SEPTA operates in the Philadelphia metropolitan area
Scenario
A group of seniors from an enterprising high school who are tasked with destroying the rigged college admissions system. A remake of the Thai film Bad Genius (2017). There is a scene early in the film where Lynn calculates the cost of her commute to a private school she was touring. The film showed a stack of public transit tickets clearly marked with the SEPTA logo, which stands for Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority. Thirty minutes later, the film identifies the city where Lynn and her dad live as Seattle. Roots (1977) references. Bad Genius (2024) is a remake of the 2017 Thai film of the same name.
Somehow it becomes a bland, lazy, and forced experience
It uses the 2017 original as a recipe – from the dialogue, setting, atmosphere, character ambitions, and even the placement of characters on the set. It sticks to that recipe exactly, with a slight departure from the end and changing a few minor elements of the original plot. To understand why, we need to talk a little about the original 2017 film and what made it so special. Bad Genius (2017) is a film that I enjoyed so much that I’ve watched it more times than I’d like to admit; so yes, I’m biased. It has its flaws – it’s a bit cheesy at times when it comes to sound effects and directorial choices – but it’s a successful and engaging heist film. It was a huge hit in its home country of Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia. However, it’s what this film achieves beyond that that drew me to it.
Lynn was *smart*
The original 2017 film took on the difficult task of writing intelligent characters and placing them in an atmosphere of exam-taking that would otherwise be boring on film, but in the making it’s somehow incredibly suspenseful. It took four fantastically cast leads who had little to no acting experience and became stars. The production was incredibly successful and featured great effects, from the soundtrack to the on-screen text overlay used to convey the message. She seemed like a genuinely smart young woman with exceptional talents who had a loving father she cared for; testimonials from the original writers. Her relationships seemed natural, and the supporting cast brought that to the table in their acting and chemistry. Her methods and schemes were presented on film in a satisfying and enjoyable way. Her relationship with her father was emotional and well-mannered on both sides.
It has no charm
The story had pace and purpose, but most importantly, it had tension. And all of this was filmed and produced in a country that is probably not considered a cinematic powerhouse. Bad Genius (2024) has little to nothing of what it tries to copy. The remake somehow manages to take all the right ingredients—lighting, suspenseful music, the same plot points, the same characters—and turn it into a sloppy interpretation of what feels like a bad dub of the original. It has no great moments. It has almost no emotion. Lynn (2024) *acts* smart, but we don’t get the sense that this character is really a genius.
The supporting cast is lacking
The classroom scenes *feel* like they’re trying to convey suspense, but they mostly just feel silly. It’s not the slightest bit suspenseful. The only thing we’re left with from this good translation is the good father figure, thanks to the excellent Benedict Wong, and a good performance by Callina Liang who tries to give life to the poor version. There’s no reason to watch this. Watch the original if you haven’t already (or if you just want to watch it again) and thank me later.