The Prodigy

This was an interesting effort from the supernatural genre and most specific from the child killer genre which u can place in the category of films like the omen trilogy and stuff like that. the movie started well then it had a few scenario flaws in the middle of the movie u may be bored kinda and then like 30 last minuted the movie finally explained things and those last minutes were the best part of the movie including a few disturbing scenes with the child killer. those scenario flaws here and there (like the mother should realize what's really happening a lot sooner than when she did) were important cause those kind of movies need to be as realistic as can be to be...real scary movies. Anyways it could have been a lot better but still it gets easily the average grade and then some.

from me it's a C+ // 6 out of 10

u can check this out and judge for yourselves. the ending leaves the door open for a sequel.

I felt like the scares were great, people actually screamed in the theater and the storyline had wonderful potential. The ending felt flat, like there was something missing from the movie. The dad seemed to be there for the purpose of making the family and to make the movie longer. He didn't seem important and he really wasn't, he was there to fill dialog and an extra problem later in the story, which could have easily been avoided if he didn't talk to his son/not son in the car. I know that the mom and the son were the main focus, but he was just there. I could talk more about it all, but I'll leave my opinion here. If you still want to watch the movie, go ahead.

I've never been a huge fan of the horror genre, aside from a few gems that stand out to me. It takes a lot for a horror film to impress me, as the genre has become somewhat of the butt of many jokes these days. The Prodigy wasn't ever going to be the best horror film to come along in decades or anything like that, so I had no expectations when going into this one. With that said, this is the definition of a film that has a lot of promising elements, but ultimately fails to capitalize on them. I can't get myself to recommend this movie, but I also don't feel the need to rip it apart either. The Prodigy is a middle of the road experience at best, but there is some good in it.

After failing to conceive a child for many years, a couple gains the happiness they've been seeking when it finally becomes possible. After just months of being born, Miles shows signs of being a genius, hence the title, The Prodigy. When mysterious things begin to occur due to his behaviour, religious beliefs and myths come to light and this film becomes incredibly intriguing. Without ruining what powers are really at work here, I'll just say the twist of this story had me hooked. It's a little silly an overly convoluted, but it worked in the context of the film.

Sadly, that's where most of my praise ends. With a solid cast including Taylor Schilling, Colm Feore, and young Jackson Robert Scott, they're able to sell this material and make it very believable. The third act, however, is one of the dumbest conclusions to a film I've seen a while. To even get into it would be a spoiler, but it felt like the climax to a completely different film and it felt mean-spirited to me. It's like a unique idea was building to something cool, but ultimately takes a super easy route out of the story and the fact that it's a child playing this certain role was slightly disturbing (in a bad way).

In the end, The Prodigy is a horror film that benefits from a few great jump-scares that had me jumping out of my seat and some very devoted performances, but the movie truly does unravel by the time the credits roll. This is the worst kind of film to watch because it's not terrible by any means, but it doesn't fully embrace its premise. This movie was like watching a superhero film where the hero of the story tells you everything they can do, but never showcases much of that power. The Prodigy may please some viewers, but I found it to be a waste of potential and mean-spirited from start to finish. Even though I wasn't excited for this movie in any way, I was still disappointed.

Let me just say that they tried REALLY hard with this one. Trying to put a new spin on an old story, Which sure, they did. But it was still predictable around every turn. Every little "twist" I saw coming from a mile away. At one point the main character makes a "realization" and I actually thought, you just NOW figured that out??? ha. I was intrigued through most of it, but got a little bored at the end as I had already figured out where they were going. So I will give it a five for a solid effort.

I don't know about you, but one more 'whoops my kid is possessed' flick and I'm about to scream. I ended up seeing this one and I was in for a treat. Not only did I like the start of this film, bringing me back to 70's and 80's gritty slasher classics - it also intrigued me; 'what am I in for?' The film contains thriller and horror elements, it feels like a blend. The cast is solid and Taylor Schilling and Jackson Robert Scott especially were a great match. The biggest and for me personally most annoying cliché ('my kid would NEVER do that' / insert surprised face emoji) is pretty much avoided here, and that gives it a genuine feel plus a hurrah from me. Director Nicholas McCarthy included a couple of very nice shots. The dark introduction scene and the wide shot of Miles in Halloween outfit felt to me like classic horror scenes and make you wonder 'what is going on?' I would like to see McCarthy also try something a little less supernatural with more character depth. In this case especially, I was interested in learning more about the main character and their motivation. Overall, I enjoyed it! A sequel could be good, but only with young Scott back in the game and more background information revealed...