BOY KILLS WORLD

Name: BOY KILLS WORLD
Item: BOY KILLS WORLD
Author: Review

"A Futuristic Blood Fest"

Content: -3 Excessive sex, violence, immorality, and/or worldview problems. (Sometimes excessive content such as violence is in otherwise redemptive movies.)

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

Credits →

What You Need To Know:

BOY KILLS WORLD is set in a fictional totalitarian regime run by a corrupt matriarchy. Boy, a social outcast, witnesses his sister’s death by the government. After years of intense combat training and losing his ability to hear, the grown-up Boy goes on a revenge spree against the female dictator and her evil minions. The corrupt government is ruled by Hilda Van Der Koy, an unhinged matriarch who desires bloodshed. Boy’s mother and sister are hardened members of the local resistance group. Can Boy find justice for his family? Or, succumb to the cycle of hate?

BOY KILLS WORLD has spectacular action scenes and great production values. However, it’s hamstrung by spotty comedy and ultra gore. The movie carries rivers of blood, an ocean of violence and a tsunami of foul language. In terms of morality, BOY KILLS WORLD has a strong brother-sister bond and a fight against a corrupt government. Also, the hero uncovers his true family tree. However, these positive elements are accompanied by feminist themes and cynical worldbuilding. MOVIEGUIDE® ultimately finds BOY KILLS WORLD excessive and therefore unacceptable.

Content:

(PaPa, BB, ACACAC, C, FeFe, LLL, VVV, N, AA, DDD, MM):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

Mixed pagan worldview with strong anti-totalitarian attitude where a revenge-minded main hero takes on an entire evil and corrupt regime run by a corrupt matriarchy, hero tries to protect non-combatants from incoming gunfire, hero has a strong bond with his no-nonsense sister, hero defeats the dictator’s unhinged generals, hero has a strong duty to avenge his deceased sister and mother, hero decides to spare a henchwoman’s life after learning the truth, female villain runs a “culling” event to silence any potential uprisings, and tyrannical government runs a murder game program on live television, but the movie’s matriarchal villain is matched by other pro-feminist angles;

Foul Language:

At least 80 obscenities (nearly half are “f” words), two strong profanities using the name of Jesus, one GD profanity, two light profanities, two characters make obscene gestures in a comical fashion that use five fingers instead of just one, and a character vomits after witnessing a gruesome act of violence;

Violence:

Lots of very strong and strong over-the-top violence and gore throughout, characters engage in hand-to-hand combat, human limbs are severed off their bodies, gunfights break out every 20 minutes, various characters are shot in the head and other sensitive areas, a woman is beheaded by a camera jig, innocent bystanders are shot dead on the streets, a boy’s tongue is cut off, and a man using a hot poker forcibly destroys young hero’s ability to hear, and the hero’s body count is extremely high;

Sex:

No sex;

Nudity:

No sexual or explicit nudity, but main hero briefly showcases his abs during a training montage, and a henchwoman showcases her midriff throughout the movie;

Alcohol Use:

A few side characters (both good and evil) are shown to be heavy drinkers;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

The villains are heavy smokers, the hero and his shamanistic mentor consume psychedelic drugs to enhance their cognitive functions, the hero’s mentor creates his own tobacco, and the mentor performs brainwashing on his student; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

Hero’s mentor buries the hero underground, the main character’s sidekicks threaten a store owner for crucial information, and hero is revenge-minded.

More Detail:

BOY KILLS WORLD is an ultraviolent R-rated action movie. Set in a fictional totalitarian regime, social outcast Boy (Bill Skarsgard) witnesses the death of his sister by the hands of the government. After years of intense combat training and losing his ability to hear, the grown up Boy goes on a revenge spree against the dictator. Will Boy be able to avenge his family?

The movie begins with Boy (Bill Skarsgard) recounting his journey to vengeance. Boy is a deaf yet stern man from the slums who retains his child-like imagination. Back in his grade school days, Boy, his mother, and sister, Mina, were drafted to the annual “Culling” ceremony. The Culling is a public execution event designed to ward off potential insurgents. Boy watches Hilda Van Der Koy, the country’s evil dictator, pull the trigger on Mina before his very eyes. Frightened, Boy escapes into the forest and befriends Shaman (Yayan Ruhian), a mysterious warrior who lost his family to an earlier Culling. Shaman spends the next decade turning the Boy into a deadly assassin.

In the present, the college-aged Boy begins his quest for revenge: to assassinate Hilda Van Der Koy and bring justice to his family. Boy and his Resistance allies struggle to pinpoint Hilda’s exact location. The heroes face Hilda’s rogues gallery of deadly minions, including her top enforcer, June 27 (Jessica Rothe).

Along the way, Boy receives psychedelic hallucinations of his sister, Mina. This vision of Mina cautions Boy to not let the cycle of violence and hate consume him.

Can Boy bring justice to his family? Or will he succumb to the regime’s continuous cycle of hate?

BOY KILLS WORLD is first and foremost a hyper violent action movie with an ironic sense of humor. Unlike a serious story such as JOHN WICK, this movie balances its dystopian world with outbursts of gory slapstick comedy. The characters often joke about “ripping that guy’s limbs off” mixed with obscenities. The humor can be overbearing to the point of distracting. Even if BOY KILLS WORLD toned down its language, its observational quips are more “try hard” than earnest.

A major component of BOY KILLS WORLD is Boy’s inner monologue. After he suffered permanent damage to his ears from the Culling, Boy narrates his thoughts to the audience. His inner voice is provided by H. Jon Benjamin, who plays the father from BOB’S BURGERS). Boy retains his obsession with fighting video games and childlike curiosity. This version of Boy is witty, has charisma and provides great commentary over his fierce foes.

In terms of moral content, BOY KILLS WORLD is split between moral and feminist ideals. Boy himself has a strong sense of duty to not only free his home country, but to bring justice to those who wronged his family. Boy exhibits moral, redemptive ideals of protecting innocent civilians, having immense courage, and to only attack corrupt government agents. Halfway through the story, Boy’s vision of Mina begs him to spare the enemies who stand down. Boy reconsiders his value as a “weapon for revolution.” By the end, he converts one of his top enemies to quit the regime and join his side.

The movie also heavily stresses strong female characters. The corrupt government is ruled by Hilda Van Der Koy, an unhinged matriarch who desires bloodshed. Boy’s mother and sister are hardened members of the local resistance group. Boy’s main rival is June 27, a skilled assassin who wears an LED helmet over her head. June 27 is the second lead character and plays a pivotal role in Boy’s character growth. The movie doesn’t condone these women’s actions, but the “matriarchal,” feminist undertones are worth mentioning.

The choreography is fast, fluid and bursting with style. Boy and his enemies engage in hand-to-hand combat, hectic gunfights, and crazy acrobatics. The violence is gory, however, surpassing that of other movies. On the plus side, the movie features great production values and expert level editing.

In sum, therefore, BOY KILLS WORLD has spectacular action scenes, but it’s hamstrung by spotty comedy and ultra gore. The movie carries rivers of blood, an ocean of violence, and a tsunami of foul language. In terms of morality, it has a strong brother-sister bond, fighting back against a corrupt government, and the main hero uncovering his true family tree. However, these positive elements are accompanied by feminist themes and cynical worldbuilding. MOVIEGUIDE® ultimately finds BOY KILLS WORLD excessive and unacceptable.