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The Darkest Minds

Play trailer 1:31 Poster for The Darkest Minds PG-13 2018 1h 44m Sci-Fi Mystery & Thriller Action Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
15% Tomatometer 139 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
When teens mysteriously develop powerful new abilities, they are declared a threat by the government and detained. One of the most powerful young people, Ruby, escapes from her camp and joins a group of runaways who are seeking a safe haven. Betrayed by the adults in power, this newfound family soon realizes that running is not enough -- they must use their collective powers to wage a resistance and take back their future.
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The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds

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Critics Consensus

The Darkest Minds does little to differentiate itself in a crowded field of YA adaptations, leaving all but the least demanding viewers feeling dystopian déjà vu.

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Critics Reviews

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Ben Sachs Chicago Reader 03/04/2020
To say the film suggests a mix of hazy political allegory and Henry Darger's outside-art classic The Story of the Vivian Girls is to make it sound more interesting than it really is. Go to Full Review
Roxana Hadadi Chesapeake Family Magazine 08/17/2018
2/5
The Darkest Minds puts an X-Men spin on the typical 'teens in dystopia' YA formula, but the result is more derivative than creative. Go to Full Review
Sandra Hall Sydney Morning Herald 08/15/2018
2.5/5
The film is framed so deliberately as a prelude to more exciting times to come in its sequels that it renders the ending oddly anti-climactic. Go to Full Review
Brittany Patrice Witherspoon Pop Culture Reviews 07/11/2024
2.5/5
The Darkest Minds has some great ideas and moments sprinkled throughout the film, but ultimately, it is uninspired storytelling that wastes its potential on forced build-up rather than execution. Go to Full Review
Joe Lipsett Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr Podcast 12/01/2021
The film leans into all of the book's worst impulses and, most disappointingly, gives star Amandla Stenberg nothing to do. The FX is on par with other YA films, but the disinterest in exploring this dystopia renders The Darkest Minds hollow. Go to Full Review
Matt Cipolla Film Monthly 07/25/2020
1.5/5
[I]t isn't much of anything new, but must it be this boring? The Darkest Minds is stultifying -- a truly joyless experience of YA clichés and generic, licensed pop songs. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Tina S @tlschulte68 Dec 5 Great movie, I highly recommend! I would love to see it become a movie series. Definitely a must see! See more paige s Nov 14 movie is amazing everyone should watch it See more RZ U Nov 13 So, so good! Definitely needs a TV series to continue this. See more Becki B Oct 17 I love this movie! From the beginning it grips you. Such a shame there is no sequel. I'm thinking of buying the whole book series because the film is so good and I wanna know more. Im shocked at how bad the reviews are for it saying its like all the other movies and its boring. But I don't believe it is at all. The reviewers maybe seem like an older audience and not the target audience. See more King A. @d1fnot._mr.baek1g Sep 26 ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS MOVIE SO GOOD def deserved a 2nd one.. See more Jennifer S Sep 26 Not even 10 minutes in and kid dies. Then they show a military lady putting a gun to her head to kill herself and this is rated PG 13?! Parents beware of this rating!! This is a major reason we have a mental health crisis among children! The things our kids out exposed to is outrageous. This should have been rated R. Very disappointing. We need to do better!!!! See more Read all reviews
The Darkest Minds

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Movie Info

Synopsis When teens mysteriously develop powerful new abilities, they are declared a threat by the government and detained. One of the most powerful young people, Ruby, escapes from her camp and joins a group of runaways who are seeking a safe haven. Betrayed by the adults in power, this newfound family soon realizes that running is not enough -- they must use their collective powers to wage a resistance and take back their future.
Director
Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Producer
Shawn Levy, Dan Levine
Screenwriter
Chad Hodge
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
21 Laps Entertainment
Rating
PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Disturbing Images|Violence)
Genre
Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller, Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 3, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 2, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$12.7M
Runtime
1h 44m
Sound Mix
Dolby Atmos, DTS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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