Movie Review: ‘Boy Kills World’

In theaters Friday, April 26, ‘Boy Kills World’ is a revenge thriller that chooses layers of dark and wacky humor over its clear ‘John Wick’ influence. Buoyed by a solid, committed central performance from Bill Skarsgård and some entertaining quirks from other parts of the cast, it somehow falls victim to a thin plot that gives it much more style than a sense of substance and at times feels more like a video game. . than a movie.

Still, with some interesting permutations later in the plot, it shows that there’s a little more beneath the surface.

Does ‘Boy Kills World’ punch above its weight?

If you only see one movie this year in which Bill Skarsgård goes on a violent rampage with the intention of eliminating the people who wronged him… well, we have yet to see ‘The Crow,’ so we can’t tell you whether it’s ‘ Boy Kills World’ is the better of the two.

But it certainly has a level of originality that puts it above a new adaptation of a graphic novel that first hit screens in 1994. That said, what we have here is very much a mix of ‘John Wick,’ ‘The Hunger Games’. ‘ with just a twisted touch of ‘The Karate Kid.’

Script and direction

Tyler Burton Smith wrote the script here and worked with Arend Remmbers to adapt the short film the latter created together with director Moritz Mohr.

While Skarsgård’s performance is silent, the film’s script is filled with an entertaining voiceover by H. Jon Benjamin (‘Bob’s Burgers’), which gives insight into what’s going on in his character’s head. Whether it’s quoting the dictionary that the younger version of Boy studies or commenting on what’s going on, it’s a real highlight of the film as a whole – full credit to the team for hiring someone who knows what he’s doing with the voice. -in front.

For the most part, though, the film relies on its fight scenes, and they certainly are numerous, even if they eventually start to numb you a bit. Even with the invention exposed here, the brutality of each crash is such that one begins to feel mistreated. Still, as the credit implies, it’s designer/director and fight coordinator Dawid Szatarski who deserves most of the credit here.

But Mohr, who expands on his original concept here, certainly has plenty of talent to spare when it comes to camera movements and performances. It’s clear that he and his team were working with a tighter budget than ‘Wick’ or ‘The Hunger Games’, but he gets a lot out of it.

Performances

Appearing in almost every scene (aside from the story’s opening moments when the younger version of his character is on screen, played by twins Nicholas and Cameron Crovetti), Skarsgård brings his typical intensity to the role and very clearly dedicated himself to train (it’s essentially carved in stone here) to carry out the various fights.

And his “Child” is more than just a savage, revenge-happy warrior: he’s a damaged personality who’s suffered years of trauma and has a mission in mind (even if it’s not the mission he thinks it is). Along with Benjamin’s quirky performance, he combines to create a watchable lead role.

As his guru, Yayan Ruhian channels the film’s anarchic style, bringing the unhinged energy of Mr. Miyagi, the world’s most dangerous mentor, to the screens. He doesn’t have much to do besides show off his considerable martial arts skills (you’ll have seen him in the ‘Raid’ movies and the third ‘John Wick’ installment), but he gets the job done well.

On the evil side of things, we have an assembled group who are clearly having fun playing dystopian and atrocious autocrats, a collection of paranoid hikers and scheming social climbers.

Famke Janssen does a lot with relatively little as the power-obsessed Hilda Van Der Koy, part Hitler, part Margaret Thatcher. Surrounding her are the likes of Brett Gelman (magnificently sleazy as Glen, the script’s happy brother-in-law), while Sharlto Copley relies on his ability to make smarmy assholes likable. Kind of. But even when he’s at his worst, he’s absolutely entertaining.

Michelle Dockery, meanwhile, is creepy on another level as Melanie, Hilda’s sister, the real power behind the throne.

And then there’s June 27, played by Jessica Rothe. The star of the ‘Happy Death Day’ films is as committed as the rest and she proves that she has just as much talent for action as Skarsgård. Additionally, she delivers when asked to show other sides of her character.

Final thoughts

‘Boy Kills World’ is certainly frenetic and action-packed, with a healthy streak of dark, quirky comedy and some clever ideas.

But in a world where movies like ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’, ‘John Wick’ and others, doesn’t seem as completely original as it could, and frequently confuses punches with plot. However, don’t let that stop you from checking something that might need support.

‘Boy Kills World’ receives 6 out of 10 stars.

What is the story of ”Boy Kills World’?

The new film stars Bill Skarsgård as a young man known only as “Boy,” who swears revenge after his family is murdered by Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a corrupt post-apocalyptic dynasty who left to the orphaned child. , deaf and voiceless.

Driven by his inner voice, which he adopted from his favorite childhood video game, Boy trains with a mysterious shaman (Yayan Ruhian) to become an instrument of death and is let loose on the eve of the annual sacrifice of dissidents. Chaos ensues when Boy commits bloody martial arts mayhem, inciting a rage of slaughter and bloodshed.

While trying to find his way in this delusional realm, Boy soon joins a desperate resistance group, all the while arguing with the apparent ghost of his rebellious little sister.

Who is part of the cast of ‘Boy Kills World’?

• Bill Skarsgård as a child
• H. Jon Benjamin as Boy’s “inner voice”
• Jessica Rothe as June 27
• Michelle Dockery as Melanie van der Koy
• Brett Gelman as Gideon van der Koy
• Isaiah Mustafa as Benny
• Andrew Koji as Basho
• Famke Janssen as Hilda van der Koy
• Sharlto Copley as Glen van der Koy
• Yayan Ruhian as shaman

Brett Gelman in ‘Boy Kills World’. Photo: Lionsgate.

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