The Darkest Minds
The Darkest Minds | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jennifer Yuh Nelson |
Written by | Chad Hodge |
Based on | The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Kramer Morgenthau |
Edited by | |
Music by | Benjamin Wallfisch |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $34 million[1] |
Box office | $41.1 million[1] |
The Darkest Minds is a 2018 American
The Darkest Minds was released in the United States on August 3, 2018. It received negative reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb.[2]
Plot
In a dystopian future, a plague (called Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration) kills nearly 90 percent of the children in the United States. Those who survive develop superpowers. They are classified by color: Green (increased intelligence), Blue (
Ruby Daly is an Orange, but she touches the doctor who is classifying her and puts the thought in his head that she is a Green and she is placed in a camp. Six years later, a resistance group called the Children's League helps her escape from the camps. Cate, a worker at the camp, gives Ruby a panic button that can be activated as a tracker if she is in danger. While touching Rob, another League member, Ruby becomes suspicious of their intentions. She escapes the League with a mute girl named Suzume (Zu), a Yellow. Zu takes Ruby to Liam, a Blue, and his friend Charles (Chubs), a Green. The three agree to let Ruby join them as they try to make their way to "East River," a purported safe haven led by an Orange named the "Slip Kid."
In an abandoned mall, they cross paths with another group of survivors. The others know where East River is, but the only clue they reveal — due to the subtle influence of Ruby's power — are the letters "E.D.O.". Chubbs eventually deduces that this is a radio frequency, which reveals a transmission that East River is in Lake Prince, Virginia.
The group surprises Ruby by telling her they’re taking her to her former home in Salem, Virginia hoping she can reconcile with her parents. Seeing them through the glass door, she realizes she made them forget her and runs away. She meets up with Liam, who comforts her. They begin to develop a romantic connection, but Ruby refuses to touch him, fearing her powers will hurt him. Lady Jane has captured Chubbs and Zhu then ambushes Ruby and Liam, but Ruby overpowers Lady Jane so that they can escape, revealing her Orange identity to the group. The group ditches their van after a small misunderstanding and then successfully walk to the safe haven in East River.
At East River, Slip Kid is revealed to be the president's son, Clancy Gray. He teaches Ruby how to control her powers, and eventually convinces Ruby to help him figure out how to erase people's memories when she asks for a homesick Chubbs to use the computer to contact his parents. During this process, Clancy controls her mind and tries to kiss her.
It is revealed that Clancy is using his powers to control the government, and wants to use his new memory-erasing powers to turn Ruby to his side and forget her friends, but she manages to escape with the others. Liam flees with all of the haven children, while Ruby faces off against Clancy, destroying the camp and making her escape with Chubs. Chubs is severely injured, leaving Ruby no choice but to use her panic button to call the League for help.
The League gets Chubs to a hospital and lets Zu leave with a protective family. Ruby convinces Cate to release Liam in return for taking his place as a soldier in the League. Knowing that Liam will never leave without her, Ruby kisses him and erases all of his memories of herself. Liam leaves the camp, while Ruby begins her training with her fellow powered children in the League. Elsewhere, Clancy looks over the US Army and government forces.
Cast
- Amandla Stenberg as Ruby Daly
- Lidya Jewett as 10 year old Ruby
- Mandy Moore as Catherine "Cate" Connor
- Bradley Whitford as President Gray
- Harris Dickinson as Liam Stewart
- Patrick Gibson as Clancy Gray
- Skylan Brooks as Charles "Chubs" Meriwether
- Miya Cech as Suzume "Zu" Kimura
- Gwendoline Christie as Lady Jane
- Wade Williams as Captain McManus
- Mark O'Brien as Rob
- Wallace Langham as Dr. Viceroy
- Golden Brooks as Molly Daly
- Sammi Rotibi as Paul Daly
Production
On September 15, 2014, it was announced that
Casting
On September 26, 2016, Amandla Stenberg joined the film to play the lead role of Ruby Daly.[5] On January 17, 2017, it was reported that newcomer Harris Dickinson had signed on to play Liam.[6] In February 2017, Miya Cech was cast as Zu in her film debut, and Skylan Brooks was cast as Chubs.[7][8] In March 2017, Mandy Moore was cast to play Cate, a doctor and member of an organization who is fighting against the government, and Patrick Gibson was cast as Clancy Gray.[9][10] Gwendoline Christie was also cast in the film to play a bounty hunter of teens who escape from the camp.[11] In April 2017, Golden Brooks joined the film to play Ruby’s mother.[12]
Filming
Principal photography on the film began in April 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.[13][14][15]
Music
Benjamin Wallfisch composed the score for the film. The soundtrack was released by Milan Records.
