Boy Kills World

Well, if you enjoy movies with a lot of emphasis on raw action, gunfights and martial arts, such as "John Wick" for example, then you're in luck if you opt to sit down and watch the 2023 movie "Boy Kills World". Director Moritz Mohr delivered a movie that was rather action-packed from start to end.

The storyline in the movie was pretty straightforward, though a bit simplistic, as it was a simple revenge movie. But then again, action movies such as this doesn't really need a complex or cerebral narrative. Nay, you just lean back, munch on the snacks and enjoy the over-the-top action. Writers Tyler Burton Smith, Arend Remmers and Moritz Mohr put together a fast paced action flick.

And over-the-top action is exactly what "Boy Kills World" is. There is an abundance of fight scenes, which I have to admit that I definitely enjoyed. It was choreographed quite nicely and executed nicely as well. So it was like watching a ballet of action and violence. And I have to say that Bill Skarsgård definitely carried the movie quite well.

The movie does have a good cast ensemble, with the likes of Bill Skarsgård, Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman, Yayan Ruhian, Sharlto Copley and Famke Janssen. And the acting performances in the movie were good.

Something I didn't really enjoy in the movie, and it was there from start to end, was the voice over done by H. Jon Benjamin to give the mute and deaf character Boy an internal voice. I grew very tired of listening to that rather quickly. But of course that is a matter of personal preference.

Visually then "Boy Kills World" is good. The action is nicely brought to the screen in a very dynamic and adrenaline-filled manner, and the special effects look good as well. The wardrobe department also worked their magic quite well in the movie.

I will say that I was rather surprised with the outcome of this movie, because I wasn't expecting a Bill Skarsgård movie to be that much in your face. And I have to say that I was genuinely entertained throughout the entire 111 minutes that the movie ran for.

However, "Boy Kills World" hardly seems like a movie that will make it to my screen a second time, as there just isn't enough contents to the script to make it a movie that I will be watching a second time.

My rating of "Boy Kills World" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars.

I wanted to like this more than I did.

The fight scenes were fun, and the gore was excessive, but I couldn't bring myself to care all that much.

I think it might have to do with the mismatch between John Benjamin's voice and the actor playing the boy.

I couldn't quite reconcile them as being the same person so it felt like the entire movie was being narrated like MSTK or something.

Also some of the shaky camera fights were hard to make out in between limbs breaking.

I was relieved to see a new IP and it deserves to be supported, but I would say this was more of a rental or even a matinee movie.

I got the chance to see this movie early at an AMC Unseen Screen event -- and considering I was walking in thinking they were going to show the new Amy Winehouse biopic -- I was pleasantly surprised when we got our opening shots and realized I was in for a much different ride than I'd previously anticipated.

My immediate reaction is to compare Boy Kills World to John Wick -- it's certainly just as bloody. But the continuous underlying thread of humor throughout this movie juxtaposed with the gratuitous violence puts it more into the realm of Bullet Train in my mind.

Bill Skarsgård's physical acting paired with H. Jon Benjamin's voice acting was a matchup I never knew I needed in my life. There were several times where I genuinely laughed out loud -- even when the next scene was a quick crash to someone getting their head smooshed. They did a great job blending the action with the comedy while still getting you to care about the main character and his plight.

Definitely not for the weak of heart or stomach -- but if you're looking for a bloody fun romp through absolute mayhem that doesn't require much from you as a viewer, then you've found your film. I just saw it last night and I still say I'd for sure go see it again, even so soon after viewing.

Boy (That's his name) witnesses the murder of his family at the hands of goons who work for the dysfunctional crime family who run a dystopian city at an unspecified location and date. Boy is rescued by the Shaman, who subjects him to a brutal regime of martial arts training, so that he grows up to be a lethal killing machine (Bill Skarsgard), whose sole purpose is revenge.

So far, so seen-it-all-before, so yada-yada-yada. Boy Kills World, however, brings enough originality to the old tropes that the viewer is happy to go along with things as they take increasingly-bizarre turns. To start with, Boy is a deaf-mute. He can read lips, and hears a voice-over in his head. He's also haunted by the ghost of his younger sister, who acts as his guide and moral conscience.

Naturally, he embarks on his elaborate revenge, leaving a trail of bodies killed in inventive and extremely bloody ways. There's a lot of John Wick, and a big slice of The Running Man. There are also a surprising number of laughs, with great comedic performances from Brett Gelman, Isaiah Mustafa, Sharlto Copley and Andrew Koji. Gotta love June27 as well.

As you'd expect, there's also a twist at the end, but it's twisty enough to pack a punch.

This is not high art. This is not a film that rewards analysis. Nothing about it is outstanding, and its plot-holes have plot-holes. If, however, you can switch your brain off and go long for the ride, it's a wild and satisfying one.

Here we are in 2024 with another revenge film. I had just seen Monkey Man over a month ago, a revenge film which I also enjoyed.

Boy Kills World was already on my radar, before watching Monkey Man, but I didn't think I would be in a situation where I would be comparing the two. Until now, after watching Boy Kills World.

Without spoilers, both men go through a similar journey of a traumatic event happening in their childhood. With Monkey Man being more of a drama and Boy Kills World being more of a comedy.

However, I will say Boy Kills World has a more creative narrative structure and stronger choreography than Monkey Man. It also has replay value, I will definitely watch Boy Kills World again, much sooner than revisiting Monkey Man.