Boy Kills World

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.