Boy Kills World would beat you up and do it between laughs. This Hyperkinetic action flick takes every theme it can find and runs them into the ground with some clever direction, an A-list cast, and twists that completely warp the story during a balls-to-the-wall climax. Bill Skarsgård is an absolute animal in this one with a performance that doesn’t require him to say a word. His deaf-mute hero bludgeons villains into hamburger meat using nothing but his face. The character’s inner thoughts are relayed via hilarious voiceover narration by H. Jon Benjamin. Boy Kills World never lets up. The adrenaline rush might wear thin for some viewers, but junkies will be right at home.
Hilda van der Koy (Famke Janssen), her brother Gideon (Brett Gelman), sister Melanie (Michelle Dockery) and their idiotic ringmaster/trophy husband Glen (Sharlto Copley) rule over a post-apocalyptic city with an iron fist in this dystopian future society where public dissent is quashed on “Culling Day” — staged public executions carried out with theatrical flair invented by the brilliant/batshit insane Melanie. June 27 (Jessica Rothe) is their lethal enforcer, sporting a helmet that digitally displays her intentions seconds before she gleefully disembowels someone.
Young Boy (Cameron Crovetti) trundles his cabbage cart through crowded streets where he reads lips of the fearful while bearing witness to van der Koy atrocities; remembers watching his mother and baby sister Mina being murdered in front of him on Culling Day; escapes into the woods where old Shaman (Yayan Ruhian) beats him into becoming a killing machine; becomes best fighter ever; now adult Boy is tired of training; must kill van der Koys but how?
The Murderous Theatrics of Boy Kills World
Boy Kills World could be a video game. It’s not, though, because the characters have way more depth than any game and the story is actually interesting. German director Moritz Mohr does an excellent job in his feature debut of peeling back layers with carefully crafted exposition; what you see is definitely not what you get.
The van der Koys aren’t all cut from the same cloth of evil. Gideon especially has a really cool arc that delves into his desire to be respected as a writer — he takes it seriously and resents Melanie constantly shitting on him for it. She couldn’t care less about his artistic integrity. What she knows is that broadcasted carnage tames unruly masses better than anything else. Her bread and circuses are designed for one purpose: keeping their family’s iron grip intact forever. Gelman, Dockery, plus a scene-stealing Copley bring some real interpersonal heft to all that bloody murder.
Bill Skarsgård Kills It in Brilliantly Directed Action Scenes
Skarsgård absolutely rips in this movie where he never stops moving for even like two seconds except when he’s walking or talking or something. His huge ripped body just destroys anything that isn’t him y’know? But Boy isn’t just like crazy dumb or whatever — his inner voice (a favorite fighting game character) gives him this wounded soul thing going on which I thought was real cool man
As a kind of morality guide, the boy interacts with a ghostly vision of his dead sister. She is an angel on his shoulder who tries to stop an unstoppable murder spree with her innocence. Skarsgard’s eyes, filled with ghosts, become windows into his soul. They’re saying what he feels as the boy’s journey takes a left turn here and there. The film has some huge twists.
Mohr’s action scenes are covered in gasoline and lit with dynamite. Great fight choreography is captured in long fluid sequences through brilliant camera placement by him. This is particularly well done when Boy has to quickly change direction or turn a corner. Swinging parabolically around as he attacks or defends himself does the camera. Edits or jump cuts aren’t used by Mohr to speed up the action. Timing is everything in these set ups; if someone misses their mark then it ruins the shot. Mohr knows where each position needs to be at any given time along with having strong technical skills but keeps everything centered from Bo’s perspective throughout this movie which I find hard to believe considering that was his first one ever made but anyways Hollywood better watch out for him because he’s going places let me tell ya!
There are trippy visuals in this film that support its comedic moments; let’s just say the Shaman isn’t only high on life…wacky would be an understatement! As Boy’s imagination runs wild Mohr gets downright bonkers during these parts which will either have people rolling around laughing their asses off or completely losing them altogether so depending on who you ask about it could go either way but like they always say different strokes for different folks right? I personally think intermixing silly-savage like ping pong balls between two opposite ends such as what happens here won’t suit everyone’s taste buds perfectly especially when combined together with how fast paced everything else seems like it comes at you from every angle possible at break neck speeds but hey that’s just me
Boy Kills World is produced by Nthibah Pictures, Hammerstone Studios, Raimi Productions and Vertigo Entertainment.
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