I got a little behind doing reviews these last weeks. I wanted to keep things going but I was having some trouble staying asleep, which never helps when it comes to trying to write. It is actually time now for a Netflix instant watch movie, but I decided I will watch two horror films that are currently being screened in theaters. First up is The Prodigy (2019). This came out a couple of weeks ago, so I'm a bit behind the times in getting it watched. The other film, while will likely be next up, just came out this last weekend.
A woman escapes captivity and heads to the nearest road where she is able to get some help. As she is telling her story to the police, Sarah (Taylor Schilling) goes into labor. Her husband John (Peter Mooney) rushes her to the hospital. As Sarah is having her baby, police confront Edward (Paul Fauteux), the man who was holding the woman who managed to escape. Edward forces the police to open fire and as just as Edward dies, Sarah gives birth to her son Miles. As the years go by, they discover that Miles is a very smart boy. Eight years later, Miles (Jackson Robert Scott), Miles is in a special school and apparently doing well. He also talks in a langue he doesn't know in his sleep and will sometimes act in a violent way. Could Edward have been reincarnated as Miles?
The Prodigy was written by Jeff Buhler and directed by Nicholas McCarthy. I think the first thing that horror fans will notice while watching The Prodigy is that it kind of plays out like The Omen. Instead of having the son of the devil himself as the evil child, we get a serial killer reborn in Miles. This isn't something I would normally talk about in a review just because it gives the plot away, the movie makes it hard to do that since it hints very heavily this is the case in the first ten to twenty minutes of the film. When the story makes sure we know a very bad man dies at the same time a baby is born, what else are we supposed to think? I can that I actually did like the story though. It was different enough to stand out some. It wasn't just an evil child type story nor did it really have a supernatural feel to it either. Another thing I liked about the story was that Sarah never really suspects what is wrong with her son so never goes looking for answers on the internet. Instead, she seeks help for her son, just thinking there is something mentally wrong with him. Sarah does her best to try and help her son and hopefully fix what is wrong with him, it was nice that she goes through a series of steps of others helping her figure out what is wrong with Miles. I did get annoyed with the story holding my hand through it though even though it is obvious what is wrong with Miles. I know that we still had to see this so that Sarah could catch up with what we already know, but it was still annoying to me. I was also annoyed that the doctor, played by Colm Feore, is trying to figure out what this other person wants. Again, it is just the character catching up to what we already know. I mean, what else would a serial killer want to do after being reborn?
The Prodigy doesn't get all that gory which surprised me a little bit since it did get an R rating. We get some severed hands, which are bloodless, and a somewhat mutilated dog. The effects are well done, even if they are sparse. The acting was good at least. I did like Jackson Robert Scott in his role. He does an alright job with it, but I wasn't always convinced that he was this evil kid. He does a wonderful job when he acts like a normal or scared kid. I had to wonder how much better The Prodigy would have been if there was a stronger actor in that role. I really enjoyed Taylor Schilling in her role. She was convincing as the worried mother and I especially liked her acting at the end of the film when she was faced with some hard choices. Paul Fauteux also does a good job with his shared role as the bad guy. He doesn't appear in the film a lot, mostly at the start. He doesn't disappear completely from the movie but doesn't get a lot of screen time either.
The ending for The Prodigy also reminded me a lot of The Omen. Yes, it plays out in a different way, but it is pretty similar at the same time. Even though I don't have a lot to say about The Prodigy, I was glad that I went to go see it. It is no longer at the theater, I went over a week ago to go see it, but if you do get a chance to check it out once it is out on DVD, I would suggest doing so. It could have been a lot better but it wasn't a bad film either. Give it a look some day.
3 out of 5 Kill the kid already!!
A woman escapes captivity and heads to the nearest road where she is able to get some help. As she is telling her story to the police, Sarah (Taylor Schilling) goes into labor. Her husband John (Peter Mooney) rushes her to the hospital. As Sarah is having her baby, police confront Edward (Paul Fauteux), the man who was holding the woman who managed to escape. Edward forces the police to open fire and as just as Edward dies, Sarah gives birth to her son Miles. As the years go by, they discover that Miles is a very smart boy. Eight years later, Miles (Jackson Robert Scott), Miles is in a special school and apparently doing well. He also talks in a langue he doesn't know in his sleep and will sometimes act in a violent way. Could Edward have been reincarnated as Miles?
The Prodigy was written by Jeff Buhler and directed by Nicholas McCarthy. I think the first thing that horror fans will notice while watching The Prodigy is that it kind of plays out like The Omen. Instead of having the son of the devil himself as the evil child, we get a serial killer reborn in Miles. This isn't something I would normally talk about in a review just because it gives the plot away, the movie makes it hard to do that since it hints very heavily this is the case in the first ten to twenty minutes of the film. When the story makes sure we know a very bad man dies at the same time a baby is born, what else are we supposed to think? I can that I actually did like the story though. It was different enough to stand out some. It wasn't just an evil child type story nor did it really have a supernatural feel to it either. Another thing I liked about the story was that Sarah never really suspects what is wrong with her son so never goes looking for answers on the internet. Instead, she seeks help for her son, just thinking there is something mentally wrong with him. Sarah does her best to try and help her son and hopefully fix what is wrong with him, it was nice that she goes through a series of steps of others helping her figure out what is wrong with Miles. I did get annoyed with the story holding my hand through it though even though it is obvious what is wrong with Miles. I know that we still had to see this so that Sarah could catch up with what we already know, but it was still annoying to me. I was also annoyed that the doctor, played by Colm Feore, is trying to figure out what this other person wants. Again, it is just the character catching up to what we already know. I mean, what else would a serial killer want to do after being reborn?
The Prodigy doesn't get all that gory which surprised me a little bit since it did get an R rating. We get some severed hands, which are bloodless, and a somewhat mutilated dog. The effects are well done, even if they are sparse. The acting was good at least. I did like Jackson Robert Scott in his role. He does an alright job with it, but I wasn't always convinced that he was this evil kid. He does a wonderful job when he acts like a normal or scared kid. I had to wonder how much better The Prodigy would have been if there was a stronger actor in that role. I really enjoyed Taylor Schilling in her role. She was convincing as the worried mother and I especially liked her acting at the end of the film when she was faced with some hard choices. Paul Fauteux also does a good job with his shared role as the bad guy. He doesn't appear in the film a lot, mostly at the start. He doesn't disappear completely from the movie but doesn't get a lot of screen time either.
The ending for The Prodigy also reminded me a lot of The Omen. Yes, it plays out in a different way, but it is pretty similar at the same time. Even though I don't have a lot to say about The Prodigy, I was glad that I went to go see it. It is no longer at the theater, I went over a week ago to go see it, but if you do get a chance to check it out once it is out on DVD, I would suggest doing so. It could have been a lot better but it wasn't a bad film either. Give it a look some day.
3 out of 5 Kill the kid already!!
