We've braved the theaters for Tenet, but we're not sure we'll be doing the same for what's probably the final Fox X-Men movie; The New Mutants. The film, which has been in a holding pattern on the release schedules for years, is out now in some parts of the world. Of the few critics who have seen it, though, not many seem to love it so far.
According to 11 early reviews on Rotten Tomatoes – expect this to change when more come in – just 18% are positive, which means that just two of those reviews liked the film by the site's criteria. The Hollywood Reporter, for example, describes it as "generic" and not that scary, though praises the performances of the cast, which includes Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams.
JoBlo gave it three out of ten. "This is a one-off that, sadly, should have stayed buried, and one whose failure all involved will hopefully be able to shake off." Ouch. Still, a more positive review calls it "satisfying teenage angst".
The New Mutants, directed by Josh Boone who was behind The Fault in our Stars with Shailene Woodley, was meant to be released in 2018. It's an asylum-based take on the X-Men franchise, featuring characters from the comic of the same name.
Perhaps the reception will pick up as more critics go out and see it, but it's a pretty rough start. According to The AV Club, a US outlet, Disney didn't provide video review copies for critics or a bespoke press screening.
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What next for the X-Men?
Excitingly, Marvel Studios now has the rights to the X-Men movies. We can't see it making anything as bold as Deadpool and Logan, but it might result in a little more quality control on the main X-Men movies.
The series had some real highlights at Fox (First Class, Days of Future Past) and some outright disasters, too (X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), as well a few movies that landed somewhere in the middle (The Wolverine).
Hopefully the series' many characters face a brighter future in the MCU.
