Hello, fellow Psi kids! I hope everyone's having a wonderful day and I hope that you all went to see the new Darkest Minds movie! If you haven't, I would highly advise you to read the books first as one does and then go support the movie. Also, this review will contain major spoilers for the movie and the first book. The spoilers concerning the second and third books -that are called Never Fade and In The Afterlight will be forewarned throughout the review. So, if you haven't read or seen the Darkest Minds, I'm gonna have to recommend leaving now and coming back once you do so. And for those of you who have read and seen it, let's dive into the review!
First of all, let's talk about the highlights because if I start ranting -I mean not ranting but complaining passionately, maybe- we're gonna be here for a while. The biggest highlight of the movie was undoubtedly Chubs. I loved him so much, everything he said was pure gold.
"I've officially become my grandma."
He was so well done that I could even look past the fact that they made him a Green. Of course, this was after I freaked out at the cinema when they said he was Green. Well, thinking about it, him being a Blue didn't play an extravagant role in the books, so I guess that's fine? But overall, he was amazing. Exactly like I imagined him to be, sarcasm and everything.
Since we started off with the characters, let's talk about Zu. I really loved the casting for Zu. I appreciated that they included the yellow gloves but, I really wish that she had her notepad that she uses to communicate with the others. And the fact that she constantly saved the day with her fully-controlled powers bothered me. Because in the books, she is quite scared to use them and she messes with the electricity when she's anxious etc. She was not very developed as a character in the movie.
The lack of mention of Thurmond? Not okay. In the books, Ruby's time at Thurmond plays a major role in who she is and why she does what she does. It is one of the largest and oldest camps in the USA and it has an infamous reputation. It's also the camp where Clancy was treated and his photographs were all over it. Considering the fact that it has such a fundamental influence, and also that it was one of the plot points in the last book, I think it should've been more touched upon. They could've added a couple more scenes to address it, not much. One of them being in the dorm room that Ruby stays with all the girls and the other being a simple dialogue shared between the Betty crew. Liam and Chubs were really shocked to find out that Ruby had spent six whole years in Thurmond, they could've at least mentioned that.
Speaking of Thurmond, I do understand why they left Sam out. It reminded me of the girl who gave Katniss the Mockingjay pin and didn't make the movie. (I've read The Hunger Games years ago though and she might not have given her the pin, but I do remember that a girl existed in the books.) Having her in the movie would add a lot to the story because she's the third person that Ruby erased herself from. It would've made her past a lot more tragic than it is shown in the movie since they didn't spend much time in Thurmond and quickly had her escape with Cate.
I wanted to see more scenes with Clancy. I wanted the audience to fall in love with him, and then have their love crush to pieces. I wanted to see more of his madness and his fake sweetness. I was very confused when he showed Ruby his time at Thurmond. Because he cannot stand other people seeing his vulnerability and weakness and I'm pretty sure him helplessly screaming on an operation table counts as vulnerable. I wanted to see Ruby breaking his walls for a moment and seeing through his memories without his will.
*SPOILERS FOR NEVER FADE AND IN THE AFTERLIGHT:
We had to see his mother -not knowing it's his mother at the time though, just as a woman- begging him so that we'd have a build up for future plotlines. Lillian Gray plays an important role in the next books as the person who finds the cure and all that. Overall, that was pretty important.
*BACK TO SAFE ZONE*
I found that the portrayal of Ruby's powers was wrong and overrated. She wasn't even able to control one single person without touching them let alone a few in the books. And now she can suddenly control a dozen soldiers at once? I'm not buying that, especially after all those lacking training sessions and also previously witnessing her not using them in order to protect others. It was clear that she wasn't as powerful as Clancy but why though? The audience who had not read the books saw two Orange kids, controlling multiple people at once, getting in each others' minds, doing very similar things with their powers and yet we don't really see why Ruby is not capable of stopping Clancy as he controls Liam. They didn't limit Ruby's powers logically. Also, why didn't Clancy stop Ruby as she took control of the pilot? She was making eye contact long enough for him interfere. It just didn't make any sense to me, at all. She was supposed to be a lot less in control of her strength.
