The Darkest Minds is a young adult novel written by Alexandra Bracken and directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and follows a group of teenagers who are on the run from the government after mysteriously obtaining superpowers.
The first 15 minutes of the film is really interesting, the premise of an adult world imprisoning anyone under the age of 18 screams out the films Defiance meets the X-Men, that type of film would have been extremely fascinating watch, but sadly by the end of the film you come to the realisation that you are not going to get that kind of premise and instead you receive a typically boring young adult film that’s more like twilight than the X-Men or Defiance.
The young cast try there best to make you care for the characters on screen, but with a predictable script that has some terrible dialogue, add in their lacklustre chemistry and acting chops and you have a film that makes you lose interest quickly.
Amandla Stenberg and Harris Dickinson are portrayed as the heart beat of the film, but their whole relationship is completely wooden throughout, you just don’t buy their relationship once at all.
When it comes to the Adult cast or anyone of true interest they are woefully under used right from the beginning, Bradley Whitford and Gwendoline Christie are so under used I actually forgot they were even in the film.
The Darkest Minds sadly follows the beats that every other young adult film has done before it, by the end you realize that nothing has really happen on screen, with a boring and predictable script along with a poor younger cast and a under used adult cast you have a film that will be quickly forgot from your memory.
The Final Verdict
Should you go watch The Darkest Minds in the Cinema? Save your Money
Why? It may have an interesting premise, but it quickly falls into the typical young adult formula.
