Genre: Action/Superhero
Director: Jim Mickle
Writer: Chad Taylor
Based on Marvel Comics characters
Cast: Garrett Hedlund, Andrew Scott, Kiki Layne, Clarke Peters, Nicholas Hamilton, Anthony Carrigan, Kristofer Hivju, Sophie Okonedo, Midori Francis
Plot: Gambit (Garrett Hedlund) drives down the road with the windows rolled down, the X-Mansion in his rearview mirror. In his glove department, he reads a notecard sent to his father from a Florian Goddard, telling him visit him and bring his son with him. With Gambit’s father dead, he decides to head down to Manhattan to make this trip alone.
When he arrives, he finds that the address is located in District X. The neighborhood has come to be known for its predominantly mutant population, making it often a target of disdain from city officials. He watches in a bit of awe as kid mutants use their powers out in the open as they play around a running fire hydrant. He goes to the address written on the postcard.
Gambit is taken to the back of the bodega where he meets with Florian Goddard (Clarke Peters). Gambit tells him that he was going through his dad’s belongings and found the postcard. Florian is surprised by Gambit talking about his father in the past tense, realizing that he has died. He tells Gambit that he and Jean-Luc went way back and that he is sorry to hear of his loss. To the business at hand, Florian grabs a piece of paper and begins to doodle something on it. He grabs a red pen to finish off his drawing. When he shows it to Gambit, he asks if this man looks familiar and Gambit sees a sketch of a man with a red diamond on his forehead. His eyes light up, knowing it is the man that Rogue saw in his memories. Before he can say anything, a man approaches from behind and hits Gambit in the back of the head with a pipe - knocking him out.
A teenage Remy (Nicholas Hamilton) drives down the road with his windows down, the Thieves Guild in the rearview mirror. He seems to be mysteriously losing his powers at a young age and he wants to do something about it. As such, he travels to meet with Nathaniel Essex (Andrew Scott) - a former professor of genetics (specifically an expert on mutant genetics). Remy’s eyes are drawn to the red diamond on Essex’s forehead. Essex is happy to meet with Remy and tells him that he should be able to solve the problems of his impotent powers. He says that he can set up a procedure for a gene implant the next day and Remy is eager to accept it. Essex smiles and shakes his hand.
An injured Gambit begins to wake and finds himself surrounded by darkness. Finally, one-by-one hanging lightbulbs begin to turn on and he finds himself in a sewer-like underground location. When he tries to get up, he finds that his hands have been tied together. A thin albino man (Anthony Carrigan) approaches begins to examine Gambit. The closer he gets to Gambit, the more the man’s skin begins to pulsate. “Kaliban! Step away” a voice says from afar. Callisto (Olivia Cooke) steps out the shadows with an angry look on her face. She instructs Kaliban to stay with Gambit here while she goes and retrieves their leader. He nods his head as she leaves.
He continues to examine Gambit and finally finds a set of cards attached to Gambit’s belt. His eyes light up as he wonders what they do and he grabs one. However, without Gambit’s kinetic energy, it’s just a playing card (much to Kaliban’s disappointment). Gambit lets out a little chuckle before lunging his head forward, snatching the card out of Kaliban’s hand with his teeth. He powers the card and then uses it to cut his hands free. He tightens his fists as he asks what Kaliban’s got. However, just because Kaliban’s smaller in size, he uses his knowledge of the environment to his advantage and begins to out-maneuver Gambit. Gambit gets knocked down and Kaliban climbs on top of him before forcing Gambit’s face down into the sewage water. He holds him there for a few seconds before a female voice asks “what are you doing?”. Kaliban immediately lifts his hands up, proclaiming no wrongdoing. Gambit uses this opportunity to catch a much-needed breath before Kaliban kicks him the head - knocking him out once again.
