I would have liked to see more romance between Ruby and Liam. I’m sure that there just isn’t enough time and pacing didn’t allow for it in moviemaking, and there was definitely enough to make me intrigued on the blossoming romance, but I want more. Hopefully if we get sequels (and assuming the two find their way back to each other) this is something that can be dove deeper into. I would also love to see more backstory on the other characters. The film did a great job of solidifying the bond the little family the four characters had created, and this made me want more from the “core four” of the film. Crossing my fingers for those sequels!

The Darkest Minds will have you glued to the screen from the start. You will root for the characters, and cling to your seat as this group of kids try to beat the odds and survive in a world where everyone wants to exploit their existence. In their world, it sure is tough being a kid!

 

THE DARKEST MINDS OPENS IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE AUGUST 3, 2018!