BOY KILLS WORLD: Movie Review

Video games have long been an influence for many of the best filmmakers in the world and constantly act as a source of inspiration for many directors trying to craft their vision. This is certainly the case for debut director Moritz Mohr, whose first film Boy Kills World, draws heavy inspiration from the world of video games, martial art films, and more. Mohr wears his inspirations on his sleeve in Boy Kills World and it leads to a very apparent sense of style in this gory revenge film, but the film is far too hokey, dated, and forced to live up to the action comedy romp it aspires to be. With a screenplay by Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers, Boy Kills World aims to keep its quips flying as forcefully and fast as its punches, but the ludicrous story and sometimes uninspired moments of the film keep it from ever going as far it could or should. There are certainly times when Boy Kills World does shine – look out for the final battle scenes – but there are far better versions of this type of film we have seen before.

Boy Kills World assembles quite a large ensemble cast but most of the performers don’t leave a particularly strong impression. Bill Skarsgård plays Boy, a deaf-mute man whose inner voice is voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, and while Skarsgård does a lot to match his expressions with the narrating voice, this isn’t a very memorable performance. The same can be said about the rest of the extended cast including Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Famke Janssen, Brett Gelman, and more, who deliver solid work, but fail to leave any type of memorable impression.

Boy Kills World clearly aspires to be a rollicking and chaotic action comedy with unexpected moments, and while the writing is often playful and cheeky with some truly solid action set pieces, there is something flat and forced about the proceedings of Boy Kills World. In trying to develop its stylistic voice, the film overcompensates and misses the mark, with humor that doesn’t remain consistent and a storyline that feels stifled with plot holes that begin to feel unintentionally funny. Director Moritz Mohr isn’t afraid to flex his genre muscles by using his inspirations to mold the film’s voice, but the thin line between flattery and imagination begins to fade, and Boy Kills World quickly begins to feel like a fan film rather than something innovative or unique. Boy Kills World has moments where it shows glimmers of promise but this otherwise largely sparse film doesn’t deliver on the promises of its zany setup.