The Prodigy | Film Review

Hey Guys x

I hadn't heard of this before I saw it, but I'm always searching for more horror movies to see. So of course, I watched it as soon as I got the chance!

Parents Sarah (Taylor Schilling) and John (Peter Mooney) were ecstatic when their son Miles (Jackson Robert Scott) was born, and even more ecstatic when it appears that he is developing at a much faster rate than other children his age. But when Miles starts to exhibit unusual behaviours, his parents discover that maybe Miles' development isn't extraordinary after all... maybe it's supernatural.

Before watching this film, I thought it was going to be a run-of-the-mill demon-child horror, so I was really pleasantly surprised upon watching it to find that it was very different from my initial assumptions.

There is a sinister, creepy atmosphere to this film right from the first moment, and this really sets the tone for the rest of the film. You can never quite relax because you have no idea what's waiting around the corner.

The film has a really original premise. At first it seems like a usual horror movie plot, that's maybe a bit over-done, but the further into the story you get, the more original it becomes. Because of this, you really don't know where things are going, or how they'll end. It leaves you on the edge of your seat imagining all the different paths it could take.

The star of the film, without a doubt, is Miles, played by Jackson Robert Scott (who also played Georgie in 'IT (2017)'). His character is one that you have extremely conflicting feelings towards. On the one hand, he's a child that's somewhat helpless, and you feel sorry for him. But on the other hand, the kid is creepy. And for whatever reason this is, you can't help but be scared of him, which is exactly what the film wants.

Near the end of the film, though, things get a bit ridiculous. In particular, the mother's behaviour was crazy and unrealistic. The film tried to do a good job of setting up the kind of person that she was, and then basically threw it out the window for the sake of explaining that being a mother is a bigger deal than being a human being. She makes some hard choices, but it's hard to sympathise with her as a person when she does an awful thing.

In addition to this, the ending wasn't particularly satisfying. Of all the different endings that the film could have portrayed, what they did is an interesting, if slightly disappointing, avenue to go down.

Overall, see this if you get the chance, particularly if you're a fan of horror!

6.5/10

Lou