Boy Kills World review
It’s kind of hard to explain the experience of watching Boy Kills World. Maybe a mix of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World with the bloody brawling action sequences of The Raid?
This isn’t a one size fits all action film, but for those into this kind of wild hybrid it might be one of their favorite films of 2024.
Early on, the film is intentionally disorienting. Director Moritz Mohr establishes the origin as if Boy Kills World was a product of a multiverse Quentin Tarantino who adored video games instead of spaghetti Westerns and exploitation films.
A young boy (played in different time periods by twins Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti) explains the most traumatic day of his life. The ruthless totalitarian ruler Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen, Taken 3) gunned down his mother and younger sister (Quinn Copeland). While surviving the public execution, the shooting left him deaf and mute.
Rescued by The Shaman (Yayan Ruhian, The Raid 2), the boy spends the next few years being diligently trained in the art of warfare. His only goal? To kill Hilda Van Der Koy. The boy’s emotional state is shaky. He can’t remember how he used to sound.
Now an adult (played by Bill Skarsgård, John Wick Chapter 4), he envisions his inner voice like that of his favorite video game character (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin). And he keeps seeing his little sister randomly popping up offering advice. These interactions eventually become some of the film’s highlights. Copeland offers so much charisma while Skarsgård mines so much emotion from his physical performance.
To keep the peace and remind the people who has the power, the Van Der Koys hold a public execution every year. They’ve turned it into a big ceremonial event so yes, The Hunger Games comparisons aren’t inaccurate. These are done under the command of Melanie Van Der Koy (Michelle Dockery), Hilda’s younger sister.
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Boy Kills World starts off somewhat over the top and rough. Characters like Glen Van Der Koy (Brett Gelman) and Gideon Van Der Koy (Sharlto Copley) seem like movie characters. Mohr needs some time to properly establish the film’s tone after the opening’s info dump. Once things settle down, Boy Kills World gets rolling in bloody grand fashion.
During his initial strike against the Van Der Koy’s, Boy encounters Basho (Andrew Koji). Basho seems all talk but comes through when it matters most. Sensing the Boy’s arrival as a cue to battle the authority figures, Basho introduces him to Benny (Isaiah Mustafa). There’s a great running joke with The Boy and Benny that doesn’t need to be spoiled.
Boy seems to meet his match with June 27 (the always fantastic Jessica Rothe, Happy Death Day), the elite fighter of the Van Der Koy army. Just for more video game fun, June wears a helmet with a scrolling LED message board.
That’s all the essential plot elements. Boy Kills World is really all about the action. Action/fight designer Dawid Szatarski stages some mesmerizing brawls and gunplay. The fights skew more towards physical combat than the John Wick style of gun-fu. These intricate and amazingly designed sequences are the best hand to hand battles since The Raid 2.
Szatarski could easily go down the path of fellow stunt coordinator Chad Stahelski, who parlayed his experience into directing the John Wick franchise.
It seems like everything gets resolved in the first 85 minutes of this big revenge quest. There’s just the matter of finishing the final boss stage. For a two-hour movie that feels like a lot of padding to drag out the story and battles that long. Instead, screenwriters Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers unleash a clever means to make the final act far more satisfying.
Boy Kills World is not for the squeamish or those who take their action movies too seriously. Just want a wild spectacle with some spectacularly extravagant and bloody battles? You’re not going to want to miss this one.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Photo Credit: Roadside Attractions