Year:  2024

Director:  Moritz Mohr

Rated:  MA

Release:  2 May 2024

Distributor: VVS

Running time: 111 minutes

Worth: $12.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth

Cast:
Bill Skarsgård, Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Famke Janssen, Sharlto Copley, Brett Gelman, Yayan Ruhian

Intro:
… a colourful, funny and splattery action flick that will likely appeal to a certain kind of viewer (read: stoners and/or 14-year-old boys) and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

There are good films, there are bad films and then there are films that get by on sheer, unbridled chutzpah. Boy Kills World, the swaggeringly confident but messy AF feature debut from director Moritz Mohr is just such a film. Your enjoyment of it will be dependent on how many off-the-wall stylistic choices you can take and, frankly, whether you’ve necked an edible about half an hour before the movie begins.

Boy Kills World is the story of Boy (Bill Skarsgård) a young deaf-mute man who is seeking revenge for the death of his family against an entire fascist regime headed up by the evil Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen). To get said retribution, Boy has been trained by the mysterious Shaman (Yayan Ruhian) to become a weapon, a blood-seeking missile with martial arts skills and an appetite for inflicting pain. He also has an internal monologue voiced by none other than H. John Benjamin (Archer, Bob’s Burgers) and periodic visits from his sister, Mina (Quinn Copeland), who is a surprisingly adorable ghost.

That all sounds like a lot, right? Well, there’s more. Because this narky dystopia also features other Van Der Koys like Melanie (Michelle Dockery), Glen (Sharlto Copley), and Gideon (Brett Gelman), all of whom are brightly coloured caricatures gurning and snarling their way through scenes. Not to mention the various enforcers and foot soldiers that make up the kicky punchy fodder that Boy will be smashing his way through. It’s all a bit unwieldy, somehow convoluted and a bit simple at the same time, like a video game that hasn’t been translated properly. Mind you, when the world building stops and the head-bashing begins, things take a turn for the positive.

The big draw for Boy Kills World is undoubtedly Skarsgård’s game, muscular performance and the epic sprawling fight scenes, which are blisteringly violent and often very funny. The connective tissue between these moments is a little weaker, however, and could have used judicious editing to keep the pace snappy and engaging. Also, some of the twists in the third act probably looked good on paper, but come too late in the piece to feel like anything more than a rugpull.

Still and all, Boy Kills World is a colourful, funny and splattery action flick that will likely appeal to a certain kind of viewer (read: stoners and/or 14-year-old boys) and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, if you prefer your action flicks with a little more nuance, and a little less noise, you might find this adventure a bit exhausting.

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