I watched this movie by myself and another time with a a friend of mine who simply didn't get it and hated the movie of course. I think people dislike a movie not because it is bad, but because it creates a discomfort, especially when you are a parent when it reminds you that your son that you love so much might become a psychopath or destroy your life, like it happens in real life every once in a while.Essentially the movie is about a father and son relationship that goes from good to bad thanks to the evil intentions and ruthless intelligence and rationality the 8 year old son (Joshua).The father tries his best to protect his family, but he is not smart enough to fight against someone so hateful, but who is always one step ahead of him. I liked because the movie makes you hate the kid so much, and you cheer for the helpless dad all the time (because you could think of yourself in his position). It is not a film for everyone, but if your child is a brat, the movie can be quite educational, since it shows that sometimes some people are just incorrigible.

This movie is in the same basic genre as The Good Son, Dorian Grey, and the Shining. The movie is really quite brilliant, on a par with Kubrick's Clockwork Orange.I saw the main actor (the kid) in another TV show he did (Wonder Showzen). He really has a lot of talent. I'm kind of suspecting he will have a very successful career, because this movie was really quite well done, and he can clearly master both serious and comedic roles.If I had to give this movie a grade, based on immediate post performance perception, I think its an A. There were a lot of existentialist questions raised, and parts of the film were reminiscent of something by Kafka. In a theatrical sense, this film is on a par with Ibsen's Dollhouse. This movie was really quite something.-Adam Rinkleff

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.

I did not enjoy the film, Joshua, at all. Perhaps it is because I saw another, much better similar film titled Orphan 2 days prior but perhaps it's really just because this film was not very good. I am going with the ladder. Sure, the plot of an evil child is not exactly original but that doesn't mean the film could not succeed. It could have been suspenseful and entertaining and chilling but instead it was slow building, boring, uneventful and really didn't leave me thinking anything more than 'that wasn't very good' when it was all over.At the end, Joshua's motivations are revealed. I won't give that away but the reality is that he didn't really accomplish his goals since despite Vera Farmiga as his mother, Abby, disappearing about 3/4th through the movie, all arrows point to her returning home soon. She was committed to a mental institution because she was losing her mind but then Joshua's Father/Her husband was accused of tampering with her medication which tells the audience that the institution realized that she was indeed not mentally ill but rather was being dosed medically. So.. shouldn't she be coming home soon? Won't Joshua have failed? Won't his Mother be living with him and his sister and possibly his Father soon? I question the Father since his future is left open ended.At the end of the day, I didn't care about the characters. The evil demon child Joshua wasn't really scary. The storyline moved slowly and when it picked up it was still boring. Suspense fell flat every single time. When it was over I couldn't believe I had sat through the whole thing. 4/10 just because the acting was good from the parents especially Vera Farmiga as the Mother but if you want to see a movie about an evil 'child' go see Orphan. Now that's a movie that took an unoriginal concept and created a brilliant movie.