We see the procedure in which a gene is implanted into Remy to strengthen his powers. Afterwards, Essex has Remy test his powers and they work (and are stronger than ever). Essex then instructs him to follow him to his office. There, Essex opens a bottle of wine and shares it with the underage teen. He gives some insight into his worldview. From his perspective, mutants are the peak of human existence - genetically composed to be superior to others. And yet for centuries and millennium, they have lived in the shadows - afraid of discrimination. The increase in human population has only exacerbated this.
But no more. Essex has devised a plan to bring together the strongest and most genetically superior mutants. Once that is done, they can combine their abilities to subordinate - or even totally eliminate - regular humans and live in a mutant-ruled society. Where they are no longer ruled by fear and, instead, are unlocked to their full potential. The first step in this is eliminating the weakest mutants so that their gene pool can be purified. We look at Remy, who has a glossy look in his eyes, the effects of Essex’s gene implant putting him under the man’s spell. He then asks Essex where they will find these people and how they could get away with it. Essex smiles and there is a group that has been living in the shadows of New York City for decades - the biggest breeding ground for this lower level of mutant. He points out that the best thing about them living in the shadows is that nobody will know they’re dead.
Gambit wakes up again, this time in a new location in the tunnels. As his eyes open, he finds a young woman with striking white hair examining him with wonder in her eyes. She is startled when he wakes up and he grows defensive given the previous encounter he just had. She says she is not here to fight and introduces herself as Ororo (Kiki Lane). He asks where they are and she tells him she doesn’t have a name for it - it’s just home to her. She tells him to follow her. He is hesitant but eventually accepts the offer.
Ororo gives him a tour of the tunnels and he begins asking her questions. She says that she has lived here for her as long as she can remember. There are not a lot of them here but they are close knit. She says that her father is their leader and provider - bringing them sustenance regularly and supposedly keeping them safe. She angrily says that he won’t tell them how to find the upper world. Gambit asks why he is here and Ororo’s eyes fill with a sense of dread. She explains that he is a bit of a notorious legend around here, a myth - him and three others. Before she can finish her thought, they are spotted by Callisto. She makes their way over to them and slaps Ororo for punishment. Gambit is ready to fight but then about a dozen others emerge from the shadow behind Callisto. “Not this time” she says.
Essex takes Remy to meet the rest of the team that he calls The Marauders - who are designated to eliminate the entire Morlock population. He first meets Harpoon (Kristofer Hivju), notable for his large beard. Essex explains that he is one of the most renowned bounty hunters in the world - pointing to the Harpoon’s super-powered spears that he uses to capture his targets. Juggernaut (Brock Lesnar) then enters - a super-large man who wears a steel helmet. Remy asks about the helmet and Juggernaut cracks his knuckles - indicating that he better not ask again. Essex has them gather together as they lay out the plan to massacre the Morlocks. He says that he does not have their location yet but he does know of someone who left and might be able to give them a lead.
Los Angeles, California. Tommy (Midori Francis) is an aspiring young actress who is struggling. She finishes filming as an extra on a commercial but goes back to her small apartment and counts the little money she has. While there, her door is kicked in and Essex’s crew come in one-by-one. They surround her as she is frightened but Essex tells her there is no need to be. He tells her that he knows what she is and she has information that could save her life. He wants to know where her people - the Morlocks - are. She says she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Juggernaut puts his large hand atop of hers - ready to crush it unless she tells the truth. Essex says that he knows she was an angsty teen who wanted to leave. He says that he knows someone who can empathize with that - tilting his head towards Remy. Instead of telling them, Tommy uses her mutant ability to turn two-dimensional like paper and slide out the door. Essex is irate and tells Remy, the fastest of all of them, to trail her.
The group of Morlocks surround Gambit and Callisto as they face off. Kalliban keeps Ororo under his control so that she cannot intervene. Before Gambit can make a move, Kalliban tells Callisto to get rid of the cards on Gambit’s waist. She obliges and kicks them off, leaving Gambit powerless. They begin to fight as she completes Ororo’s story. When they were young, the adult Morlocks were murdered. Since that day, there have been four figures etched on their walls. The crowd parts to show the four hieroglyphs: the man with the metal helmet, the man with the orange beard, the man with the red diamond and Gambit. Callisto goes to strike, Gambit avoids, but she follows up with a knee to the jaw.
