Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘FirstBorn’

Written by Scott Edwards

There are many things that can change your outlook on life, and one of those things is having your first child. You see so many changes in yourself when there is someone looking up to your every move and while it can be frightening, it is also a chance to be the best version of yourself that you can be. Setting an example for your young one on how they are supposed to act and react in situations, it is important to remember that it is all right to mess up, as we all do it from time to time. But when you make mistakes, you need to live up to it and explain what you did wrong, because you are not the only one learning from your mistakes, your child is now taking careful notes as well.

While getting sick outside of the bar, Charlie has some news that will rock her boyfriend’s world. Telling James that she is pregnant, she sees the excitement in his eyes and decides to keep the child, even though the two are not married yet.  Getting back to the apartment, Charlie gets sick once again, but this time when watching her skin tear in front of her eyes, she passes it off as a side effect of the baby inside of her. But little does she know that it is a sign of things to come when her and James welcome another member into their happy home.

After giving birth to her new daughter, Charlie and James finally decide on a name, Thea, which means Goddess in Greek. Sitting outside of the delivery room with his daughter, James gets what appears to be a random visit from an old woman in the hospital. Saying that Thea will live in this this life and the next, James does not know what to think, but tries to be gracious toward the old woman’s praises. Getting their new family home, James heads back off to work while Charlie stays in and takes care of her daughter. Hearing strange things moving about the house when James is gone, Charlie tries to pay it little mind, but when she is knocked unconscious by an unseen force, she knows that there is a spirit in the house that is looking to do her harm.

James is forced to do something that he vowed he never would and get his father involved in the situation. Alistair has an idea about what is happening to his granddaughter, as his ability of having the dead around him is hereditary. With strict instructions about what needs to be done to protect the child, along with the home, everything that has a face is removed from the apartment, and a candle praying session must take place every day to keep the demons at bay. Years go by without incident, but when Thea gets the sacred wax on her hand and not in her spot, she sees what horrors she has been keeping at bay. Not being able to protect themselves from the ancient evil, Alistair is forced to contact the big gun, his friend Elizabeth, to help his extended family. Seeing that Elizabeth is the same woman from the hospital that made him feel uncomfortable, James is forced to believe that she can help his daughter with her issues, as the old woman has the same abilities.

I really liked the premise of the movie, a haunted child that has no choice in life, but I am still unsure as to what kind of abilities these haunted folks really have. You don’t really get to see them interact with the spirits unless they are trying to shun them, I guess that is it, but I would have liked more. I really enjoyed how the narrative of the story changed when it came to light what Alistair really wanted for his son, because it is kind of disturbing. But overall, this movie was about Charlie who does not know what is wrong and forced into a situation that no mother would want to find herself in.  Her storybook life takes a massive decline as she is being tormented by the demons surrounding her daughter and decides that she wants nothing to do with it going forward. With some ghosts, demons, a freaky old lady, supernatural powers, and a father that wants to prove his worth, there are a couple holes in the movie that will leave you questioning what you just watched, but it is about the characters and their reactions to what life has just handed them, because life might not be fair all of the time. Stay Scared.

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