Movie Analysis and Review: The Unexpected Twist of “Bad Genius” (Spoiler Free)
“Bad Genius” is a Thai movie about an intelligent girl with a handful of friends who are struggling with their exams. Lynn is a daughter of a rural school teacher who has problems with finance but who still manages to send his only daughter to a prestigious school. With the benevolent intention of helping her father with their financial problems, Lynn devises various ways of channeling answers for her friends during exams in return for a handsome amount of money.
One key lesson that is palpable in this movie is how money makes the world go round. We see how money motivates people, gives authority to people and the most obvious one, makes people greedy. This movie sends a message that we rely on and care so much about money that we tend to commit wrongdoings. Money is portrayed as the mother of all evil as it is never used for something good in this movie. The character development of Lynn and her counterpart Bank shows that people can change because of money, be it clean or dirty.
Another thing that we can learn from this movie is that intelligence is not everything. Having good values and attitude is something that the working industry is seeking more than intelligence because what is the use of knowledge if we don’t use it for good? The working industry claims that most new employees are arrogant and whiny even with a graduating CGPA of higher than 3.5. Teaching someone academics is hard but cultivating moral values is arduous. The industry wants individuals who are punctual, honest, trustworthy and congenial. Harvard professor Harry Lewis criticizes conventional education for not producing moral and ethical graduates. He says, “Society is going to hell in a hand basket, and the great universities are going to get there first.” This is why parents and teachers must work together to foster good values and clarify why some things are bad. Being ethical and dumb is a hundred times better than being smart and rude.
To keep this short, the last lesson of all other lessons (There! Are! Too! Many!) we can take from this movie is that the end does not justify the means. Both Lynn and Bank want more money to support their poverty-living family, but their way of gaining money is dirty. It promotes laziness and idleness among their customers. What is most important is that their customers may never become smart as they rely too much on money to pass the exams. The grades they get are not theirs but their parents’/the money’s. This type of people will rely so much on money, they will opt for bribery and corruption in the future. Islam encourages its followers to put in a lot of effort when working on something, be it a job or studies. After putting in strenuous efforts, we must rely on our God to get success, and if we fail, know that it is for a good reason. So let us earn money legitimately and use it for good purposes.
Overall, we give this movie a 4 out of 5 for its tense yet humorous characterizations. Most of the cast members are not actors and actresses, but their acting is superbly executed. If anyone decides to watch this movie, pay attention to the background, sound effects and character development. It really tells us not to judge people too quickly and that people can change for a good or bad cause. I think everyone can relate to this movie because everyone used to be a student or is one now. One thing that I dislike about the movie is the dearth of portrayals of extra-curricular activities in school. Being a student is not all about studying but also about joining clubs, societies and just being out there. There is more than just books and exams to a student’s life.
