10 Best Movies About Young Geniuses

10 Best Movies About Young Geniuses

Whether these young geniuses are chess masters or masters of physics, these movies showcase the triumphs and tribulations of having a high IQ.

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There are a lot of advantages of being born with an exceptionally high IQ, but often incredible intelligence brings quite a few obstacles. Some of these take the form of feeling ostracized from peers, while others come down to not having the privilege of being born in a place –or era– when intellectual talents can be recognized and cultivated.

Whether they’re 12-year-old chess masters, 7-year-old mathematicians, or teenagers on the spectrum that have to balance knowing a lot about calculus with knowing very little about how to relate to people, the young geniuses featured in these movies don’t just get their above-average intelligence showcased like it’s a superpower, but instead have it juxtaposed with the realities of what having that sort of gift would be like for a young person across racial, economic, and social divides.

10 Real Genius (1985) – Available On Prime

An ’80s classic, Real Genius follows a science genius who gets accepted to Pacific Tech and gets paired up with a senior working on a laser. While freshman Mitch isn’t too keen on Chris’s lackadaisical attitude towards the project, they eventually form a bond as it progresses, eventually standing up to the government officials that would use the laser as a weapon.

While light in the practical science application, the movie reminds its geniuses that there’s more to life than what they’re really good at. Geniuses come in all forms, and it’s important the movie conveys not all intellectually gifted people adhere to the trope of being socially inept and completely obsessed with a given field. Aside from being one of Val Kilmer’s best movies, his performance as slacker genius Chris Knight, unchallenged by his curriculum, is as relatable as Gabriel Jarret’s more bookish version.

9 Searching For Bobby Fischer (1993) – Available On Prime

Considered a prodigy chess player and the heir apparent to Bobby Fischer’s legacy, 7-year-old Josh competes in speed chess in the local park, learning the finer points of the game from wisecracking hustler Vinnie. Josh’s parents want him to have a professional coach, but the stress of his more disciplined methods combined with increasing competitions threaten Josh’s love of the game.

Both a heartwarming family drama and one of the best chess movies around, Searching for Bobby Fischer looks at both what happens when a child isn’t allowed to be a child because of their unusual talents, and the different ways they can develop those talents. When the adults stop listening to the child’s needs, they can come to think of their gifts as a curse.

8 Weird Science (1985) – Available On Hulu

When two science aficionados learn how to make the “perfect” woman using a computer program they developed, they never expect to actually meet her, but a freak storm and electrical surge make her leap from the screen into the corporeal world.

While Weird Science does adhere to tropes about geniuses being antisocial nerds and lacking friends (think Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory) for comic relief, the other characters aren’t necessarily depicted in a better light, placing a higher priority on popularity than compassion. And as for Lisa, the perfect woman is perfectly capable of handling herself. While she updates their looks and makes them the envy of all their friends, she also gives them invaluable insight about their attitudes towards women.

7 Artemis Fowl (2020) – Available On Disney+

Based on the popular series of YA books by the same name, Artemis Fowl chronicles the adventures of a 12-year-old genius who’s descended from criminal masterminds and unwittingly lands himself in the middle of a battle with sinister fae who might have had something to do with the disappearance of his father.

Practical, resourceful, and charming, Artemis Fowl is a dynamic hero who comes across, unlike some representations of child prodigies, as confident and comfortable in his own skin. In designer suits and with the latest tech, being a young genius never looked so cool! It’s a pity that the movie took two decades to get made and feels rushed, because the series deserves more attention.

6 Good Will Hunting (1997) – Available On Hulu

Instead of attending, young Will Hunting works as a janitor at MIT despite having the IQ of a genius. One of the professors discovers him solving a math problem that has stumped most of his students, and he decides to help him realize his true potential. When Will reveals signs of aggression and has a run-in with local law enforcement, he’s granted leniency by seeking therapy.

The much-celebrated film (written by co-stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck) gives a humanistic side to genius, often showing how it doesn’t appear in typical ways, and can go unnoticed if belonging to the more contemplative among us. It also reveals the burden of intelligence, how it can affect someone’s emotion, and how accolades and recognition for it aren’t always wanted.

5 Queen Of Katwe (2016) – Available On Disney+

To a 10-year-old living in a slum in Katwe, learning chess from a missionary and local soccer coach provides a life-changing chance at a bright future throughout Uganda and beyond. As she excels at first local competitions, and then more internationally recognized tournaments, she realizes her prowess with the game has the ability to lift her and her family out of a life of poverty.

Queen of Katwe, based on the true story of child prodigy Phiona Mutesi and her incredible journey, highlights the undiscovered geniuses living in areas of the world without access to the privileges that would recognize their talent and develop it, and the unique burdens they face.

4 X+Y (2014) – Available On Prime

A young math prodigy who has trouble building relationships and maintaining friends travels to the International Mathematics Olympiad, eventually befriending a young girl and fellow competitor who understands and accepts him for who he is. In the process he begins to flourish in ways he didn’t think were possible.

X + Y (sometimes marketed as A Beautiful Young Mind) is a self-contained, enriching movie that focuses on a teenage genius who recognizes his lack of empathy, and develops ways to navigate the world while being on the autistic spectrum. It doesn’t downplay his challenges and empowers him to make confident decisions.

3 Fresh (1994) – Available On Prime

A young chess player finds ways to distract himself from the hard realities of life in the ghetto by playing against his father, a speed chess champion, in between making runs for a local drug lord. In an effort to escape the cycle of poverty, he uses his chess skills to weave a complex strategy against his boss to free himself and his family.

Fresh provides an unflinching look at the life of a 12-year-old genius in an impoverished neighborhood with few prospects and ways to get out, except the development of his impressive mental abilities. The intricacy of the plot and its eventual outcome speak to the ingenuity of the young lead, who just as in chess, keeps his cool against even the most calculating opponents.

2 Little Man Tate (1991) – Available On YouTube

When a single mom decides her 7-year-old son needs to be around other children with a genius IQ, she sends him to an exclusive summer camp run by a venerated child psychologist, who herself was a child prodigy. Her son develops his intellectual talents through the camp’s curriculum and activities, but when he gets ready for a televised completion, he struggles with furthering his education or having a normal childhood.

Little Man Tate is impressive for two reasons — it’s Jodie Foster’s unforgettable directorial debut, and deals with themes of classism in the realm of child geniuses, focusing on the economic and emotional struggles that can follow children who are different from their peers in more ways than one.

1 Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) – Available On Pluto

Before he was known as The World’s Greatest Detective, Sherlock Holmes was a young boy solving crimes with his school chum Watson. Together they ditch the schoolyard of their boarding school for the mean streets of London, intent on solving a mystery that involves a secret society, and possibly Holmes’ mentor and head master.

Produced by Steven Spielberg and featuring early visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic, Young Sherlock Holmes is a rousing adventure that redefines the classic Holmes canon by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring one of the smartest characters in literature and his best friend building the foundation for the dynamic duo fans know and love.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/best-movies-about-young-geniuses/

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