iBoy

Let me be clear about something, I have a bias generally against British cinema as it usually focuses on things I don't find appealing and features a cast I cannot abide. Within British cinema you very commonly have the "Estate" movies and that's what this is, putting it at an even further disadvantage with me.

It tells the story of a young man who after being shot in the head and having his mobile phone splinter into his skull gains the ability to control digital devices. Arguably it's comparable with Watchdogs (2014) and that's a good thing.

Starring the adorable diminutive Maisie "Arya Stark" Williams and Miranda Richardson it has a passable cast considering the "Estate" aspect and we see our hero battling against the local gang and their powerful bosses.

In movies like this they have the habit of casting obnoxious pretty boy guy types to play the lead whereas here Bill Milner avoids that and comes across likeable and endearing for the most part. As a lead female Williams is good but I was left feeling they didn't do enough with her. Then we have Rory Kinnear as our antagonist who I'm unfamiliar with yet after this incredible performance will keep an eye out for in future movies.

iBoy by all rights could have been better, the concept felt a tad wasted, it perhaps could have done with an additional 30+ minutes and the finale was a total anti-climatic bust.

Regardless I enjoyed iBoy despite a host of reasons on paper why I really shouldn't have. Enjoyable stuff, especially if you go in without preconceptions.

The Good:

Maisie Williams and Rory Kinnear

A fitting lead

The Bad:

Doesn't utilize it's concept very well

Poor finale

The biggest mistake you can make going into iBoy is expecting something from the Marvel catalog.

Cause that is simply not going to happen.

Instead what you get is a solid Brit "estate gang" story (like Harry Brown 2009 or a dozen others you could probably recite from memory) with some Marvel/Spiderman superhero stuff cleverly thrown in.

And that is a mouthful because I have watched and reviewed a lot of films (check out my list, about 1300) and have never seen anything quite like this before.

Does it work? For the most part, YES. There are some pacing issues here and there, and it takes a while for the young lead to develop a character arc that the audience is comfortable with, but the suspense/payoff is rock-solid and nail-biting; and the close is edgy but respectful and optimistic.

The two best performances come from supporting actors -- another oddity.

Maisie Williams steals every scene not otherwise nailed down and does so with a sweetness of character that makes you wish you knew someone like her when you were in school.

And Rory Kinnear as the arch-villain almost but not quite moves into the rarefied air of a Bond film -- you keep waiting for him to say "WHAT DO I WANT IBOY, I WANT YOU TO DIE" -- but shows enough restraint to keep from falling over the edge.

In short, given the brilliant idea, the solid execution and its ability to keep the viewer both offguard and entertained at the same time, this a fun flick deserving of a higher IMDb score than I am seeing.

Recommended!

A great double feature movie would be "Attack the Block," and "iBoy."

Bill Milner, playing an offbeat nerdy looking hero, commands every scene he appears in, which is pretty amazing, since Maisie Williams steals every scene she's in with her own unique beauty and a to-die-for personality. Ya, I've been a fan of hers since day one on "Game of Thrones."

"iBoy" has plenty of action, but it doesn't skimp on taking the time to get inside the character's heads. The special effects look cool, without overpowering the camera work, and the sets are perfect for the story.

Rory Kinnear, who I shall always remember as the Creature in "Penny Dreadful," gives us a near perfect villain, although I really wish they had given him more screen time.

Take a leap of faith and accept that having parts of an iPhone embedded in your brain turns you into a talented cyborg, and you will have a grand time. In other words, don't pick the movie apart. Just enjoy it.

I gave this movie a watch despite it's poor title choice. It's not particularly engaging and doesn't have a very good hook. Although the acting and cinematography are good.

A boy gets his smartphone smashed and embedded in his head, and gets super powers from this. His powers are never really explained, but it looks like he gets a heads up display of electronic items. As well as being able to control electronics with his mind. Such as speaking over radios and taking money out of online bank accounts.

Most of the characters are high school students and small time criminals. It's supposed to be gritty and street, but it's hard to believe. How are these kids so well armed? Why do they have access to all these drugs? What is ANYBODIES motivation? These are only some of the unanswered questions.

I think one of the main shortcomings is that audience age demographic wasn't properly decided on. Most of the actors are high school age, as well as most of the drama and comic relief. But the plot line and suspense is something from a more adult crime movie. The result gives us some incongruous action and unbelievable characters.

It's like a cross between 'Attack the Block' and '71'. Taking the characters from Block, and the convoluted plot from 71. But lacking all the congruity and charm of each project.

It looks good though and is well made. Everything but the plot is well executed. The super power angle ends up taking a back seat to the same old re-hashed Brit crime tropes after the first half. The climactic ending seems familiar. The establishing shots of London are the same as always. The cockney crime boss is just as menacing as in every other movie....

*Sigh*

You could completely avoid this movie and you'd miss nothing. Or if you like faux gritty Brit street movies then you'll find the good in this.

iBoy (2017): iBoy has one of the most weirdest super powers plot.We have seen lot of superheroes origin and few of them are results of radiation accidents like Spiderman and Hulk but in iBoy he gets superpowers when he is on a call (Uses iPhone) and gets shot on head which gives him powers of telepathically hacking into any digital network.

Plot: Tom (Bill Milner), a shy, lonely teenage boy on an estate who interrupts some men who have sexually assaulted his friend Lucy (Williams) in a neighboring flat. They shoot at him and in the ensuing violent chaos, bits of his smartphone get stuck in his brain and he awakens from a coma with superpowers: he can telepathically hack into any digital network. Calling himself "iBoy" he sets out to avenge Lucy and take on the drug gangs.

What I felt:

iBoy with its weirdest plot did nothing weird to justify it.Even though they have a new idea,they followed the same revenge which happens in almost all of such films.He even does some weird ways of revenge some times lie hacking into Youtube.

Casting Maisie Williams,our own Arya Stark in this film is the major pro because if not for her,I would have skipped this film.Being a huge fan of her,I watched this film and I am glad that she didn't disappoint.Her screen presence is charming.Helped by the script's sharpest dialogue, the moments between her and Tom light up the movie. One particularly lovely scene finds them in her bedroom together, sending each other text messages without talking.

Effects are very good even with such limited budget.

Dark tone in picture looked like they seriously tried to imitate Daredevil (TV show).

So,iBoy had a weird but decent plot which could have done wonders but missed the opportunity and depended hugely on Maisie Williams screen presence.

My rating 6.25/10