Adapting a book for television or film will always leave it open to criticism. It is just really difficult to cover all the nuances and small story lines that you find in a book. Making things more complicated is the fact that adaptations leave room for the creative talent behind the TV series or show to make changes they feel better fit their vision. Author Stephen King, one of the most renowned writers in the world, has had numerous adaptations of his work over the years, with mixed results. The newest adaptation is The Institute, an eight-episode TV series on MGM+.
The TV series is based on the 2019 Stephen King novel of the same name and shares a similar premise. Children with special abilities are abducted and taken to a secure facility where they are experimented on to enhance their powers. There are other storylines, obviously, but that is what drives the book and the show. I’m always curious about what direction an adaptation will take, in terms of story, pacing, and, most importantly, when dealing with King’s material. Just how far will the creators push the envelope?
Here, The Institute never seems to be fully committed to going too dark and relies on the characters to carry the show. They do a decent job, and there are some great moments, but ultimately, I was left wanting more from the final product.
We meet teen genius Luke Ellis (Joe Freeman), who is quickly abducted from his home, only to wake up in a strange place full of children of all ages, just like himself. The similarities revolve around being either TPs (telepaths) or TKs (telekinetics), and in rare instances, a combination of both.
He meets the director of this “institute,” Ms. Sigsby (Mary-Louise Parker), and the head of security, Stackhouse (the always wonderful Julian Richings). Sigsby explains that the work they do is vital to saving the world and, in the end, they get to go home. Of course, Luke and the other kids believe this to be a lie, but everyone puts on a face and plays the game. Unfortunately, the game is violent, for the kids at least, as the tests morph into more like torture so they can get the results they are looking for.
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The side story occurs outside the institute, where we meet Tim Jamieson (Ben Barnes) as he rolls into the nearby town. Tim is a former cop who is running from a past that haunts him. In a new town, he applies to be a night knocker, basically a night watchman who patrols and keeps an eye out for anything suspicious. A small town like this should be a nice and quiet escape, but he soon finds out that things are off, like a puzzle with missing pieces.
Following the mysterious death of a local woman, the police officer in him starts investigating. This leads him to discover the Institute and the mystery surrounding it. As it turns out, Stackhouse has plants in the town, so Tim soon finds himself being investigated as well.
Thus begins the journey between Luke and Tim, similar in some ways, especially in how they are both trapped (physically and mentally). Luke is trying to escape with his life, while Tim is trying to escape himself; both paths are linked to the Institute. It’s obvious early on that these two will eventually meet; it’s just a question of how long it will take and how the creators will lead them to that point. They carry the bulk of the two sides of the story, and while both do a good job, they lack the support to help them along in their journeys.
On Tim’s side, the story often lags and falters, leaving Barnes to carry the bulk of scenes on his own. While there are some good moments, too many times, there is just not enough there. Barnes, who is used to being more of a bad guy, per se, gets to flex some other acting chops here and does well. Shout out to Hannah Galway as Wendy, who has some good scenes with Barnes, and gives us an interesting character, albeit underused.
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On the Institute’s side, the major issue revolves around the children. It’s difficult enough to get adults to express strong and wildly different emotions, but with kids, it can be even more challenging. Too many episodes feature scenes that are just not believable, making the viewing experience awkward and uncomfortable.
On the opposite end, Mary-Louise Parker and Julian Richings thrive, making their roles as Ms. Sigsby and Stackhouse fun to watch. Richings is a veteran of playing this role and is a menace all the time, chewing up the scenes he’s in and making him a formidable force to deal with. But it’s Parker who gives us the strangest and most interesting character, dedicated to the cause but with her own demons and ways of dealing with things. Separately, they would have been hard pressed to carry the evil overlords vibe through the show, but together, Richings and Parker are great. Their scenes are interesting and enjoyable.
While I would have preferred a darker vibe from the show, which at times seemed to drift towards a TV movie of the week feel, I must give a shout-out to how they handled the subject matter. Experimenting and torturing kids is a tough topic and visually hard to portray while staying within certain boundaries. There were some uncomfortable scenes, and the cast and crew pushed the boundaries at times, but it was well done. The ending chaos could have been pushed further (revenge from these kids is a frightening thought), but overall, it was executed pretty well.
Let’s face it, when adapting a King book, it’s a tough slog trying to balance being respectful to the material and putting a unique spin on it as well. While The Institute was far from perfect and lost its way too many times, it had its moments, giving us some visual terrors and a few memorable characters. It was certainly a good reminder to never underestimate how low the human race can sink and how tough and resilient children can be.
The Institute premiered on July 13 on MGM+.
