It seems like almost every other action movie right now is a revenge action film. An angry man who’s out to get the bad guy who did him and his family wrong. The problem is not all of them are as well done as say the John Wick movies, or similar ones. Yes, they are bloody murder fests and that’s why fans love them, but movies like The Beekeeper and others just stick with the same formula and don’t actually try to add anything to it to make it unique. That is until now – Boy Kills World, a new release from Roadside Attractions.
Sure, on the surface Boy Kills World fits that mold perfectly – an angry man trying to avenge his family. And yes, there’s action, fights, bloody deaths, and all of that in the movie too. But that’s where the regular formula ends. Boy is mute and deaf and has been raised by a shaman in the woods. He’s been trained his whole life to fight and eventually take down the matriarch of the post-apocalyptic society and the woman he blames for the loss of his family. He doesn’t need weapons he “is the weapon”. So when he heads off to do just that, he joins forces with others who have a similar goal and they work together to take her down. However, his lip reading doesn’t always translate well, and things aren’t always what they seem.
The movie is a refreshing take on the genre overall, with the voice-over from Bill Skarsgård taking you along the journey with him. It’s not as formulaic and seems like they actually tried to make a movie that was different enough to keep your attention.
Boy Kills World is bloody, it’s gross, it’s has twists and turns, and somehow knows how to balance it with laughs. It’s an unexpected addition to the revenge plot movie, and a much-needed breath of fresh air when it comes to a genre that seems to be overtaxed and uninspired. The movie will have you smiling, laughing, and cheering for Boy as he goes on his revenge journey – however misguided he may be or with whatever limited information he has.
This is one of those movies that most likely will go under the radar at first, but will quickly become a fan favorite. It’s not the same old angry man formula that we’ve seen over and over again in theaters the last few years. Instead, it has its own style, it’s own grit and a decent story between all of the bloody kills.
Boy Kills World is in select theaters this weekend.
Overall Rating
About Boy Kills World
Skarsgård stars as “Boy” who vows revenge after his family is murdered by Hilda Van Der Koy (Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a corrupt post-apocalyptic dynasty that left the boy orphaned, deaf and voiceless. Driven by his inner voice, one which he co-opted from his favorite childhood video game, Boy trains with a mysterious shaman (Ruhian) to become an instrument of death and is set loose on the eve of the annual culling of dissidents. Bedlam ensues as Boy commits bloody martial arts mayhem, inciting a wrath of carnage and blood-letting. As he tries to get his bearings in this delirious realm, Boy soon falls in with a desperate resistance group, all the while bickering with the apparent ghost of his rebellious little sister.
