Contra Todos

Here we are in 2024 with another revenge film. I had just seen Monkey Man over a month ago, a revenge film which I also enjoyed.

Boy Kills World was already on my radar, before watching Monkey Man, but I didn't think I would be in a situation where I would be comparing the two. Until now, after watching Boy Kills World.

Without spoilers, both men go through a similar journey of a traumatic event happening in their childhood. With Monkey Man being more of a drama and Boy Kills World being more of a comedy.

However, I will say Boy Kills World has a more creative narrative structure and stronger choreography than Monkey Man. It also has replay value, I will definitely watch Boy Kills World again, much sooner than revisiting Monkey Man.

I love Kill Bill (volume 1, not 2), that's how I know I would like this movie. And as it turned out, I do like it. The action was cool and the fight sequences are good. And although the story was straightforward, it's still interesting. Besides, there was a plot twist near the end of the movie. I guessed it right, though. It's a good twist, but too simple. In the end, it wasn't a total surprise. Maybe I need to remind you that this is a violent movie. So for those who can't stomach the blood and gore, don't watch this movie. The comedy part of this movie made this movie less dark than it actually is. Every time Bennie talks to Boy, his interpretation of Bennie's speech made me laughed my butt off.

I wanted to like this more than I did.

The fight scenes were fun, and the gore was excessive, but I couldn't bring myself to care all that much.

I think it might have to do with the mismatch between John Benjamin's voice and the actor playing the boy.

I couldn't quite reconcile them as being the same person so it felt like the entire movie was being narrated like MSTK or something.

Also some of the shaky camera fights were hard to make out in between limbs breaking.

I was relieved to see a new IP and it deserves to be supported, but I would say this was more of a rental or even a matinee movie.

Boy Kills World is a total blast. A winning combination of brutal violence and weird humour tied together in a story that does enough to make you care about the characters. It moves efficiently, has some clever twists and an unforgettable fight involving a cheese grater. Like all the best action comedies, the zany humour disguises the beating heart at the centre.

Bill Skarsgård proves he doesn't need dialogue to communicate. He can do so much with just his eyes and the fact that it all syncs up really well with H. Jon Benjamin's suitably over the top voice over is just a bonus. Plus he has an adorable rapport with Quinn Copeland. Andrew Koji isn't given a chance to show off his physical prowess but is given the time to show how surprisingly great he is at comedy.

Mortiz Mohr's direction nails the balance between self awareness and sincerity, translating some of the language of video games to cinema effectively. With cinematography by Peter Matjasko, the camera moves with the action rather than against it. It's always fluid and bloody inventive, saving the best fight for last. It's the kind of final fight where the choreography is impeccable, the blows are nasty and it goes on for so long it's exhausting in the best ways.

This movie is narrated by H. Jon Benjamin. If that doesn't tell you exactly what kind of movie this is, let me explain:

This is what Archer would be if it was a little more dramatic and a lot more bloody.

Oldboy if it were half as brilliant with a little bit of slapstick thrown in.

The Hunger Games if it didn't treat death and murder was all that bad - like it was written by a gamer of the FPS variety.

Did I cringe at the squelching bloody noises? Yes. Did I laugh out loud in the theater? Also yes. Was the revenge story worthwhile? I think so. Outside all of the action, the story was not terrible, and the characters had character. Worth a watch, but doubt it'll change anyone's life.