![]() ![]() The actor is also quite capable of holding his own against the mighty Duncan, whose every line is delivered like a dagger and who also does fantastic work revealing the wounded yet closed-off person inside her rigid armor (she’s also got a few witty moments as well). The latter is plucky and funny, while Evans’ easygoing charm and unforced vulnerability show him to be quite capable of carrying a performance and a movie without a costume and special effects to help him out (I’m being a little unfair, to be honest: I think Evans does a superb job both in and out of costume when he’s playing Captain America). What saves the picture is the genuinely heartwarming chemistry between Evans and Grace. But instead of staying focused on the core conflict, Gifted wanders all over the map and, particularly in its third act, wheels out enough would-be surprise revelations and twists to stock a soap opera, which the movie veers toward becoming in its more maudlin second half. Those are solid themes to ponder and Gifted (directed by Marc Webb, making a return to his indie roots after his two ill-fated Amazing Spider-Man entries) occasionally lands on them in poignant and thought-provoking fashion. Frank, of course, is opposed, setting up a family struggle and courtroom confrontation that raises questions of what kind of environment is best for any child, especially an exceptional one, and whether a parent or family in the traditional sense is necessarily the right thing for anybody. Having prepped her daughter for a life of conquering mathematics, Evelyn intends to gain custody of Mary and do the same with her. It turns out that Mary herself is a prodigy too having already mastered calculus, she is far too advanced for the public school that Frank has placed her in because he wants her to have a normal childhood, and her behavior at the school immediately becomes an issue.Įnter Frank’s mother and Mary’s grandmother, the wealthy but chilly Evelyn (the great Lindsay Duncan), a one-time math wizard herself who gave it all up to raise her two children. Mary’s mom was a math genius whose work on the Navier-Stokes Problem, one of the world’s great unsolved equations, had her in line for a possible Nobel Prize. That it works for at least a chunk of its length is due to the ideas expressed and a restrained, moving performance from Chris Evans that proves he can do heroics without a shield and super-strength.Įvans plays Frank, who repairs boats in a small central Florida hamlet and is raising his seven-year-old niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) following what we soon find out was the suicide of her mother when she was an infant. That wasn’t totally wrong, but rather than being a cerebral meditation of sorts, Gifted is instead a family melodrama combined with aspects of a comedy and a courtroom story. The background of characters were well explored at the beginning of each episode.Going into Gifted largely cold in terms of knowing exactly what the movie was about, I somehow had the impression that it was a vaguely science-fictional tale about a child mathematical genius and the battle over control of her abilities. Entertaining storyline, well-woven at times (nothing deep though).Overall good cast, especially worth noting are the acting of Coby Bell, Jamie Chung, Emma Dumont and Grace Byers.Near award-winning VFX and special effects, besides the horrible lenses.The Gifted is a series that I won't be harsh on, as it was entertaining, had much potential and an overall good cast, but didn't live up to expectations in the end.
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