The New Mutants pointedly did not screen for press, and many outlets refused to review it by purchasing a regular ticker, citing COVID-19 risks. However, life, and reviews, find a way. Some publications sought reviews from overseas or out of state. Meanwhile, others opted to drive several hours to find and risk an open theater. In Los Angeles, the Rose Bowl converted to a drive-in, and a few critics with cars took that trip. So what do The New Mutants reviews say?
With only ten reviews out of 35 considered “Fresh,” The New Mutants gets a 29% Rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing. Speaking for the majority, Amy Nicholson in The New York Times calls it “all buildup and no bang,” and “a slight genre film with one location and no name-brand characters.” At Variety, Peter DeBruge, after saying it’s neither half-bad nor half-good, sums it up by saying “What was intended to establish the foundation for a possible standalone trilogy plays like an elaborate pilot for a series you’d never watch.”
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Indeed, most critics single out the fact that the movie feels too busy setting up a sequel that won’t happen. Even IGN’s Jim Vejvoda, while generally positive and saying “it should earn its place as a midnight movie classic,” compares it to a Netflix pilot. Writing the most positive review for a major outlet, Tracy Brown at the L.A. Times says “it remains entertaining for what it is,” although, yes, “its introduction of these new heroes plays a bit more like a TV pilot setting up adventures to come than the farewell to a long-running franchise.”
For the most part, even the “fresh” and the “rotten” reviews aren’t that different, with critics on either side saying it’s neither great nor terrible. Jordan Mintzer at The Hollywood Reporter speaks for most of the negatives when he says, “there’s something so generic about the setup and situations that the intrigue only carries us so far.” Most negative is Scott Mendelson at Forbes, who calls it “the worst X-Men movie ever,” explaining that even the other disliked installments like Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix had spectacle and passable superhero action sequences.
With the movie ony making $3 million as of this writing, it seems certain that no sequel will happen. But at least the movie finally did come out so people could decide for themselves.
Did you see The New Mutants? If so, what did you think? Please let us know in comments.
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