The Prodigies is Antoine Charreyron first attempt at a feature length film. Courtesy of eOne Entertainment
The turmoil of being different is not easy to deal with. Imagine the anger that would build inside of you if you were treated like a freak day in and day out. What you would do with that anger, if by a change of events you had the power to control other people. This adaptation of Bernard Lenteric’s novel examines this in The Prodigies – An animated film for grownups.
In this movie, Jimbo, the main character in the film, discovers he has tremendous power as a youth and grows up to find every other person who shares his gift, or curse, depending on how you choose to see it.
It’s not a perfect movie, but the positives outweigh the negatives and the end result left me wanting a sequel.
The story is unique. It examines these borrowed themes (super powers, prejudice) in a violent way completely unsuitable for children. Because of this depiction there is an added element of realism to a film that could otherwise be considered juvenile.
On the other hand, the animated movement of the characters make the video games of yesteryear appear believable. This stylistic choice by video game turned movie director, Antoine Charreyron makes the entire production look very dated. For what it’s worth, the backgrounds and inanimate objects looked quite good.
Another negative is the DVD itself. The picture and audio quality are solid, but there isn’t a single special feature to speak of (Surprising given the relevant nature of the film).
Bottom Line: This sci-fi animation will satisfy fans of the genre. I’m sure excited about the story evolving into a sequel.
Movie Grade B-
Blu Ray Grade C-
Runtime: 87 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
