Jul 30, 2019
Hi everyone!
Welcome back to another Takeover Tuesday! This week we have a brand-new critic named Nathan Gibbons, who will be reviewing a hit-or-miss evil seed horror film from earlier this year called “The Prodigy”. Nathan is a recent follower of One Movie Punch, who was extremely enthusiastic about guesting, and has more than one film lined up for the podcast. He’ll be up in a minute with his thoughts on “The Prodigy”, but for a few other evil seed horror films, check out “Let The Right One In” (Episode #024), “Veronica” (Episode #080), “Hereditary” (Episode #525), and “The Hole in the Ground” (Episode #491). And for an evil parents film, be sure to check out “Mom and Dad” (Episode #475).
Are you interested in doing a guest review here at One Movie Punch? Head over to onemoviepunch.com/takeover-tuesday and read up more on the process, then reach out to us using the provided form or over social media to find out about guesting. We’d love to have you on the show, and you’ll get access to our growing audience and be able to run your promo before the review. We have a limited number of slots open each quarter, so be sure to contact us as soon as possible. And if you do well enough, you just might be asked to join the ranks of the One Movie Punch crew.
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Take it away, Nathan!
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My name is Nathan Gibbons. Follow my Twitter @YaBoyGibbo and Instagram @gibbogram1. I’m a stand-up comedian from London, England and I host a podcast on Apple Podcasts called The One Where Show on which I interview comedians about themselves and a sitcom of their choice.
But for now, I’m going to talk to you about the 2019 horror film “The Prodigy”. The film is directed by Nicholas McCarthy, written by Jeff Buhler, and stars Taylor Schilling (from Orange is the New Black) and Peter Mooney, as Sarah and Jason Blume, a married couple who begin to worry about the behavior of eight-year-old son Miles (Jackson Robert Scott). Could it be that his brain is developing at a more advanced rate? Or could it be that evil supernatural forces have taken over their son?
I’m just going to start by saying that I’m kinda surprised that this wasn’t given a wide release here in the UK, but I guess it’s hard for horror films these days unless it’s a remake, or a part of the Conjuring universe. Anyway, to be honest, I had an okay time with this. It’s mid-level horror at its most mid-level. While he ain’t Damien Thorne, Jackson Robert Scott’s Miles is decently written creepy horror movie kid and has a decent performance to match the writing. Taylor Schilling also does the typical conflicted horror movie mother role quite well.
Also, credit has to go to Nicholas McCarthy who directed the thing. He knows how to get the best performance out of his young star and uses the lighting effectively to create tension. From the opening shot, it is clear that he has his heart in this project, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the opening sequence. Also, there are some wonderfully creepy scenes, and apart from in the first five minutes, McCarthy does not rely on pointless jump scares to keep the audience interested, and to his credit, when they are used afterwards they often serve a purpose.
Now, I have some major criticisms of the film, with the first being that the adult characters are criminally stupid. I mean, if Taylor Schilling had bothered to check the baby camera, like I’m guessing any parent who has one would, this movie would have been over in 20 minutes. Secondly, as with most horror movies recently, Peter Mooney’s role as the husband is so underwritten that when he leaves the film completely for about 30 minutes, I didn’t even notice until he had a “Hey, I’m back!” moment. And third, there is a point near the end where it should have ended but instead goes down the “I hope we get a sequel!” route and it suffers because of this.
To sum up, this is a Diet Coke version of “The Omen”. I’ll give the performances 7/10, the script gets 6/10, and the set 7/10. The message gets an 8/10: (1) because evil exists people, okay, and (2) at the film’s heart, it’s about a mother who will do anything for her son.
Rotten Tomatoes: 43%
Metacritic: 45
One Movie Punch: 7.0/10
So, not great, but not a waste of time, either. If you’re in America it’s been given an R rating. It’s a 15 in the UK.
Ok, guys. That’s all from me! I’m Nathan Gibbons, and hopefully, you will hear from me again soon.