Boy Kills World is an action film that wears its inspirations from 90’s fighting games and eastern martial art revenge films on its sleeve.
The film is not particularly ground-breaking and will not likely be remembered by many people in the future, but this doesn’t mean that it isn’t an enjoyable watch.
The films two strongest elements are its exhilarating action and it’s absurdist comedic protagonist simply dubbed Boy.
Boy, played by Bill Skarsgård, is a deaf and mute man trained in martial arts to become a living weapon hellbent on revenge.
Although Boy cannot speak but he does have an internal voice provided by the iconic H. Jon Benjamin of Bob’s Burgers and Archer.
Round 1: FIGHT!!!
Boy Kills World has a lot of brilliant martial arts action scenes as Boy attempts to fight his way up the hierarchy of the authoritarian Van Der Koy family.
The plot of the film is incredibly simple as it follows a structure not unlike a nineties arcade fighting game. In which Boy fights up the ladder through eccentric enforcers and chaotic scenarios before reaching the final boss fight.
While this simplicity may hurt the film rewatch ability, story is not why anyone would be watching this film.
That would instead be for the action that is incredibly kinetic, visceral and impactful with exceptional choreography all throughout.
It’s incredibly clear how much Skarsgård trained for this role as his fighting abilities are a feast for the eyes. Not to mention his demi-god like physique.
The film is also very gory which adds a lot of impact to the absurdist violence.
All of this action is then accompanied with a lot of dry humour from Boys internal voice.
Player 2 has entered the match.
As Boy has lost both his hearing and speaking, he instead relies on an internal voice of his own choosing.
The voice he chooses is that of an arcade announcer played by H. Jon Benjamin, a very solid choice as if you could to sound like anyone, then why not choose Sterling Archer himself.
This internal voice is used a lot in the first act of the film but does not get overused as the film progresses.
The voice begins to pop up for a dry comment or two before disappearing again; further adding to the film’s absurdity.
Skarsgård’s own performance, which includes many a look of befuddlement, works to bring out the best of the absurdist comedy in the film.
One round wonder
Despite these two very strong aspects, Boy Kills World does not really have any other tricks up its sleeve. Which means that the film is rather hollow and likely will not hold up especially well on rewatches.
But this does not mean that the film is flawed, not every film has to be infinitely rewatchable.
Boy Kills World has a hollow story with a familiar set-up that only really attempts to excel at a few core things. But it does these things exceptionally well.
The film is then a very fun and very easy watch that does not take itself seriously at all. Which makes it perfect to watch with some friends and a drink or two (dozen).
It is a fun, brutal, action-packed B-movie. Nothing more, nothing less.
Featured image credit: Roadside Attractions/Everett Collection
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