‘The Institute’ Is a Solid Stephen King Adaptation With a Few Stumbles: TV Review
Based on Stephen King’s 2019 novel of the same name and adapted for television by “From” director and producer Jack Bender, MGM+’s latest science-fiction horror thriller, “The Institute,” is a complex show about the horrors of unchecked regimes and the children who dare to push back against them. Fascinating, with a memorable cast of characters, “The Institute” isn’t a perfect series, especially as it stumbles to its conclusion. Yet, it will undoubtedly keep the attention of audiences desperate to uncover the mystery at the center of the story.
“The Institute” begins in a nondescript high school somewhere in Minnesota. While a slew of upperclassmen puzzle and sort through a standardized college admission exam, 14-year-old Luke Ellis (Joe Freeman) races through the test, stunning everyone when he tells the proctor he’s finished. Boasting a high IQ, Luke is no stranger to standing out. Later, over pizza with his parents, the trio discusses uprooting their lives to move east pending Luke’s all-but-certain admission to MIT. Unfortunately, this dream is never realized. That evening, a four-person extraction team, shrouded in darkness, kidnaps Luke from his bed.
Elsewhere, Tim Jamieson (Ben Barnes), a former Boston police officer turned drifter, happens upon a wanted ad to do low stakes security in a small town in Maine. Haunted by an incident in Boston several years earlier, Tim seems content to walk around the darkened streets, ensuring the town’s small businesses are locked and secured. However, after striking up conversations with Annie (Mary Walsh), an unhoused woman with unhinged conspiracy theories, Tim becomes increasingly curious about a hazardous materials plant located on the outskirts of the town.
Having dreamed he was awoken unexpectedly and sprayed in the face with a chemical, Luke is initially relieved to find himself in his bedroom. Unfortunately, his relief is short-lived. Quickly realizing things aren’t quite right, he stumbles outside of his bedroom door and into a hallway. There, he encounters several other teens. Kalisha (Simone Miller), Iris (Birva Pandya), George (Arlen So) and Nick (Fionn Laird) inform Luke that he’s been recruited by The Institute. Although the reason for their kidnappings remains unclear, Luke is told he is being held for a short period in the Front Half for testing and examination. He’s then introduced to Institute headmistress Ms. Sigsby (Mary-Louise Parker), Dr. Hendricks (Robert Joy) and Head of Security Stackhouse (Julian Richings). Ms. Sigsby explains that after graduating to the Back Half and completing his final test, he will be returned home to his family with his memory wiped.
Deeply intuitive and brilliant, Luke realizes almost immediately that the things Ms. Sigsby and her team have promised the recruits won’t ever materialize. Determined to find a way out despite the painful testing and horrific consequences for rebelling. Luke and the others begin crafting a risky escape plan. The unexpected arrival of Avery (Viggo Hanvelt), the youngest of the recruits, sets their plan in motion even quicker than anticipated. Meanwhile, Tim, unnerved by some of the events in town, soon finds himself on a crash course directly toward The Institute, a group that will do anything to remain hidden in the shadows.
While the premise of “The Institute” is intriguing enough, the execution and series climax aren’t a home run. Though the reasons for the forces behind the nefarious organization are made more plain in the last two episodes, the show’s pacing stalls out, losing the intense momentum that had been so carefully built until this point. In the penultimate episode, as Ms. Sigsby comes clean about the true motivation behind The Institute, it almost feels like a thud rather than a revelation. Moreover, as the finale unfolds, unanswered questions linger, leaving a somewhat open-ended conclusion.
Still, “The Institute” is an interesting enough watch. Like many of King’s novels, the ideas in the show are captivating and resonate with several issues present in our modern society. However, as a thriller, this story feels incomplete. Despite all the essential elements that make for an engaging ride, as the final credits roll, “The Institute” feels somewhat lacking.
The first two episodes of “The Institute” premiere July 13 on MGM+ with new episodes dropping weekly on Sundays.
