The Darkest Minds Parent Guide

Teens with special powers. Adults who try to stop them. Sound familiar? That’s because it is. The Darkest Minds isn’t blazing any new trails for Hollywood—but it ticks all the boxes for a teenage sci-fi action movie.

The story opens in a school cafeteria where a young student has an apparent seizure and drops dead. Within weeks, half of all kids are dead, killed by a new and mysterious brain disease. The survivors have an array of new powers – telekinesis, extreme intelligence, mind control, fire, and more. The government fears the children and sends armed soldiers to round them up. They are shipped off to camps where they are held behind electrified fences and subjected to experiments to “cure” them.

The beginning of the movie is disturbing, especially when protagonist, Ruby Daly, (played with big-eyed luminosity by Amandla Stenberg) is taken away to the camps at the age of ten, where the inmates are separated by their color-coded gifts. Six years later, Ruby escapes, meets up with three other fugitives - Liam Stewart (Harris Dickinson), Chubs (Peyton Wich), and Zu (Miya Cech). The group goes on the run looking a rumored children’s settlement where they can live without fear. When they find it, they discover that everything isn’t what it seems. Hard decisions about right and wrong, loyalty and sacrifice await. (And there is plenty of waiting… this movie is the beginning of a trilogy, so don’t expect a tidy conclusion.)

Parents will want to be aware of issues around violence and sexual content. These are significant enough that the movie is not suitable for younger children, although teens will likely enjoy it. This action flick features the usual fist-fights and gun battles. Still, the most upsetting episodes involve the intersection of mind control and violence. In one, an unnamed character uses his mental powers to control the thoughts of a police officer who beat him and force her to shoot herself. In another instance, a male teenage character in a position of authority attempts to sexually assault a teenage girl. It isn’t clear if the abuser is inside her mind or is assaulting her physical body - although I think it is the latter. The attack is not graphic, no clothing is removed, and she escapes from him very quickly. Aside from this very problematic moment, the only other sexual depictions involve innocuous embracing and kissing between Ruby and Liam.

The relationship between Ruby and Liam illustrates the most positive messages found in The Darkest Minds. This media portrayal of an adolescent love story is unusually wholesome. The two begin with friendship, move on to romance, and keep it clean. They are fiercely loyal to each other and are willing to put the other’s needs ahead of their own. Fidelity, responsibility, love, and sacrifice dominate their mutual bond, as well as the one they share with Chubs and Zu.

The other overarching theme in this story involves valuing diverse gifts – even if they are yours. As Ruby is told, “Never be afraid of who you are.” The movie clearly shows the power of accepting yourself and others. When the four multiracial friends arrive at the sought-after settlement, they are amazed to see children happily growing food, guarding the camp, and working – all without color coding. “We don’t segregate by color,” says the leader, “We respect differences but we’re all the same.” A good message, yet one that perhaps filmmakers have taken a bit too much to heart. While there are differences between movies in this genre, they are starting to feel a little too similar.