Remy is at LAX and he contacts Essex to tell him that Tommy is buying a flight to New York. He instructs Remy to get on that plane and find out their locale in New York. Using the little money he has left, he buys a ticket on the plane and it is a tense ride as he tries to stay out of Tommy’s view. He feels a bit bad about how scared and nervous she looks but is convinced that Essex is in the right. The flight lands and he follows Tommy to the entrance to the underground sewer tunnels that the Morlocks live in. He immediately contacts Essex and lets him know.
The day arrives as the rest of the Marauders arrive in Manhattan. Essex leads his through District X and then down to the tunnels - following Tommy’s directions. Juggernaut kills the first Morlock he sees and thus the slaughter begins. Tommy is stunned to see them and turns 2-D again but Harpoon shotos her flat form with one of his spears - prompting her to turn back to full form and bleed out. Essex directs them to go in different directions and eliminate anyone they see. Meanwhile, N’Dare (Sophie Okonedo) - Ororo’s mother - is teaching the young Morlock children when the massacre begins. She hears then and instructs them to stay calm and follow her lead.
Gambit insists that he was brain-washed. Ororo pleads with Callisto to believe him but it is not working. Callisto begins to pummel him, asking him if he still thinks about that day. “Stop.” a voice says as the same man Gambit met with earlier. He formally introduces himself as Masque (indicating Florian was a fake name). The morlocks look at him with reverence, except for Ororo who looks annoyed. He tells Callisto that there is information they need from him. He takes an injured Gambit by throat and leads him through the tunnel. They emerge at a skeleton with one of Harpoon's spears through the skull. Masque squeezes on Gambit’s throat and asks where he can find the other two - indicating that they've already killed Harpoon. Gambit swears that he does not know as he does not remember that time in his life. “That’s not good enough.”
Remy does a check on the various tunnels but does not find anyone. N’Dare tells the children to huddle together in a shadowy area while she needs to go find Ororo and bring her here. As Remy patrols, he runs into N’Dare and Ororo heading back to that spot. N’Dare pleads for mercy as Remy holds his weapon tight. He looks into Ororo’s helpless eyes and can’t bring himself to do it. Ororo begins to run back to their spot while N’Dare stays behind to thank Remy, who she can tell is just a kid. Essex suddenly enters and sees Remy with N’Dare. He has a big smile and congratulates his young protege on his hunt. He asks if there is anyone else and Remy shakes his head - even though he knows the children’s hiding spot. Essex tells him to follow him.
Ororo pulls Callisto aside and tells her that she remembers seeing Remy that day and knowing that something was wrong with him. And he spared her life - all of their lives. She takes her friend’s hands and squeezes them tight as she swears on her life. When she does this, there is a strong rumble of thunder outside. Suddenly Callisto comes to a moment of clarity. She asks if Ororo felt that and Ororo says that she felt it in her bones. She tells Ororo she believes her.
Remy takes N’Dare through the tunnels and they look at all of the dead Morlocks on the ground. They arrive at the main entrance, where Juggernaut and Harpoon are waiting. Essex tells him that she is the last remaining and that he wants Remy to finish the job. Essex forces N’Dare to her knees and hands Remy his weapon. Remy is hesitant but N’Dare looks at him with a look as if to say “it’s OK”. He closes his eyes and the screen goes black as we hear her death at the hands of Remy.
