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If you’re after over-the-top violence with a dose of wacky humour, this could make for a relatively entertaining watch.
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Stylistically and narratively, Boy Kills World unfolds like a pulpy graphic novel/video game that I probably would have loved as a teenager. It’s flashy, packed with knowingly silly humour, and full of stabs at pulp culture references, alongside satire aimed at politics and the media.
Have to hand it to Boy Kills World for taking a number of large swings; it just doesn’t land as many hits as it needs to. While I did have a few giggles, the jolts of highly simplistic comedy and obvious parody often play out awkwardly, failing to ramp up the entertainment factor the film is chasing. The dystopian world itself also fails to convince, the result of what feels like a mix of underdeveloped ideas and budgetary constraints.
Yes, the film’s farcical plot isn’t meant to be taken too seriously, but putting more focus on the hero’s tragic upbringing would have helped strengthen the emotional side — limited as it may be.
All that being said, Boy Kills World works best when it’s serving up bloody combat. A few early action sequences are moderately entertaining, but it’s in the extended final quarter of mayhem that the film really finds its gnarly groove. The wince-inducing violence is a hoot, even if it takes a little too long to get there.
Importantly, the actual Boy killing the world is worth spending time with. Bill Skarsgård is good value, delivering an emotive, wordless, highly physical performance. And yes, he’s ripped.
And while having Archer and Bob’s Burgers voice actor H. Jon Benjamin as the character’s internal monologue doesn’t hurt the film, the screenplay doesn’t give him as much wit or originality as hoped. I was often left wondering whether the voiceover was even necessary.
Boy Kills World ends up as just under two hours of mindless, mildly entertaining carnage. A tighter runtime and a more focused screenplay would have elevated the material considerably.
