The Darkest Minds (2018)
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In a world where a plague has granted children superpowers, a girl with dangerous telepathic abilities must navigate a dangerous journey to find a safe haven.
The story
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 and are categorized by color based on their abilities. Children with the most dangerous powers, known as Oranges, are hunted by the government. Ruby Daly, an Orange who has hidden her identity, is forced into a camp. Six years later, she is rescued by a resistance group called the Children's League. Accompanied by others with various abilities, Ruby embarks on a perilous journey toward a rumored safe haven called East River, while trying to keep her true identity and powers a secret from those around her.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In a dystopian future, a plague (Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration) kills 90% of children, leaving survivors with superpowers categorized by color: Green (intelligence), Blue (telekinesis), Yellow (electricity), Red (pyrokinesis), and Orange (telepathy). Oranges are hunted by the government, while others are confined to camps. Ruby Daly, an Orange who successfully hid her identity as a Green, is rescued from a camp by the Children's League. She joins a group including Zu (a Yellow), Liam (a Blue), and Chubs (a Green) to reach 'East River,' a safe haven. Along the way, they encounter other survivors and eventually reach the haven, which is revealed to be led by Clancy Gray, the president's son. Clancy, who can manipulate minds, attempts to force Ruby to join him and forget her friends. Ruby manages to escape with her friends, but Chubs is injured. She uses her panic button to call the League. Ultimately, Ruby convinces Cate to release Liam in exchange for him becoming a soldier in the League. To ensure he stays with her, Ruby kisses him and erases his memories of her before he leaves to join the League's ranks.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jennifer Yuh Nelson
- Writers
- Chad Hodge · writer
- Cast and characters
- Amandla Stenberg · Ruby Daly; Harris Dickinson · Liam; Mandy Moore · Cate; Patrick Gibson · Clancy Gray; Miya Cech · Zu; Skylan Brooks · Chubs; Gwendoline Christie · bounty hunter
- Genres
- dystopian; science fiction
- Themes
- Survival; Identity; Power; Sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- Dystopian; Tense
- Premise and plot tags
- Superpowers; Government Oppression; Survival; Young Adult
- Source material / true-story basis
- Alexandra Bracken's 2012 young adult novel of the same name
- Reception
- The film received negative reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 39 · scale: 100 · review count: 28; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- Jennifer Yuh Nelson's live-action feature length directorial debut; The film is based on the first of four novels, three novellas and three short stories in the series
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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