We are definitely living in a golden age of video game adaptations. If you look at the past year or so, Fallout has been a huge hit on Amazon Prime Video, and the same can be said for HBO and The Last of Us. As for movies, The Super Mario Bros. Movie took home the silver medal as last year's second-highest grossing film, behind only global sensation Barbie.
A new movie is coming into the ring this week. Boy Kills World, director Moritz Mohr's feature directorial debut, has all the hallmarks of a great video game movie. However, the film is not actually based on that work.
The film stars Bill Skarsgard as Boy, a deaf man who has trained his entire life for a mission: to kill the woman he believes brutally murdered his entire family. There are direct references to video games throughout the story as we join him on this quest for revenge. Even Boy's inner voice, which speaks his thoughts to the audience, is taken from the character's favorite childhood arcade games and brought to life beautifully by Bob's Games. He's H. John Benjamin from Burgers (very funny).
Leveling up
But the film is more than just a video game homage; Boy Kills World actually Video game movies are in its DNA. This was acknowledged by director Mohr, who told Total Film magazine earlier this year: “I love old kung fu movies. I love Asian movies. I play a lot of video games and read a lot of manga. Anime is a big influence.” Manga too. ”
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All of these influences are reflected in the film, but video game inspiration is especially present, especially when it comes to the film's structure. We start at the equivalent of a training level, learning the controls and movements of a character (here, it happens to be Boy). Under the tutelage of a mysterious shaman (played by The Raid's Yayan Ruhian), a classic training montage shows Boy learning skills such as martial arts and how to use a knife in a fight. There is. Each lesson means new skills are learned and in the end Boy is ready to step out into the world to utilize these abilities. Just like when we press the right combination of buttons on our controller in the game, we just need to determine what move we need for each opponent and be able to successfully execute it. And just like in video games, as Boy defeats enemies, new enemies appear that are tougher, stronger, and harder to defeat.
In a sense, Boy Kills World can be divided into several levels. The protagonist moves from scene to scene, enemy to enemy, progressing until he reaches the final boss of his level (for him it is the matriarch Hilda Fandel). Koi (Famke Janssen) believes that he is responsible for the brutal murder of his family. Having leveled up along the way, Boy believes he's ready for the climactic battle, but like the best video games, the movie has some surprising twists in store for a simple ' There's no “game over” (I won't spoil it here).
choose your weapon
As Boy fights these enemies, a “choose your weapon” aspect is introduced. Our hero is good at fighting with his fists, but he also searches the rooms he enters for anything that can be used as a weapon, picking up various objects and taking on his enemies in the most brutal ways imaginable. Suffice it to say, I don't think I'll ever look at a carrot the same way again, and the movie industry's recent penchant for killing people with cheese graters (like in The Evil Dead) following (too much bloodshed).
At times, the perspective shifts from the boy to the mysterious June 27th (Happy Death Day star Jessica Roos), one of the van der Coij family's most feared fighters and soon to be a star in the sport. There's also a “select your fighter” element that leaves a memorable impression. Yellow motorcycle jacket and helmet. Putting yourself in her shoes and essentially adding another playable her character to any given brawl helps keep the action fresh and dynamic. A very wise choice on Mr. Mohr's part.
game over?
In a perhaps unexpected turn of events, the video game industry apparently took notice of all of the above, and Boy Kills World actually spawned its own video game. “Super Dragon Punch Force 3'', which will be released on the same day as the movie, is an original fighting game that is a sequel to the game that appeared in the movie (of course, the title is “Super Dragon Punch Force 2''). Available for Windows PC and Mobile He platforms, the game features several familiar characters, such as Boy and June 27, who can fight each other in brutal battles. And considering how exhilarating the action is in this movie, why wouldn't you want to give this a try?
If, like me, you're ready to play Boy Kills World as soon as the credits roll, the good news is that it's not game over thanks to Super Dragon Punch Force 3. Player 1, choose a fighter.
The Boy Kills World is currently showing in US theaters and UK cinemas. Check out our exclusive interview with Director Mohr. We talked about why it was always going to be rated R, what director Skarsgård brought to the film, and how it differs from John Wick.
For more information on what else to see in theaters, be sure to check out the rest of our Big Screen Spotlight series.
