Boy Kills World – REVIEW
Image: Bill Skarsgård in BOY KILLS WORLD film still.
The synopsis of Boy Kills World is quite simplistic. When a young boy witnesses his family being murdered by the city ruler Hilda Van Der Koy, he swears vengeance.
It’s The Culling, an annual ritual where 12 people from the city are murdered on live television. He learns to fight from a shaman and when he finally reaches adulthood, he steps out of his comfort zone, and goes in search of the murderer vowing, “I’m going to kill every motherfucker that gets in my way!”
Move over Rambo as this new vigilante is taking to the streets! It’s war time! Let the game of retribution and blood shed commence!
This is a comedy action thriller that should have audiences laughing hysterically and simultaneously squirming in horror and disgust. There has never been a movie with so much violence, where dismemberment, beheadings and ultra nauseating gore have ‘graced’ the screen.
The pivotal character of Boy is astutely played by Swedish actor Bill Skasgard who starred in It (2017) and It Chapter 2 (2019). His character is a mute who spends most of his screen time semi clad, fighting and splicing up his antagonists. The mission is to demolish the dynasty set up by Hilda and her family.
“I’m a warrior on a mission – I’m turning back the city living in fear – her empire crumbles tonight!” he utters.
The body count would far exceed that of all Arnold Schwarzenegger movies combined thus aptly describing this as a fast-paced barbaric blood fest.
The highly animated choreography of the martial arts and other forms of combat is a prime reason for the success of this movie. Restlessness doesn’t have a chance of filtering through as there’s constantly something on screen that has audiences asking, can this get any more blood spatteringly gruesome? And the answer, predictably, is yes!
Rambo meets The Hunger Games in the televised scenes of murder, an unashamed comparison which cannot be overlooked.
The effective editing must be noted, which, collectively with the ultra-violence, is the reason for the totally engrossing and intense feeling of discomfort that may be experienced by the more sensitive of viewers.
Naturally there are a couple of twists as the movie progresses which even the most attentive viewer wouldn’t see coming.
This is cinematic nonsense not to be taken seriously and definitely not for the faint hearted!
Last word: Possibly the most violent movie ever produced.
★★★1/2
In cinemas now
