Sci-fi action film in which young people are perceived to be a threat to the government after they develop a range of mysterious psychic powers.
Although it feels more like a franchise-opener than a stand-alone feature, we won't hold our breath for a sequel.
The leads are sympathetic...but director Jennifer Yuh Nelson seems overly impatient to get on to Bracken’s later books, and the spectacle she generates is tentative at best, as if the studio wasn’t yet sure whether to go all-in on the budget.
The film is mostly a set-up for future instalments – instalments that will probably never get made thanks to its recent disastrous performance at the US box-office.
In spite of the title, the film doesn’t want to take us to too many dark places. In fact, it manages the unlikely feat of making a nightmarish, futuristic world seem a bit like a summer camp.
The Darkest Minds boasts a decent cast and a fairly interesting premise centred on likeable characters. But its banality squashes any potential it had, resulting in a safe, forgettable sci-fi.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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