Often compared with the Keanu Reeves movie franchise even before it hit the big screens on April 26, 2024.

With Bill Skarsgård as its titular lead and Sam Raimi as one of its producers, Boy Kills World was expected to trigger the inception of another compelling action movie franchise. Unfortunately, despite initially generating some hype, the film failed to leave its mark at the box office and earned mixed reviews from critics. However, Boy Kills World has still been widely praised for its action sequences, gags, and performances, making it worthy of a watch now that it is available for streaming.

For Fans Of...

• The John Wick franchise.
• Other assassin action movies, like Nobody, The Killer, Shooter, Kill Bill, and Bullet Train.
• Bill Skarsgård and Andrew Koji.

DID YOU KNOW: Pete Davidson was considered to play the titular "Boy" in Boy Kills World before the role went to Bill Skarsgård.

Boy Kills World Is Now Streaming On Hulu - What It's About

It's a Dystopian Action Comedy That Follows An Assassin

Boy Kills World introduces Boy (Bill Skarsgård) as a child who resides in a dystopian city with his mother and sister. In the film's opening arc itself, Boy loses his family when Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), the head of the family that rules the central city, kills them and leaves him for dead. Boy sustains injuries that permanently damage his ability to hear and speak but hopes to exact revenge on Hilda for killing his mother and younger sister. He trains under an unnamed Shaman, who rescues and helps him recover from his injuries when Hilda nearly kills him.

The more he trains under the Shaman (Yayan Ruhian), the more capable he becomes of taking down Hilda. Along the way, Bennie (Isaiah Mustafa) and Basho (Andrew Koji) forces with him and formulate a plan to help him defeat Hilda. With what follows, Boy Kills World unfolds like a typical revenge thriller, featuring several creative action sequences and a few memorable one-liners. To keep things interesting, the movie introduces a few fun twists and turns that either hold Boy back from executing his plan or help him speed up the process.

What ScreenRant has said about Boy Kills World:

"Boy Kills World holds nothing back when it comes to action. There are cheese grater kills, flips upon flips, and exquisite kicks and punches to back it all up. Due to the subject matter, the film is free from reductive Boy Kills World Review: Old-School Revenge Thriller Shows Just How Tough Bill Skarsgard Is

Why You Should Watch Boy Kills World

It's A Fun & Stylistic Popcorn Flick

Although Boy Kills World takes the typical revenge thriller route with its narrative and seems predictable almost throughout its runtime, its strength lies in its ability to bring levity to even some of its most gruesome moments. Instead of taking itself too seriously like the John Wick movies, Boy Kills World plays nearly everything for laughs. It cleverly uses the inner voice of its protagonist as a narrative device to drive many of these funny moments, allowing it to present itself as a uniquely self-aware take on the genre.

DID YOU KNOW: Jessica Rothe, who plays Bill Skarsgård's younger sister in Boy Kills World, is three years older than him in real life.

Unlike several recent hits in the genre, like Monkey Man, which has also been compared with John Wick, Boy Kills World misses the opportunity to explore deeper themes with its revenge plot. This both favors and harms the film in several ways. On the one hand, its reliance on humor and one-dimensional story beats allows it to be more accessible and entertaining for audiences seeking a fun diversion rather than a contemplative political thriller like Monkey Man. On the other, its lack of an emotional core makes it easily forgettable once its credits start rolling.

While, unlike John Wick, it fails to pave the way for potential franchise expansions, Boy Kills World succeeds at delivering short-term thrills with its realistic and violent action scenes and style-over-substance storytelling approach.

Given how Boy Kills World perfectly sells itself more as a popcorn flick that can even be rewatched purely for its adrenaline-fueled action sequences and gory humor, it is the kind of film one would want to watch on a streaming platform. The film further enhances its entertainment value with its visuals that combine techno-capitalist futuristic aesthetics with nostalgic retro-gaming hues. While calling it a Bill Skarsgård movie succeeds at delivering short-lasting thrills with its realistic and violent action scenes and style-over-substance storytelling approach.

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