Masque is on the verge of killing Gambit as Gambit says everything that he knows. He’s been told that this man implanted him with a gene that strengthened his powers and put him under Essex’s control. They killed the mutants living under Manhattan and Gambit’s memories were subsequently erased. Masque’s fingers tighten on Gambit’s throat before Callisto interrupts - shoving Masque off of Gambit. She angrily asks if they are all mutants and asks why he never told them. He furiously denies this and tells Kalliban to control Callisto. It becomes Gambit, Ororo and Callisto against Masque and the rest of the Morlocks. Callisto pleads with them to trust her and give Gambit mercy but it falls on deaf ears. A chase ensues throughout the tunnels as Masque tells them to capture Callisto and Gambit but spare his daughter.
While on the run, Gambit asks Callisto what her abilities are and she isn’t sure but she has a theory. She says that she is able to see in the darkness but figured that had to do with years of living in tunnels. As she talks through this, she realizes that all of her senses are heightened - which she uses to trace an escape route to the above-ground world. Masque sees them escaping and yells no. Ororo looks back to her father who pleads with her not to leave but she shakes her head. He begrudgingly follows them up.
On the ground level, Callisto and Ororo are in awe of the “real world” - seeing it for the first time in their lives. The overwhelming senses bring Callisto to tears. Masque emerges behind them and brandishes a gun - telling them to stop where they are. He says that he was trying to protect them. After the Tommy incident, he didn’t want to risk them exploring the outside world. It was still a miracle that he found them all alive. Ororo says that it is because of Gambit that they are all alive. He grows angry, saying that he watched Gambit kill Ororo’s mother.
Masque lies on the floor, playing dead as the Marauders look at N’Dare’s body and prepare to leave. Essex kisses Remy gently on the forehead for a job well done. After they leave, Masque stands up and surveys the wreckage. He then finds all of the children and cries as he gives them a group hug.
Ororo is silent as Callisto looks to her and says that she said it herself - they must believe Gambit if he was under a trance. Masque tells his daughter that she’ll either need to trust him or them. Ororo asks her father what his abilities are. He has a non-answer but she tells him he needs to say the truth. He says that he can change other people’s appearance. She asks if he ever used it on them and he admits that he changed the appearance of the children after the massacre to hide any hint of their abilities - as being aware of those could lead to them defying him. Callisto is angry, pointing out that he has manipulated them their entire life. She lunges at him and he raises the gun to her. Ororo screams in fury as dark clouds suddenly hover above and lightning strikes the ground - causing Masque to drop the gun and fall to the ground.
He holds his heart and looks gravely ill - likely a heart attack from the lightning strike. He apologizes to his daughter for angering her and says that he thought he had her best interest at heart. If the goal was originally to eliminate the Morlocks, then what would be the point of exposing their continued existence? To be slaughtered once more? Gambit kneels by their side and swears to Masque of his innocence. He says that he has already made it his life goal to hunt down the man with the red diamond. Masque dies as Ororo holds his hand and says she is sorry. Callisto and Gambit comfort her as she looks into the sky - realizing that she can control the weather around her.
They reconvene in the tunnels as EMTs arrive and find Masque’s body - realizing he likely is the victim of a lightning strike. Ororo tells Gambit that she is going with him to hunt down his target. He rolls his eyes and says “Fine - but don’t want to start being known as a mutant chauffeur. And before either of you ask, I guess this is part where I say that I am...taken, if you will” Ororo and Callisto look at each other and then burst out in laughter pointing out that he is old and a little too sleazy for them. He can’t help but laugh and says that charm is one of his super powers so he just wanted to be safe. Callisto tells them that she is staying behind to help the rest of the Morlocks discover their true selves but she will be ready in case they’re ever called upon. Ororo gives her a hug. Before they leave, Gambit asks who has his cards. Kaliban emerges with a sly smile and hands him the cards. Gambit thanks him and they leave.
Ororo gets in Gambit’s car and he starts it up before taking a deep breath. He looks at her with an exhausted look but his signature smile.
“Let’s go get this motherfucker.”
Post-Credits: In present day, we are in a sleek office as the camera dollys in on a desk. The large chair at the desk slowly turns around to reveal Essex - now a bit older but with more muscle and his skin a pale blue. A smarmy grin creeps up on his face.
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