The Darkest Minds

It's another dangerously bleak and depressing dystopian vision of our civilization: The future is in the hands of the world's innocent and impressionable young people, who must fight an oppressive regime in order to survive. "The Darkest Minds," available now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD, is based on the young adult novel by Alexandra Bracken. Since the success of the "Harry Potter" series of fantasy novels (which only recently turned 20 years old), Hollywood has kept its eye on "the next big thing" on the market, with some hit and misses.

In "The Darkest Minds," a mysterious affliction all but decimates the children of the world and leaves the survivors with strange powers that set them apart and make them a threat. Among the children that are gathered and separated from their families and isolated is Ruby (Amanda Stenberg), who is far more gifted than her captors imagine. Ruby has used her special gifts to keep herself hidden in plain sight, until it becomes impossible for her to stay below the radar. With the help of an adult ally (Mandy Moore), Ruby escapes and finds herself on the run.

She soon finds herself with other "super-powered" kids, all looking for a safe space – a near-mythical haven run by the "Slip Kid," another "Orange" level super human (the color classification for the most powerful among them). Ruby learns from Clancy (Patrick Gibson), the mysterious "Slip Kid," that they will be responsible for protecting the children in the camp from the war that is coming, and that the future hangs in the balance. Soon, Ruby and her friends find themselves in the midst of a conspiracy and a battle of super powers to decide their fate.

It's unfortunate, but "The Darkest Minds" suffers from genre-fatigue. The narrative itself is a near-retelling of similar comic book stories like "X-Men," with a healthy dose of "The Hunger Games" or even "Twilight" – it's a formula that's become all too common. Done well, it's just entertaining escapism, if not reductive. The cast is attractive enough, but the circumstances of their peril isn't enough to validate diving in. "The Darkest Minds" may make for decent enough afternoon distraction, but you aren't going to be eagerly anticipating the next chapter in the series.

The Blu-ray is packaged with the expected behind-the-scenes features and commentary from the filmmakers, with several in-depth interviews with the young cast on their characters.

It's worth noting that this is the first in a series, and perhaps the follow-ups may prove far more engaging, but "The Darkest Minds" is just too familiar, too reminiscent of other entries in the same genre, and too soon.

"The Darkest Minds"
available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and Digital HD
$14.99
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