Out of left field comes a film that may have escaped your radar. The Prodigies is taking things back with their animation in what looks like a Matrix-esque themed adventure. This retro-film may be a breath of fresh air in the otherwise sleek world of contemporary cinema.
The trailer is in French but don’t let it throw you off, as there’s only a couple lines of dialog. Check it out here.
Director Antoine Charreyron, known for his work in video games, makes his feature debut with The Prodigies (La Nuit des enfants rois). The look of the film may be a video game-style crossover which may make an interesting film in a style audiences haven’t seen or expected. The film is based on a 1982 novel by Bernard Lenteric; its official film synopsis is as follows:
NYC, Central Park, 2010. Five young teenagers are violently assaulted. But they’re not your average teenagers… they’re prodigies. The trauma of the assault incites them to lash out against the world in a cold and calculating way. The five chillingly brilliant minds come together to concoct a perfect revenge. The only person aware of the pending doom is Jimbo Farrar, a sixth prodigy, who has gathered them. As long as he fights against his five counterparts with all his might, there’s hope for the world. But should he turn over to their side, it’s only a matter of time before a disaster of apocalyptic proportions ensues…
Warner Bros. will be releasing Charreyron’s debut in France later this year with a U.S. release to follow, hopefully. Will you go see this film if it makes a U.S. appearance or does the animation turn you off? Leave us your thoughts below!
— Aaron Faulkner
The Filmsmith 
I don’t play a lot of video games. I just don’t have the dexterity required. I also don’t dance much. Not for my lack of a love of music and/or rhythm… well, maybe that… but for the same reason that I don’t play video games. I am not good at them. This, however, is not to say that I don’t appreciate the artistry required to create them.
The opening trailer for Red Dead Redemption is one such video game where even I as a filmmaker had to say to myself, this is the promise of new cinema. Then I saw LA Noire and was like that’s just brilliant. I am not 18 anymore, there’s winter in my beard now. I spent thousands of dollars a quarter at a time playing “Pong” and much later “Dragon’s Den” in my local pizza parlor when it was released. However, this level of storytelling is next level.
I think that the trailer for “Prodigies” is genius. Pure and unadulterated. Not because of the hokey and overly ambitious synopsis but because you get the sense from it that this type of animation has a firm knowledge of its history. Of where it comes from. Of its ultimate responsibility to cinema and therefore to storytelling.
I am excited about the promise of it. And after the recent rash of absolute pabulum that Hollywood has produced and tricked us into believing had merit, this is the sort of film I would welcome spending sometime with.