Boy Kills World

Somehow the movie manages to be as original as it is predictable. The actors are great, the action and stunts are top notch, there's some decent comedy and I could listen to H. J Benjamin's smooth voice read a dictionary so he did a phenomenal job as Boys narrator. BUT the overall story is as predictable as it can get, and you could guess the twists after about 10 minutes. It's so strange, it's like everyone was giving it 100% except for the plot. There's a glimmer of a better movie in here, and maybe this screenwriter will hit their stride a few years. But overall they held the movie back by sticking to basic plot formulas even though the dialogue is snappy and original.

Ever since The Raid I've been a HUGE fan of Yayan Ruhian (who plays "the shaman") so I'll watch any movie he's in or does the fight choreography for. I expected nothing less than wild & unique action and I was definitely satisfied in that regard. There's some slick directing that works well with the fight choreo and Bill Skarsgård does a good job stunt wise.

You do have to accept the good guy will live through impossible circumstances, the bad guys will have stormtrooper level aim, and the plot (and its twists) are predictable but overall I still found watching it pretty enjoyable.

It's called Boy Kills World, not Boy Meets World. So as not to get those two titles confused. It can happen, until you sit down to watch this one.

It's not going to be confused with any arthouse, fancy cinema fare, either.

There is an audience for this and they will be completely entertained and walk out of this experience totally satisfied.

I'm just not a part of that audience.

It's a decent flick.

Just based on the inspired casting and the look of the whole movie alone, it has to be a six.

But I have to stop there.

If you're well versed in action films that predate, I'd say, 2010, then you've seen this movie before and with better execution and certainly a better, more detailed storyline.

The fight sequences are solid but the rest of it is not.

The protagonist is a deaf mute who's hellbent on revenge.

Only we hear his inner thoughts.

A lot.

He talks so much in voiceover that it gets old super quick and it never stops.

The whole movie.

A quip here.

A deep thought there.

Thoughts on this. Thoughts on that.

He may be kicking major butts but he's a regular chatty Cathy on the inside.

Good grief.

There's still things to love about this movie.

Famke Janssen (Rounders), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) two of my all time crushes.

Love them still and love them both here. Lots.

Yayan Ruhian (The stellar Raid films) and Brett Gelman (The Other Guys, Stranger Things) Love those dudes!

And I totally get Bill Skarsgard trying TJ distance himself from It, and rip himself up for this role.

But as good as this movie looks, and everybody in here is good in their parts.

It's just not a great movie.

It could be great with better writing and less voiceover.

There are far superior movies out there about vengeance.

Boy not only Kills World, he kills this movie.

Oddly enough, as I consumed this film, it reminded me of a few female driven action movies of the last thirty years or so: Tank Girl, Aeon Flux, and Ultraviolet.

I won't even bother to explain it but it just does.

There is an end scene of some substance that's worth sticking around for.

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.

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.

This movie is narrated by H. Jon Benjamin. If that doesn't tell you exactly what kind of movie this is, let me explain:

This is what Archer would be if it was a little more dramatic and a lot more bloody.

Oldboy if it were half as brilliant with a little bit of slapstick thrown in.

The Hunger Games if it didn't treat death and murder was all that bad - like it was written by a gamer of the FPS variety.

Did I cringe at the squelching bloody noises? Yes. Did I laugh out loud in the theater? Also yes. Was the revenge story worthwhile? I think so. Outside all of the action, the story was not terrible, and the characters had character. Worth a watch, but doubt it'll change anyone's life.