Review by John M. Delia, Jr.
The world has become a place of danger and mistrust and it’s not safe for anyone. Treachery surrounds everyone, but mostly the youth fear what will happen to them and the adults fear what the children have become.
A pandemic disease outbreak that only effects children under the age of 20 has shocked the world. The President (Bradley Whitford) is concerned that his son, Clancy Gray (Patrick Gibson) will be one of the victims and will do anything to find a cure. When the smoke clears, the country is faced with a heavy decision.
The surviving children gain special psychic powers that scare the older generations. They are captured, turned in, or volunteered into internment camps controlled by the government.
Ruby now 10 years old, and only child comes from a loving family. She is very close to her parents and she is celebrating her birthday. When the pandemic comes, Ruby is one of the survivors. She begins to develop an ability that she cannot understand and somehow confuses her parents. She is sent to one of the internment camps.
At the internment camp she learns and begins to understand what is planned for her kind. She begins to learn about the meaning of the colors; Green are highly intelligent, Blue have the power to move objects, Gold can manipulate electricity, and she is unable to know what the other two colors are (Orange and Red) because no one has survived with those abilities.
Years have passed and Ruby (Amandla Stenberg) has set out on a dangerous adventure trying to figure out what has happened to the life she once knew. She was given a chance to survive, when Cate (Mandy Moore) a nurse, helps her find a way out of the camp. She comes across three fellow children, Liam (Harris Dickinson), Chubs (Skylan Brooks), and Zu (Miya Cech), and together they are all searching for a safe place to live.
Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson puts together an interesting storyline that does begin to become predictable. Many scenes throughout the story start to reveal what will happen before it has been played out. The acting was better than average and does carry well through the film, but needed more plot to make things more interesting. The special effects were basic at best and didn’t appear much in the film.
Final Comment: I based my grade on the unsurprising storyline and the ordinary special effects. (3Â out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information
Cast: Amanda Stenberg, Harris Dickson, Miya Cech, Skylan Brooks, Mandy Moore, Patrick Gibson, and Bradley Whitford.
Directed by: Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller
MPAA Rating: Rated PG – 13 for violence including disturbing images, and thematic elements.
Running Time: 1 hours and 45 minutes.
Release Date:Â August 3, 2018
Distributed By: Twentieth Century Fox
Released In: Dolby Surround, IMAX, 3-D, and Standard.