Boy Kills World

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.

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.

Boy Kills World is a total blast. A winning combination of brutal violence and weird humour tied together in a story that does enough to make you care about the characters. It moves efficiently, has some clever twists and an unforgettable fight involving a cheese grater. Like all the best action comedies, the zany humour disguises the beating heart at the centre.

Bill Skarsgård proves he doesn't need dialogue to communicate. He can do so much with just his eyes and the fact that it all syncs up really well with H. Jon Benjamin's suitably over the top voice over is just a bonus. Plus he has an adorable rapport with Quinn Copeland. Andrew Koji isn't given a chance to show off his physical prowess but is given the time to show how surprisingly great he is at comedy.

Mortiz Mohr's direction nails the balance between self awareness and sincerity, translating some of the language of video games to cinema effectively. With cinematography by Peter Matjasko, the camera moves with the action rather than against it. It's always fluid and bloody inventive, saving the best fight for last. It's the kind of final fight where the choreography is impeccable, the blows are nasty and it goes on for so long it's exhausting in the best ways.

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 love Kill Bill (volume 1, not 2), that's how I know I would like this movie. And as it turned out, I do like it. The action was cool and the fight sequences are good. And although the story was straightforward, it's still interesting. Besides, there was a plot twist near the end of the movie. I guessed it right, though. It's a good twist, but too simple. In the end, it wasn't a total surprise. Maybe I need to remind you that this is a violent movie. So for those who can't stomach the blood and gore, don't watch this movie. The comedy part of this movie made this movie less dark than it actually is. Every time Bennie talks to Boy, his interpretation of Bennie's speech made me laughed my butt off.