As a new segment for the site we are going to be adding a review section. We’ll be reviewing movies, TV shows, music, video games, and anything else we may feel like! Without further ado, here is our first review!

The Prodigy

The Prodigy centers on a family who after struggling to conceive finally have a child. At the precise moment of the child’s birth, a serial killer is killed, and the soul of the killer is reincarnated into the newborn boy. This beginning scene was the strongest shot of the movie where the killer’s bullet wounds are reflected in the pattern of blood on the baby from the womb.

Many horror movies center on a mundane fear, magnified by a supernatural element. Obviously this film is based around the fears of raising a troubled child. The child, Miles, is more of a manipulator than outright violent or scary. He is portrayed as supernaturally intelligent, the titular prodigy.

A major issue with the film is not Miles’ genius but the incompetence of the rest of the characters, especially the protagonist, Sarah. The horrors that Miles commits fall flat when they are nearly forgotten in the following scenes. To be fair, who can expect Miles’ family to remember his atrocities when they forget to turn on the lights in most of the scenes. How many bad horror movie characters does it take to flip a light switch?

This selective blindness to Miles’ behavior plagues the film. Sarah finds an expert who conveniently is able to instantly tell that Miles is possessed by or is the reincarnation of this serial killer. She latches onto this idea as gospel, never mind that reincarnation really isn’t a reasonable explanation for a child’s deviance in real life. The movie really missed an opportunity to play on the uncertainty of the supernatural elements. It’s not willing to entertain the idea that Miles is just a really messed up kid. Instead, this film outright tells the audience that Miles is possessed.

Despite the ham-fisted way “reincarnation” is forced into the plot, it really bears no consequence to the conclusion of the film. Promisingly, Sarah concocts an interesting plan to complete the killer’s last unfinished business on Earth. This was the most unexpected twist in the movie, but the filmmakers weren’t willing to take it far enough. Instead Sarah stops short, and pretty much makes the rest of the plot irrelevant. The Prodigy is free to end on an cliche cliffhanger.

Overall rating: D

The Prodigy earns a D rating. It had a few elements that were promising, but was dragged down by plot holes, cliches, and lack of commitment to the story.