The Prodigy (2019) Review

"Mommy, what's wrong with me?"
-Miles



Miles (Jackson Robert Scott) is a boy genius, but has a few violence issues.  After he attacks another boy, Miles' mother, Sarah (Taylor Shilling), decides to get him help.  She discovers that Miles was born at the exact date and time a notorious serial killer was killed in a police raid.  Somehow, this monster's soul shares Miles' body and Sarah has to find a way to save her son before the killer takes over completely.


What Works:

All of the performances are solid all around.  Both Tylor Schilling and Peter Mooney do a good job as the confused and distraught parents.  Their reactions to Miles' behavior make total sense and they have good chemistry.  As far as kid actors go, Jackson Robert Scott does a fine job and gets some fun moments when he delivers some ridiculously obscene dialogue.  I also enjoyed Colm Feore as the specialist they bring in to help Miles.  His response to Miles' threat is pretty funny.

The film has exactly three really creepy moments, one of which was spoiled in the trailer, but I'll try not to hold that against the film too much.  All three moments made my skin crawl and were very effective.  I just wish there were more of them.

Finally, I thought the set up for the 3rd act was very interesting.  Sarah discovers a way to save her son, but it will come at a great cost.  The decision she has to make is very intriguing and I liked the idea even if the execution left a lot to be desired. 


What Sucks:

The ending of this film is very lackluster.  As I said above, the premise for the 3rd act was very good, but The Prodigy simply doesn't do enough with it and shies away from what could have been a powerful and messed up ending.  Instead we get cop-out ending that only serves as sequel-bait.

The movie itself really isn't anything special.  We've seen this movie before and The Prodigy doesn't bring anything new to the table.  There have been plenty of other movies with nearly-identical plots that were done much better.


Verdict:

The Prodigy isn't a bad movie, but it isn't good either.  It's pretty much a paint-by-numbers horror film that adds nothing new to the genre and has a weak ending.  The performances are solid, there are three really creepy moments, and the 3rd act has a neat idea, but the poor execution leaves nothing in this film that is really worth seeing.

 5/10: Meh 

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