The Prodigy Blu-Ray Review
Aaron Walker
August 8th, 2019
As someone who is currently the father of two children between the ages of 7 and 10, I’ve found that horror films don’t hit me in the same way they used to – often times they hit me much harder, and in a way that seems to stay with me much longer, than they did when I was in my 20’s and didn’t yet have children. Through all those years and experiences, those years of love and so much else, they also give me a new appreciation for this type of film and for the idea (rarely experienced) that there is still new ground to be tread. New-to-Blu film THE PRODIGY (2019) proves this quickly by taking a great (but arguably – tired) concept and pushing it further, turning it on its ear to provide us with a film that feels quite unique and terrifying.
The poster for THE PRODIGY and the Blu-ray cover states “There’s something wrong with Miles”, a quote that harkens to a number of other films in this genre-space. Kid-horror, specifically horror films where children are the ones doing violence or acting extremely… off… is a popular sub-genre of horror films with many fans. Further, THE PRODIGY appears to be focused specifically on possession, which is another common theme in horror films and one that has been done, and done, and done again. Thankfully, while THE PRODIGY certainly uses the audience’s expectations and tried and true concepts to take their story further.
THE PRODIGY is the story of the Blume family – Sarah and John, played by Taylor Schilling and Peter Mooney, respectively – have been trying to have a child for some time. Sarah is finally pregnant but several weeks ahead of schedule she can feel the baby coming. At the same time Sarah is going into labor, a woman escapes the compound of what appears to be a serial killer, who is killed by the police just moments before Miles Blume, Sarah and John’s baby, is born. Within months, they can tell that something is very different about their son. He’s talking at 6 months and showing signs of increased physical development as well. But, there’s something else going on. By the age of 5, he’s showing increased social isolation, even violent behavior against other children.
With a movie like this, treading new ground is extremely difficult. The filmmakers seemed aware of this and embraced the clichés of old while adding in their own flavor. Director Nicholas McCarthy hasn’t had a lot of experience but he’s really put together a special movie in THE PRODIGY. Taking cues from some of the best horror out there in terms of jump scares, and adding a bunch of his own little touches that ramp up the intensity, McCarthy creates a believable world in which we don’t only question what’s happening with Miles, but we start to question whether or not Sarah and John should even have a child as their parenting begins to devolve as they experience increased stressors.
A movie like THE PRODIGY could have been just a rehash of WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN or a story more akin to THE OMEN or even a lesser THE EXORCIST. While THE PRODIGY doesn’t exceed these films that came before, it does do a great job of building this very small world around the Blume family, and establishing rules about how the world works. While the choices of the parents don’t always make sense, especially those made by Sarah in the third act, Taylor Schilling and Peter Mooney are both great on screen and they are great together. Throw in a great supporting role from Colm Feore, and you’ve got a nice table set for a fun feature.
But what is the best thing about THE PRODIGY? It isn’t the standout performance from Schilling, or newcomer McCarthy’s accomplishment building this story. It’s newcomer Jackson Robert Scott (previously from IT), who plays 8 year old Miles with incredible and terrifying effect. The way he switches from sweet and loving to blank or just terrifying is a sight to behold, and one that just might give you nightmares. I’m avoiding the specific twist of the film as it’s just so fun to watch to find it out yourself… but Scott pulls it off nicely, with a little help from a few quick special effects. Ultimately, THE PRODIGY is a must-see if you’re a fan of the genre.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: THE PRODIGY is presented in 1080p at 2.39:1 aspect ratio that will look perfect on your widescreen HD television. While there are a lot of dark scenes, they really did a nice job making the dark scenes very clear and visible. The special effects are minimal as well, so the picture really does bring a realistic feel to the movie.
Audio: (English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio) The audio is also stellar for THE PRODIGY, with a number of jump scares that play really well regardless of your location and setup. It’s nice on both the highs and lows and carries the dialogue despite a lot of variance in volume and intensity.
Audio Commentary with Director Nicholas McCarthy This is a very nice audio commentary track though I would have liked to have had more folks involved. THE PRODIGY director stops by to talk us through many of the choices in the film, including casting and how they worked out some of the special effects, the basis of the story, and other tidbits from the film.
Featurettes: THE PRODIGY Blu-ray also features three very, very short featurettes (under 2 minutes a piece) that feel like they were marketing/promo videos that just barely scratch the surface of the film. They are titled “Story”, “Genre”, and “Miles” and are about as generic and unwatchable as the names would imply.
Gallery: Finally, THE PRODIGY has a Stills Gallery featuring imagery – very few images – from the film that again feels odd. The extra features on this disc frankly leave the viewer wondering if this is an elaborate prank – this surely can’t be intentionally all there is?
THE PRODIGY comes in a DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack with a code for a Digital Copy.
