robin deeter

Writer and director Robin Deeter has been hard at work in the past several months to promote a platform release for the new webseries, Project Child: Origins. The project was previously billed as a film, although time will tell if a plan for that segue is still in tow while Deeter takes exclusively to Facebook with new episodes each Wednesday through February.

The webseries is a follow-up from its 2016 predecessor, Project Child: Initiations, though Origins stands on its own in some ways. The new series is set in the world where “psi sparks” are mankind’s ultimate bargaining chip. When their sparks become tainted, it manifests an evil brood and mutates their owners into demonic creatures, leaving it to a clandestine organization of “knights” – agents trained in advanced levels of combat to take down.

One such “knight” is Derek, a highly-skilled operative within the organization. With the deaths of friends and loved ones crisis of conscience ensues for Derek as he finds himself caught between his loyalty toward the organization, and his own humanity – all while unbeknownst of the deeper and darker secrets and agendas that lie further in the rabbit hole.

There’s nothing too complex about the show, though trying to put the immediate pieces together can prove a bit confounding since not too much is explained right away and so seeing the show and sticking with all five episodes will help grasp the narrative some so as to let you know what you’re in for unless you’ve read this review.

Much of the series is filmed in low light and dark atmospheres, such are most of the costumes which bode especially nicely for Deeter’s role. Channeling a younger, Asian incarnation of Liam Neeson, Derek is as cunning and quick as he is ruthless and direct in his intentions and actions. Further scenes such as flashbacks are of help in terms of bringing depth and scope to the drama, though the saturation between both in addition to some of the more phoned-in acting from some of the cast does little to invoke emotive interest.

The rest is left up largely to key performances that build up the action where and when required. Deeter himself performs most of the stunts in addition to setting up the fight scenery with choreographer and stunt coordinator Robbie Corbett. Pip Anderson, co-starring as Brandon Stone, gets to stretch himself out in addition to a few other players opposite Deeter throughout the series.

With much of the screentime attributed to the role of Derek and others that are central to his development, the show still has the villain end of things to unravel. Daniel Lujan who plays corporate figure, Mitchell, a.k.a. Knight Commander is one of the show’s several shrouded antagonists we briefly acquaint ourselves with along with fellow producer/director Damian C. King who plays the masked Ikol.

Project Child: Origins serves up a worthy serial appetizer for a broader narrative with some impressive visual ornamentations and consistent action that thrills enough to fill the void. Not all questions get answered this time around, but if you’re not too ahead of yourself, the series will be plenty to endulge in until the second season releases sometime next year should it go before cameras later this year as planned.

More