Reception
Box office
The Darkest Minds has grossed $12.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $28.4 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $41.1 million, against a production budget of $34 million.[1]
In the United States and Canada, The Darkest Minds was released on August 3, 2018, alongside
In its third weekend, the film grossed $255,173 and was pulled from 2,679 theaters (85.6 percent, 3,127 to 448), marking the largest third-weekend theater drop in history.[19]
Critical response
The film received negative reviews. On
A.A. Dowd of The A.V. Club called the film "a formulaic hodgepodge of secondhand plot points" and "an insult to its target demographic" of teen moviegoers.[22] William Bibbiani of TheWrap praised the film and the cast, but concedes "it's not quite thrilling enough [...] so it plays a bit more like a manifesto than a sci-fi thriller."[23] Monica Castillo of RogerEbert.com wrote that while the film has a "promising start", it "ultimately doesn’t quite deliver."[24]
Future
The Darkest Minds is based on the first of four novels, three novellas and three short stories in The Darkest Minds series, and the film's ending sets the stage for future action. Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson has stated that she would be happy to return for a second film in the series, although no definitive plans have been announced. However reports indicate that sequels are unlikely given the poor critical and box office performance of the film.[25][26]
References
- ^ a b c "The Darkest Minds (2018)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- ^ "2018's Biggest Box Office Bombs, From 'Gotti' to 'Solo'". The Wrap. 12 December 2018. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- Valence Media. Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- Valence Media. Archivedfrom the original on June 16, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- Valence Media. Archivedfrom the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- Penske Business Media. Archivedfrom the original on May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- Penske Business Media. Archivedfrom the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ Rought, Karen (February 19, 2017). "'The Darkest Minds' movie adaptation has found its Chubs". Hypable. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- Penske Business Media. Archivedfrom the original on May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- Penske Business Media. Archivedfrom the original on May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ Kit, Borys (March 22, 2017). "Gwendoline Christie Joins Sci-Fi Thriller 'Darkest Minds' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, California: Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on May 9, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- Penske Business Media. Archivedfrom the original on May 21, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ Walljasper, Matt (April 26, 2017). "What's filming in Atlanta now? Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, The Last Full Measure, Darkest Minds, plus how a looming WGA strike could threaten Georgia". Atlanta. Atlanta, Georgia: Hour Media Group. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- ^ "What's Filming in Atlanta Now?". On Location Vacations. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- ^ "Casting Call for Kids and Adults in ATL for "The Darkest Minds" Sc-Fi Movie". Auditions Free. April 26, 2017. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- Penske Business Media. Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ Penske Business Media. Archivedfrom the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
- Penske Business Media. Archivedfrom the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
- ^ "Biggest Theater Drops". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ "The Darkest Minds (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 2019-05-08. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ Dowd, A.A. (August 3, 2018). "Angsty teens deserve better than the bootleg-X-Men melodrama of The Darkest Minds". The A.V. Club. Chicago, Illinois: G/O Media. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ Bibbiani, William (July 30, 2018). "'The Darkest Minds' Film Review: YA Tale Delivers Its Allegories With Crisp Efficiency". TheWrap. Los Angeles, California: TheWrap News, Inc. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ Castillo, Monica (August 3, 2018). "The Darkest Minds". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
- Metro. New York City: SB New York. Archivedfrom the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- Hearst Corporation. Archivedfrom the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
External links
- Official website
- The Darkest Minds at IMDb