Film Friday - The Darkest Minds

Welcome back to Film Friday! This is the feature where I discuss a book and its film adaptation; comparing, contrasting, and sometimes ranting - I get mad about unnecessary inconsistencies; the Burrow fire in Half Blood Prince still haunts me.

A few months ago we saw the trailer for The Darkest Minds, and I was determined to read it before the film came out - which I did! Then earlier this week I went onto the Cineworld website to check times and saw it was already down to a single 1pm showing at our local cinema - which is never a good sign - so I went ahead and booked the only evening showing still available nearby, and we trotted off to the slightly less convenient cinema - narrowly avoiding missing our showing due to the shopping centre closing for a 'suspected chemical spill' which turned out to be... paint fumes. Hooray, mass hysteria!

But first, the book!

I really enjoyed The Darkest Minds. I found the backstory to be believable, and I was pleased that the whole 'parents not rioting to get their kids out of the camps' aspect was explained by the President's constant reassurance that it would be worse for the children to leave as their regime of medication, therapy, etc. couldn't be replicated at home. Okay, plausible, people are struggling to feed themselves due to the economy collapsing, so it's fair to assume they'd leave their kids where they think they're getting the best care rather than dragging them home to starve.

I also really liked the relationship dynamic between the main characters; I found the slow building of trust to be realistic, and I was heartbroken along with Ruby when she thought they wanted her to leave. The characters felt real - they had their own emotions and agendas, and while they clearly care about each other, they also have ultimate goals which don't necessarily coincide.

The whole novel had a consistent flow, to me. It made sense; it stuck to its own rules; and the kids' powers developed along with them.

The film, however, didn't have any of those things.

I don't think I have ever sat through a film adaptation and felt the need to make a list of the things that were bad about it before. However, that is exactly what The Darkest Minds drove me to do.

Be warned, this list contains spoilers.

So here, without further ado, is all the things I disliked about The Darkest Minds film adaptation:

1. The weird glowing eyes.

There's no outward sign of kids' powers in the book, that's why they have to run tests and scans to find out what colour the kids are. Their eyes don't glow when they're using their powers! Especially the Greens: "Oh, excuse my eyes, I'm being extra brainy right now."

2. Golds.

They're not Golds; they're Yellows. Just like the others are Greens, Blues, Reds, and Oranges, not Emeralds, Sapphires, Rubies, and Coppers.

3. The identifying sound was planned by Thurmond.

In the book it was a great plot-twist to find out that the sound in the white noise which knocked Ruby out was actually planted by the Children's League - she was never going to be killed by Thurmond. Whereas, in the film, the guard instructs them to 'run the test', which takes away one of the big reasons for Ruby to not trust the League.

4. Chubs wasn't passive-aggressive enough at the beginning of the film, and he accepts Ruby way too easily.

She doesn't have to prove her worth; he's half-heartedly snarky with her for all of 5 seconds before he welcomes her to the group, and then makes a big deal out of letting her call him Chubs when they've already been friends for days!

5. The whole mall scene.

In the book it's this really tense moment when they need to stop for supplies and Liam needs to face his past. In the film, it's a joyful wonderland of magic, sunshine, and unicorns. Give me a break.

6. Ruby and Liam's relationship feels rushed.

It's not well developed, and it takes 0.5 seconds for them to decide they fancy each other.

7. Ruby's parents have no memory of her, she erased herself totally from her mind, yet in the film she wants to go back to them?

This is just one of those changes that makes no sense. It would have taken no extra time to introduce the grandma and explain that she still remembers Ruby, therefore she's the person Ruby is trying to get back to.

8. Ruby just wanders through town despite being worth a huge reward if reported?

Kids are worth $10,000 each, but Liam and Chubs encourage Ruby to walk through town to her parents house, where she presses her face against the window, and runs back through town crying, without a single person seeing her and reporting her for the reward. Okay, not like the whole USA is in the midst of an economic crisis or anything.

9. Clancy is way too nice right off the bat.

He immediately sucks up to all of them instead of zeroing in on Ruby and making her uncomfortable.

10. The cringe-y as hell Harry Potter reference in front of the campfire.

"It feels like Hogwarts." "That makes you Harry; and I would be Ginny." "They get together in the end!" Ew.

11. Clancy isn't the incredibly handsome/super charismatic president's son.

He's just awkward.

12. They revealed way too early that Clancy is behind it all...

...and they made it out to be a farm for kids? As if they'd kidnapped them all before and no-one had noticed?

13. The whole big fight scene with the guards and the helicopter.

Clearly one of these scenes which is inserted because it's cinematic, but no, I didn't really want to see Ruby and Clancy controlling soldiers so that they shoot each other and then pulling a helicopter out of the sky. Thanks anyway.

14. The weaponised Reds come and burn the place down!

When, in the book, the whole point of Clancy's plan is to lure them there, but it doesn't work.

15. Chubs' clothes aren't even burnt but we're supposed to believe he's dying of his injuries?

The whole point of him being shot in the book is that Ruby has absolutely no choice but to call the League or watch him die in front of her, yet his injuries in the film are so unconvincing.

16. Frankly, the whole film felt rushed.

Nothing was properly developed; the entire movie was badly paced and there was no consistency.

17. Did I mention... THE EYES.

The only thing that was better was when they were saying goodbye to Betty and Chubs stated "She's a minivan; not a Viking." because the sarcasm in that moment was perfect.

So there you have it. In case you didn't notice from my (rather rant-y) list, I wasn't a big fan of the film, and I won't be bothering to see any sequels which they release. I will, however, be reading the rest of the series when I get a chance, because, despite the awful movie adaptation, I still really enjoyed the book and can't wait to find out what's in store for Ruby, Chubs, Liam, and Zu!

Have you read the book or seen the film? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below!

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