Movie Breakdown: Boy Kills World

Pre-Screening Stance:

There isn’t anything about Boy Kills World that doesn’t look over the top and bonkers. So, my guess is the movie will either be a rollicking good time or something that’s just too noisy.

Post-Screening Ramble:

I love the way that Boy Kills World gets going. You get introduced to the deaf and mute Boy (Nicholas Crovetti is the young version, Bill Skarsgård is the older one, and H. Jon Benjamin provides his inner voice), and he immediately sets up the story and then kicks you right into a training montage. Most action movies build up to the inevitable flashback that tells you why the main character is out for revenge, same when it comes to the montage where they hone themselves into a badass, but not Boy Kills World, it just dumps you right into it, which is different and fun. The only downside to rocketing out of the gates in this manner is that it’s hard to keep thing cracking at that same level, and that’s where this movie gets hung up. It’s certainly a stylish and entertaining effort that features some really funny moments and a handful of great fight scenes (Skarsgård really holds his own, by the way), but there are parts where it just goes completely flat – this is for sure not a film that needed a near-two-hour runtime. Though, to be fair, I will say that I watched this at home but I think it would probably play better in a theater with a crowd. That way there’s a bit of buzz still in the air during the moments where the film meanders.

If you like your action movies to be wild and unkempt, you should check out Boy Kills World. Just don’t be surprised if your mind wanders off here and there while watching it. The movie is in theaters as of today, April 26.

One Last Thought:

Bill Skarsgård has quite the year lined up for himself – obviously, there’s this movie, but he’s also starring in the remake of The Crow and Robert Eggers’ version of Nosferatu.