Gifted Movie Review
Gifted is the newest movie starring Captain America (aka Chris Evans). The movie revolves around Chris Evans raising his young niece(a child genius) and his struggle in trying to give her a normal life while being burdened by the responsibility he feels to challenge and foster her intellectual abilities.
The move is by director Marc Webb who directed The Amazing Spider-Man movies. I really didn't like those movies but I definitely enjoyed this one. Webb also did 500 Days of Summer(which I've never seen) and many people I know love that film. It seems that he's able to find his stride in these smaller low-budget films.
The story is by far Gifted's strongest element. There are tons of great movies like A Beautiful Mind, The Theory of Everything, and Good-Will Hunting that revolve around genius-like characters. This one takes a lot of familiar elements from those but also feels different from what we're used to. I think there are mainly two reasons for that. First, I don't feel like there's many movies about a similar subject that focus on such a young character. That leads into the second reason as to why this movie stands on its own. It's more about the gives and takes about being a genius, what it means, and what the responsibilities are. Chris Evans' character realizes that his niece is capable of a lot more than the opportunities he's giving her. However, he doesn't want her to miss out on her childhood or feel isolated from the rest of the world. As you get to find out more about their backgrounds, all the characters' motivations feel more and more fleshed out. You understand their actions and points of view. What I like about Gifted is that it tackles a heavy subject and still feels light-hearted and fun. The pacing is great and it never drags. It's a feel good movie and it gets you talking after you leave the theatre.
The main downside I had with the film was the acting. It never took me out of the story but I felt it could've been improved. I like Chris Evans on-screen presence but it seems that he's always playing the same character in a different role. He's always the guy with a strong moral compass and I never think he does it amazingly well. I want to see more out of him but I also want to see him do some different character types. Everyone else gave fine performances but not great ones. I think with better acting, the movie could have gone to the next level.
I don't think Gifted is going to make it on many many peoples' favorite of the year list. It's not a fantastic, jaw dropping movie but it makes you feel good. I was glad I saw it and thought it had some meaningful things to say. It's a movie that you could probably wait to rent but if you need something to watch on a weekend afternoon I'd definitely go to a theatre and check it out. 7.5/10
