Instant Cult-Classic: ‘Boy Kills World’ Reviewed
by Tito W. James
Summary
Boy Kills World is a slickly produced B-movie that will no doubt gain a cult audience over time.
If you’re sick of cookie-cutter blockbusters and want a splatter-punk stravaganza Boy Kills World is made for you.
Overall
8.5/10Bill Skarsgard stars as “Boy” — who avows revenge after his family is murdered by Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a corrupt, post-apocalyptic dynasty that left the boy orphaned, deaf, and voiceless.
Boy Kills World is unabashedly a B-movie that wears its violent arcade game influence on its sleeves. Part of the appeal of Boy Kills World is entering the film’s unique blood-spattered and corporate-sponsored dystopia. This is a revenge story you’ve seen before but with a self-aware, post-modern presentation.
While the film doesn’t take the plot too seriously, Boy Kills World never pulls punches when it comes to the action. The fights are bloody, brutal, and darkly comedic. The result is a better live-action Mortal Kombat movie than 2021’s Mortal Kombat.
The film is filled with cameos for cult-action fans including Yayan Ruhian (The Raid 1 and 2), Andrew Koji (Warrior), and Sharlto Copley (Hardcore Henry). The Boy’s inner voice is narrated by Bob’s Burger‘s own H. Jon Benjamin, who adds the perfect comedic touch. Another standout is the young Quinn Copeland as a character assiting Boy on his quest and who also provides the emotional anchor for the film.
Boy Kills World is not going to appeal to everyone and I’d highly recommend the film to people who enjoyed 2015’s Kung Fury. Apparently Boy Kills World screenwriter, Tyler Burton Smith, is penning the screenplay for Kung Fury 2. For a directorial debut by Moritz Mohr, Boy Kills World is very impressive. As someone who’s sick of middle-of the-road action films, I’m glad Boy Kills World had the balls to be radically unique.
