Boy Kills World
Dustin Chase
Best known as the clown from the 2017 remake of It, we didn’t see much of the younger Bill Skarsgård in those sequels. His less-than-memorable appearances in other action and horror films like Barbarian and John Wick: Chapter 4 have done little for his career. Boy Kills World puts Skarsgård at the center of the film, only this time, he isn’t allowed to speak. His physicality is on full display, with the camera ensuring the audience gets ample close-ups of his abdominal muscles. Film critic Charles Bramesco perfectly described the film as “having the mentality of a fourteen-year-old boy coming off a three-day, Mountain Dew-fueled Xbox bender.” It’s more Deadpool than John Wick, some parts dazzling, others dizzying. It is an amalgamation of combining fairy tales with video game revenge stories. However, the film’s reliance on action and visual effects sometimes comes at the expense of character development and plot coherence, which may leave some viewers feeling unsatisfied.
In the totalitarian world that Boy (Skarsgård) came of age in, he lost his parents, childhood, and sister to what’s known as “The Culling.” One day each year, Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), leader of the government, executes anyone in opposition to her rule. From childhood to adulthood, Boy has trained in the forests with Mentor (Yayan Ruhian) to exact his revenge on the Van Der Koys. The day finally arrives when Boy becomes “the ultimate warrior,” as his inner voice (H. Jon Benjamin) calls it. Division and madness plague the Van Der Koys and nothing is quite the way Boy imagined when he reaches the point of no return.
Not only does this action film embrace the cliches of the genre, but it drenches them in fresh blood.
This action film is a whirlwind of excitement. Often frenetic yet never stagnant, “Boy Kills World” is consistently bloody and action-packed. There is a point where it surpasses complete insanity and just keeps pushing. Not only does this action film embrace the cliches of the genre, but it drenches them in fresh blood. These stylistic action films have made excess the norm. So much fighting, killing, and destruction, fatigue sets in long before the inevitable conclusion. While the script does have one or two plot twists, nothing propels it far enough to become a classic or even memorable within the world of stunts or martial arts.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the film is its unique narrative style, which mirrors the deep, scratchy voice heard in Street Fighter video games. This sets the tone for the entire film, transforming it into an immersive video game experience rather than a traditional action feature. The supporting cast adds to the film’s colorful and over-the-top nature, with Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery portraying a power-hungry sadist and Sharlto Copley bringing his trademark goofiness as the in-law. Even Janssen, often cast as the villain, feels like an afterthought despite being the ‘final main boss.’
Final Thought
The ultimate film for 14-year-old boys but likely won’t thrill other demographics.