Movie Review: Freaks

(Warning: Spoilers abound!)

The concept of Freaks shares a whole darn lot with X-Men: persecuted mutants with special powers trying to live their lives. Except Freaks doesn’t have the Charles Xavier team-building aspect. If someone told me it was part of the X-Men universe, I’d probably believe it for how similar the vibe is. The big conceit is that “freaks” – this is oddly not just a derogatory term, that’s what they’re formally called, which is a little ridiculous – are sent to Madoc Mountain where they’re ostensibly executed, and Chloe, our seven-year-old hero, wants to rescue her formerly-thought-to-be-dead mother from certain doom.

We only ever see four freaks, but it’s enough to get a sense for the kind of havoc they could wreak on society. It’s not clear how many there were and why they didn’t just totally dominate all the normies when things started to get dicey. The freaks we see, one of whom is played by the wonderful Bruce Dern, are ridiculously powerful. I’m sure even a child’s playgroup could have flattened a city! To wit, Dallas was apparently attacked and mostly destroyed.

The story felt pretty crafted at the outset, witholding the exposition of all the context. Who’s good? Who’s bad? Why are people bleeding from their eyes? Ultimately, the story delivers on all that and it turns out to be a pretty exciting movie! If we don’t think too critically about some of the questionable child-rearing decisions Chloe’s dad and grandfather make, it’s quite easy to enjoy.