The Darkest Minds
Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Year: 2018
Rating: 6.0
A $1 DVD. I picked up a bunch of DVDs the other
day that I have never heard for $1 each. I just went by the cover since the
summary on the DVD was in Thai. I may as well watch some of them.
This is another film based on a Young Adult
book that clearly had hopes of becoming a franchise like the Hunger Games
or the Divergent films. But a so-so box office and Covid put that possibility
to bed. Too bad. Though this isn't great by any means it is interesting enough
and introduces a few fine young actors. There are four books in the series
by Alexandra Bracken so there was certainly room for more films. I had never
heard of any of the young actors who are the main cast but a few smaller
roles go to some veterans. It is directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson. She has
also directed Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3. What more could you want.
A pandemic kills 90% of the children in
the world. An idea that I fully support. But the ones who survive gain various
powers or the smarts. Another X-Man wanna-be I guess. Well, we can't have
that can we. Smart-ass kids with powers. The government divides them into
five color categories depending on their powers - increased smarts, telekinesis,
manipulate electricity, control fire, telepathy and mind control. Those who
can control fire and have mind control and telepathy are immediately murdered
as being too dangerous. The others can be made to work. Ten-year-old Ruby
(Amandla Stenberg) is taken to the camp and tested and shown to be dangerous
- an Orange - but through mind-control she has the doctor grade her as one
of the other colors. Five years later she is still passing until another
test shows the truth. She will be euthanized but a woman (Mandy Moore) helps
her escape from the camp with the assistance of her friend.
Ruby accidentally touches this friend and
realizes his intentions are not kind and runs away to a van that has three
escaped kids in it. Liam (Harris Dickinson) has telekinetic powers as in
he can move trees; Chubs (Skylan Brooks) is one of the smarty-pants: and
the youngster Zu (Miya Cech) can use her hands to bring on electricity. They
go on a road trip with various people after them. Ruby has kept her power
secret - which is weird - it would be the first thing I would have asked
her - but when they are captured by a female bounty hunter, she tells her
to start walking and never stop. Rumor is that she has reached Alaska. They
have heard that there is a leader who has set up a refuge for all the children
with special powers. They finally find it but things look a little dodgy
to me. Amandla is very appealing and has won the Teen Choice Award (for The
Hunger Games), an NAACP Award and more. Miya Cech is a cutie though
she doesn't say a word in the film and has gone on to appear in a bunch of
Nickelodeon shows. A nifty easy to digest film.
