'Boy Kills World' review: Obnoxious action movie is high on its own supply

Courtesy of Roadhouse

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The little voice inside your head has been transformed into a narrative device in the agonizingly dull action/comedy “Boy Kills World.” Trying to be both funny and obnoxiously violent with a chiseled Bill Skarsgård in the lead role playing someone who never utters a single word, “Boy Kills World” is the type of movie that thinks it’s smart, witty, and genre-pushing, but instead mistakes hyper-active (and lazy) storytelling for cleverness. Also coming out two weeks removed from Dev Petel’s “Monkey Man,” an action feast brimming with style and ingenuity, isn’t doing this airless film any favors.  

Taking place in one of those dystopian/futuristic worlds barely distinguishable from the hundreds of other movies that have used similar plot devices, “Boy Kills World” opens with a narration detailing how a single family rules over its citizens. That’s led by Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Jannsen) who employs ruthless and arcane tactics to keep the people in line, most notably an event pseudo-inspired by “The Hunger Games” called “the Culling,” where people who oppose government oversight are slaughtered on live television. 

Skarsgård plays Boy, whose family was killed by Van Der Koy and though he managed to survive and can no longer speak because of the incident, he still manages to narrate the entire movie using the voice of a video game announcer from a prominent childhood staple. That voice is played by H. Jon Benjamin, who everyone will immediately recognize as the “Bob’s Burgers” guy and it’s all you’ll think about for the entire movie’s two hour runtime. At one point, I kept thinking how much more entertaining an episode of that popular cartoon sitcom would be in comparison to all the nonsense happening in “Boy Kills World.” 

Nevertheless, Boy embarks on his revenge mission to kill the Van Der Koy family with his inner monologue providing an annoying play-by-play the entire time. Even if director and co-writer Moritz Mohr had the intuition to remove the voiceover, “Boy Kills World” would still be an action movie with zero emotional gravity or thematic weight. It’s too chaotic and unfocused nor do the human characters (among them a helmet-wearing assassin played by “Happy Death Day” star Jessica Rothe) seem interested in what’s happening. 

Skarsgård, who was a real treat playing Pennywise in the “It” remakes, is forced to grunt, scream, and emote his way through the entire ordeal and despite the actor and the stunt coordinators occasionally delivering a few decent action sequences, the overall lack of rhythm or visual flair leaves everything feeling empty. 

Grade: D+ 

BOY KILLS WORLD opens in theaters Friday, April 26th.