About the powers, glowing eyes were so stupid and didn't make any sense either? I mean, when she tripped and Rob caught her, Cate and Rob could perfectly see her eyes going orange, meaning she's using her powers and yet she got away with looking into his mind. Like, what? I just don't understand, it was so unnecessary and confusing. Also, I hated that Liam casually used his powers to do stuff. Just hand the freaking sandwich normally, don't hold Ruby back with your telekinesis when she's trying to go. I can handle the dancing bit where he pulls her in but I did not like the other parts at all. And by this, I don't mean him throwing the tree to block the road. I'm talking about the casual moments in which he could avoid using his powers. It bothers me because, for these kids, their powers may be an inevitable part of their lives but they've always been repressed because of them. Their first instinct wouldn't be to use them in a normal situation.
Let's take a moment to talk about the Reds. I actually liked seeing them used as brainwashed maniac soldiers -that they are, as mentioned in the Jamboree Project- if you leave the fire-spitting mouths bit out. Seriously what were they thinking? I found the scene where the doctor who classified Ruby as Green getting burned in a chamber so unnecessary. Instead of that, they could've put another scene that could be useful as I've mentioned before. I'd rather see Clancy's plans for the Jamboree project and how mad and psychopathic he is instead of just letting the Red kids out like wild dogs. That part could've been kept vague for further reference and a mystery to explore in the next movie.
I'm gonna stop ranting soon I swear, but first I need to talk about Ruby and Liam's relationship. In the book, they had so much more scenes together. Even though there was a quick attraction, there was room for building up. They shared more intimate moments and their dynamic was beautiful all while being very laid back and casual. I loved how in the book Liam called her darlin and how great they were together. In the movie, however, even though there was chemistry, it lacked. For the entirety of the movie, there weren't any casual touches, any simple dialogues shared to show the beauty of their relationship and then in the end, Ruby comes into Liam's room at the Children's League -not to mention how stupid it was for Liam to not turn his head to see who came- and hugs him in a very casual way. Don't get me wrong, I am all for casual lovers moments in movies (see Hiccup and Astrid in HTTYD2 for the best portrayal I've seen of a healthy and beautiful relationship) when the touches aren't sexual but comforting. But with Liam and Ruby, we didn't get to explore their relationship well enough to accept that this is their normal now. I love Liam so much and I ship them a lot in the books so it was pretty disappointing to see the movie lacking that.
I loved the scene at the end when Liam left the League as Ruby watched with tears. I really loved the keychain addition and Liam having it on his backpack too, it was very sweet. I also loved seeing Watership Down and that quote being said once again at the end as Liam was running into the woods. It made me so happy to see that book included as someone who read the books prior to the movie.
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| The scenes where Ruby erases herself were done so well. |
Last but not least, let's take a look at the last scene. Ruby stands on a platform, facing approximately a hundred kids, paints her forehead and raises her hand. What does that even mean and more importantly, there aren't as many children saved by the League as we see in the movie? It's just one of those parts of it that didn't make sense to me. They might've as well ended with Liam running or cutting to Ruby seeing a door opening to a sparring room or something, referencing to the next movie and her new routine with the League. I don't know. Anything but that.
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| I mean, what is this? |
Overall, how ironic it may sound after all the negative thoughts that are listed above, I did enjoy the movie. It wasn't a bad adaptation. Its biggest problem was that it felt rushed. It would be a lot better if there was at least half an hour more. It would easily make the time to explore relationships, show Thurmond and add more scenes with Clancy, even give Zu a scene with notepad communication. Also, I've heard that Alexandra Bracken had a cameo?! I totally missed that, I need to watch it again and catch it!
Aaand that concludes my review for the Darkest Minds movie! I hope you guys enjoyed it, let me know in the comments below if you agree with any of my opinions, I'd love to hear what you thought of it. But that's all for now, thanks for stopping by and I will see you next time!
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