The Prodigies (2011) Reviews

• Nice picture but very frustrating plot and characters

  nuan962012-07-17

  I find the plot very frustrating. I don't think the dark feel the story tries to build makes sense. The characters are shallow and seem built up just to give fuel to the story. The characters are cornered unreasonably. Some details are inconsistent. The movie tries to make us feel highlighted about the intense anger/hatred the main characters have which push them for revenge. But honestly, the story base isn't strong enough. Or at least, I cannot connect to that. It's successfully dark but it doesn't feel real. This is very unfortunate given the nice picture work and the bravery to come up with animation with dark theme. In comparison to the Ghibli, the story still lack a lot of dept and genuineness.

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• Not your typical animated picture

  kosmasp2012-06-03

  But then again, if you watch Japanese animation, you should be used to that and more. Again let me make this clear to you: This is not intended to be seen by kids. The theme is mature and it has a bit of graphic nature/pictures to support that. I wasn't as touched as another reviewer on here, but I can see where he/she is coming from. The movie has a few things going for it. Overall though it is predictable and has some storytelling flaws to sport. It tries to involve the audience members emotionally, but might not be able to do so (at least with the majority of them). Studio Ghibli has nothing to fear ... yet.

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• A revolutionary benchmark for visual storytelling

  georgegates2012-03-25

  *No Spoilers!* About 100.000 feature films are made each year. Of these, every 1000'th might turns out to be a masterpiece. Yet many other movies will ever find their deserved recognition and are indirectly robbed of their status as 'masterpiece'. I would contently lay back if my cup is filled with only 12 of these countless of annual masterpieces over a duration of 12 to 18 months. 'Prodigies' deserves to be on the list of 'twelves', setting itself apart as a symphony of technology, artistry -which also extends to the creative camera-work - and a strong, resonating story (which truly moved me). Rather than the typical animated PG-13 flick, that is family-themed and wrapped in a nice-chlichee story, 'Prodigies' is one of a few CG-animation movies with an adult-theme. *Visually the movie makes a good compromise between quality and a medium-budget. The CGI world is physically well modeled, light is raycast and all characters are Motion-captured, with full facial expression capturing. (There's a 'making-of', on youtube for those interested.) Out of over a thousand movies I have watched, 'Prodigies' is amongst the most powerful I have ever seen. With the right promotion this movie is bound to get its share of awards. *Story-wise and to some extend also visually, CG-animation movies that come closest are "Parasite Eve" and "Resident Evil". 'Prodigies' is one of the few movies, I will definitely buy. PS: To resonate with the story, bear in mind that the five prodigies share a psychic connection and as such also shared the trauma of the rape. The extend to which Miss Ji Lian was involved in the events -turning out they way they did- was treated somewhat ambiguously (at least to me)

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• Surprising

  tassoart2012-08-29

  For a movie I never heard about, this one blew me away. While it's a generally familiar plot of afflicted mutants vs non-mutants, it's done in a unique way with surprisingly good character development. And with its non-conventional ending, it felt like the beginning of an epic story. The only reason I didn't give it 10/10 is its style of animation, which feels somewhat dated by todays standards and reminds me of the quality you'd come to expect from a Saturday morning cartoons (a testament to how spoiled we have become). Despite that, the art direction is flawless, with cinematic sequences that rival some of the best eye candy silicon has ever offered. Watch this movie!

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• Sometimes better not to trust the movie ratings....

  rogermorse2013-02-08

  I normally write reviews only when I don't agree with the average rating of the movie. 5.8 is definitely not enough for this movie. The CG style has its own characters. It reminds me a bit the game 'Runaway' on PC from Pendulo Studios developers. This is a movie with a story, a good stylish CG and very entertaining in general. Artistically, it has also its moments. Only thing, I didn't find the 3D quality to be that good: the depth is subtle, nothing coming off the screen or going really deep in. Well, I didn't regret renting the bluray, and I don't regret myself giving it 7,5 stars. But of course: for those people who seek special effects, explosions, perfectly rendered animations and bad-ass rambo shooters....well this isn't the movie for you.

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