Diagonaldi Very well executed

Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

ElectricWarlock First of all, I just wanted to say that this movie was terrific. I am a fan of movies about evil children and so I knew what to expect, seeing similar movies such as "The Bad Seed" and "Children of the Corn" beforehand. I was greatly pleased when I watched this film. The main thing I liked, besides the wonderful story, was the extremely well-written characters. Character development is one of the most important things I feel any movie could have because if you don't care about the characters, you aren't going to care what happens to them so what good is watching a movie if you don't care about the characters? This movie did a wonderful job with writing the characters because I did care about them. Especially Joshua who was brilliantly portrayed by Jacob Kogan. He was perfectly cast in the role of Joshua who I think was misunderstood, and let me explain why: This film seems to try to portray Joshua as sinister, manipulative and evil and I don't think Joshua was evil at all, I just think he thought differently than other children and had habits and characteristics that were unusual compared to everyone else. He felt unloved by his parents and felt that they weren't giving him enough affection because of his new baby sister so he acted out and started doing these crazy things like collapsing on stage during the piano recital in an effort to gain their attention. In the scene where he tells the baby "no one will ever love you," I felt sorry for him because it shows that he feels unloved and unwanted by his parents so he blames the baby for it. The parents were too busy paying attention to the new baby that at times it seemed like they forgot they even had a son, so this carried on to the point where Joshua seemed to dislike his parents and wanted to be taken away from them, which is evident in the scene with the psychiatrist. I feel that he knew he would be taken away if he drew pictures filled with blood or violence and he wanted that to happen. He and his uncle had a strongbond and he felt he belonged with his uncle rather than his parents. As for the killing of the dog and his grandmother, we never actually see him kill them on screen so they could just be coincidental accidents. I like Joshua and feel that his character was similar to me in many ways including his interest in mummies and Ancient Egyptian culture, which were something I was greatly interested in when I was younger.Also, the ending of the film was the best part in my opinion. It made me almost cry both times I watched it, so you'd better have a tissue when you watch it. Overall, this film was a great movie with a wonderful story, well written characters, great acting, tons of suspense and great acting. If you haven't seen this movie, see it as soon as possible and try to see the character of Joshua from a different point-of-view than a homicidal maniac.

Chrysanthepop Ratliff's messy psychological thriller seems to have garnered quite some attention. Now there have been many movies centering around a sociopathic child. Most of them pretty much follow the same horror movie type formula where the child is terrorizing an entire family without them even noticing it. Unfortunately, 'Joshua' is no different. Firstly, the movie is filled with plot holes and unexplored questions. For example, why would Brad and Abby keep the video of Abby constantly crying when holding Joshua? Of course, not surprisingly, the psychologists and teachers are portrayed as caricature idiots (who think there's absolutely nothing wrong with this kid). I was also surprised as how distant the parents were from Joshua in the beginning. Perhaps they knew something was off but stayed in denial. The parents too are portrayed as being stupid. They didn't even question Joshua giving all his toys away to charity and disemboweling his teddy bear. Some responses towards this movie are quite disturbing. One reviewer even wrote that he found himself vouching for the kid. I wish there would be a movie that would at least do justice to the themes of a child sociopath rather than rely on clichés. Even the unexplored ending is very easily predictable and dissatisfying. The only non-clichéd angel is that director Ratliff refrained from using blood and gore but that doesn't make this a better movie. He tries to make it creepy by using typical shock tactics but they feel out of place. The so-called 'twists' are quite convenient. The behaviour of most of the characters is irrational. The only plus point of 'Joshua' are the performances. Both Sam Rockwell and Vera Farmiga are very good in spite of having to play poorly written characters. I really wonder why they chose to act in this. Jacob Kogan plays it by the formula. Celia Weston is adequate even though her character is conveniently annoying as hell.Overall, this is just trying to be a 'smarter' version of 'The Omen'. Other than Rockwell and Farmiga's performance, there's nothing going for it. Not even the slow pace.

Bill Shroyer Speaking as someone who through no fault of his own was just about as strange as Joshua in this movie, I have to say this kid actor really got the part perfect. Even as a child younger than Joshua, I used to wonder how adults could seriously believe I and those my age were somehow "innocent", how easily they could all be "played" against one another if that's what you felt like doing.I grew up somewhere along the way, and while it wasn't for lack of trying, I managed to make it without killing anyone. The kid I was - the kid Joshua is in the movie - is one of the primary reasons I'm too terrified to have kids. Seriously - when you get a smart one like that with a chip on his shoulder, it's just not safe.If you want a reason to avoid parenthood, this is a good movie to watch. If you ever wondered just how sadistic and malicious a little kid can be, and how truly dangerous, this movie is spot-on. Oh sure, most kids could never be like Joshua, but then Joshua - and I - were never like "most kids". Seriously.The pace is rather slow and it takes awhile before you really get to see Joshua for what he is, but once it gets there & Joshua begins taking off the kid gloves, and especially after the park beating with his father and you see them packing his things away, you realize just how terrified his parents should have been all along. Pay attention to the things they pack away, very closely. The creepy thing is how sickeningly sweet Joshua plays his role the entire time, even after you've figured him all out. He's not so blatant about his hostility, you can only really tell what he really feels by what he does, not by how he acts or what he says.Definitely recommended for those who like "spawn of Satan" type "evil kid" flicks, though only if you don't mind a slightly slow pace and not all that much gore or actual brutality.

gobanifar I cannot believe how good this movie was. I was riveted from the beginning. The blurb on the TV info compared it to Damien. I thought it was better. You must see this movie. The suspense builds slowly but completely. The actor who plays Joshua was very good. I wonder what he drew upon in his real life to make his character so believable. I often wonder that about young actors and actresses. Where do they get that feeling, like Patty McCormick in (can't remember the name) or McCauley Culkin (sp) in The Good Son. You are drawn in by how Joshua behaves. There are no spoilers in my review. Just watch the movie to see for yourself.