The Prodigy

The Prodigy was invisible in the competition of the horror films coming the cinemas this year. It’s one of those projects that would’ve been better served by VOD, where it could be considered a pleasant surprise. In all respects, it’s inoffensive; well shot, with solid performances, and with at least two creepy moments that made me feel uncomfortable. But as a whole, it’s way too indistinct to attract much attention in the cinemas. The core problem for me was the enormous predictability of the plot, where as soon as it is clear what it is about, you know where it’s going. (13/02/2019)

This year has been poor so far except for Pet Sematary, Us and Escape Room, but the overlooked The Prodigy is a nice thing and for me an unexpected surprise. I expected nothing but mediocrity from the director of the horror film The Pact, but in the end this is a very disturbing and psychologically gripping horror film about a young boy who is unusually intelligent and uncomfortably aggressive. I liked that the boy is not possessed by a demon or any supernatural force, as is usual with similar genre films, but rather originally the film focuses on reincarnation, which is an interesting topic in itself. It's well acted, decently shot, engaging from start to finish, and there are some decent scares, including a pleasantly sharp finale. Better than I had hoped for and certainly a better choice than this year's similarly-themed The Hole in the Ground. 80% (29/04/2019)

The American-Canadian film The Prodigy doesn't really show us anything new, it's not an original story, it takes elements from various horror films, and it tries to be a thriller detective story. In the end, it's made just well enough to engage the viewer with seemingly unoriginal material and to show that when the unoriginal comes together, it's possible to make a good and ultimately maybe even a slightly different film. (24/07/2019)

The wayward son Miles is a serious candidate for every parent's nightmare. I have no desire to watch such abominations such as relations between immediate family members, but I have to admit that, as horrors go, The Prodigy is not a bad movie. Apart from a few decent scares, the rather unexpected and rather unpleasant denouement confirms my belief. (60%) (03/03/2022)

A predictable mystery classic with mediocre actors and one trump card. Jackson Robert Scott is quite likeable and you just trust him with a knife. (05/05/2019)