Boy Kills World (18)

Nameless and homeless in a post-apocalyptic dictatorship run by the Van Der Koy clan, deaf-mute orphan Boyi s raised in the jungle by a shaman protector. The object of Boy's obsession is despot Hilda Van Der Koy, who murdered his loved ones in cold blood. The ghost of baby sister Mina haunts Boy, compelling him to seek revenge. Boy prepares to storm Hilda's stronghold and dole out overdue justice aided by renegades Basho and Benny.

LondonNet Film Review

Boy Kills World (18) Film Review from LondonNet

In April 2023, actor turned director Dev Patel boldly staked his claim to the most gratuitously violent revenge thriller of the year with Monkey Man, which fully deserved an 18 certificate in the UK. German filmmaker Moritz Mohr ups the ante with this hallucinogenic feature directorial debut, laden with hyperstylised violence and ghoulish humour that suggests – wrongly – Boy Kills World may have begun its blood-spattered life as a graphic novel. Screenwriters Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers have a blast subverting expectations with a dramatic set-up reminiscent of The Hunger Games’ annual slaughter, which spirals into delusion and dismemberment…

A satisfying twist lands perfectly when it seems we know exactly where Boy Kills World is heading. The title character is unable to speak so H Jon Benjamin voices a hilarious, potty-mouthed inner monologue, appropriated from the narration of the hero’s favourite arcade game, Super Dragon Punch Force 3. Thus, during one bravura fight sequence, a persistent henchman refuses to die from horrific, stomach-churning injuries and the narrator whoops, “Player two is scary!” An impressively gym-toned Bill Skarsgard conveys his killing machine’s churning emotions without saying a word and meets the intense physical demands of the role with gusto. Carnage is unrelenting and a running time shy of two hours pushes our endurance to the on-screen barbarity to the limit.

Nameless and homeless in a post-apocalyptic dictatorship run by the Van Der Koy clan, deaf-mute orphan Boy (Skarsgard) is raised in the jungle by a shaman protector (Yayan Ruhian). “I am an instrument shaped for a single purpose: to kill Hilda Van Der Koy!” bellows Boy’s inner voice (Benjamin). The object of Boy’s obsession is despot Hilda (Famke Janssen), who murdered his loved ones in cold blood. The ghost of baby sister Mina (Quinn Copeland) haunts Boy, compelling him to seek revenge.

During a sortie into a village, Boy witnesses Gideon Van Der Koy (Brett Gelman) and brother-in-law Glen (Sharlto Copley) preparing to slaughter more innocent families as part of an annual bloodthirsty ritual known as The Culling. The shaman orders Boy to hold his nerve but the enraged orphan intervenes and becomes a prime target for the Van Der Koy’s private army. Boy prepares to storm Hilda’s stronghold and dole out overdue justice aided by renegades Basho (Andrew Koji) and Benny (Isaiah Mustafa). However, Hilda is protected by her sister Melanie (Michelle Dockery) and masked bodyguard June 27 (Jessica Rothe).

Boy Kills World delights in wanton gore, reducing more than one cranium to crushed bone and brain splatter. Hand-to-hand combat with a certain kitchen implement left me glimpsing bloodshed through trembling fingers. The supporting cast make the most of limited screen time and their underwritten roles to justify the butchery with boo-hiss villainy.

– Kim Hu