'World's Best' Review: Where Flows Meet Formulas

World’s Best is a 2023 Disney+ movie that is about a mathematics genius named Prem. This movie features a strong representation of Asians, as Prem (Manny Magnus) is played by an Indian actor. Other Indian actors play supporting roles. Roshan Sethi is an Indian director.

The movie opens with a math dream. Prem dreams of winning the Math Tournament again, a pattern he has in his mind. The movie takes place in a middle school setting, as evidenced by Prem’s first day of the seventh grade. Prem is easily embarrassed by his overprotective mother. Since Prem is a genius in math, he is a 12-year-old student who attends a high school math class, a trait found in child prodigies. Prior to the beginning of the movie, Prem’s father is deceased.

In his high school classroom, viewers see hand-drawn mathematical formulas on the screen. Prem’s first homework is to describe his life using math equations. His best friend, Jerome, sends him a video of him doing hip-hop dancing. This video foreshadows Prem’s quest to find his talent and identity.

Prem’s classmate Claire is his only friend his age who attends the same school as him. His best friend, Jerome, ditches him to hang out with the cool kids and live up to his reputation at school. Prem becomes sad after losing Jerome.

Prem learns from his mother that his father was a rapper at a dance club. He learns more about his father’s past and discovers he may have a hidden talent for dancing. The movie’s title, World’s Best, is drawn in bubble letters inside the notebook. The drawings and writings in the notebook emphasize and symbolize hidden talents in young kids.

Prem wonders if hip-hop is in his DNA. His conflict is torn between two different personalities: his excellence in math and his passion for hip-hop. The math equation assignment serves as a catalyst that drives the plot forward; Prem has to change his equation multiple times throughout the movie, as shown on screen.

Prem’s change in clothing style reflects his hidden talent at hip-hop dancing. His glasses reflect his genius side; his sunglasses and golden necklace reflect his cool kid side. The scenes switch between his reality as a nerdy genius and his fantasy as a rapper. Prem faces peer pressure from the boys in the cafeteria.

The conclusion shows viewers that Prem can be good at more than one thing. His talents in math and hip-hop dancing add up to his math equation. The Math Tournament scene is the same scene shown at the beginning of the movie but combines rap music and mathematics. Prem winning the math tournament shows that his math equation is complete.

World’s Best shows viewers that being good at more than one thing is actually a good thing and helps you to stand out.