Often compared with theJohn Wickmovies,Bill Skarsgård’sBoy Kills World, which has an audience score of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, is now streaming. Directed by Moritz Mohr,Boy Kills Worldhas been among the new age of action comedy assassin films that have entailed theJohn Wickfranchise’s success. Owing to this, many could not help but compare it with theKeanu Reeves moviefranchise even before it hit the big screens on June 29, 2025.
With Bill Skarsgård as its titular lead and Sam Raimi as one of its producers,Boy Kills Worldwas 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 Worldhas 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…
DID YOU KNOW: Pete Davidson was considered to play the titular “Boy” in Boy Kills World before the role went to Bill Skarsgård.
It’s a Dystopian Action Comedy That Follows An Assassin
Boy Kills World
Boy Kills World is an action thriller film by director Moritz Mohr, released in 2024. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, a young man simply known as “Boy” lives through terrible trauma after his family is killed by a woman named Hilda Van Der Koy, who currently rules the land. Now older and more bloodthirsty than ever, Boy heads into the fray to claim revenge while liberating the world from her tyrannical grasp.
Boy Kills Worldintroduces 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 members 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.
Boy Kills World Ending Explained
The ending of Boy Kills World recontextualizes the entire film, builds to an unexpected final fight, and even sets up a direction for sequels.
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) join forces with him and formulate a plan to help him defeat Hilda. With what follows,Boy Kills Worldunfolds 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 aboutBoy Kills World:
“Boy Kills Worldholds 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 reductiveJohn Wickcomparisonsand is far closer to an old-fashioned Kung fu movie in terms of plot and fight influence. Make no mistake, there are plenty of guns inBoy Kills World, but by no means are they the film’s preferred weapon of choice.” -Nadir Samara,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
AlthoughBoy Kills Worldtakes 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 theJohn Wickmovies,Boy Kills Worldplays nearly everything for laughs.It cleverly uses the inner voice of its protagonist as a narrative deviceto 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, likeMonkey Man, which has also been compared withJohn Wick,Boy Kills Worldmisses 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 likeMonkey 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 howBoy Kills Worldperfectly 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 aJohn Wickreplacementwould be a stretch, theBill Skarsgård moviesucceeds at delivering short-lasting thrills with its realistic and violent action scenes and style-over-substance storytelling approach.
59%
72%
111 minutes
$3.3 million
