The Boy (2016)

"For his exceptional work in 12 Years a Slave, Chiwetel Ejiofor should have an Oscar to his name. As that compelling role proved, and everything from Dirty Pretty Things to Children of Men to The Martian too, he’s a quietly powerful actor whose portrayals not only burrow under his characters’ warm, textured, intelligent skins, but under the audience’s as well. Rare is the moment when Ejiofor does more than what’s necessary for a performance, although that description might be misleading. An economical master at making every look, gesture, move and moment count in a potent and pared-back way, there’s never anything lacking when he’s on screen, even when he appears to be playing a straightforward role."

"Despite game efforts by the cast, this tepid horror opus is never scary enough to overcome its silly premise."

"These movies need new toys to play with."

"If only writer Stacey Menear and director William Brent Bell took the very real horrors of domestic abuse as seriously as they do the virtual horror of paranormal activity."

"Not as bad as the trailer makes it look & for a horror film it has a substantial plot."

"Stacey Menear's screenplay doesn't manage to sustain its clever premise, with the final act featuring a banal and formulaic revelation..."

"The Boy, from director William Brent Bell, aims to set itself squarely in the fictional canon of "Chucky" and its brethren, but it ends up trying to do so much that it forgets to scare us."