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.

The Darkest Minds puts an X-Men spin on the typical 'teens in dystopia' YA formula, but the result is more derivative than creative.

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.

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.