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It was an interesting week for new releases in theaters. Below is my take on the two big theatrical films from the weekend. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

Boy Kills World (Theaters)
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jessica Rothe, Famke Janssen, Brett Gellman, and Michelle Dockery
Synopsis: We have seen a lot of action films this year. Many have featured violent sequences, but some have been more artful than others. The new film, Boy Kills World, provides plenty of violence. It’s right there in the title. But where it falls short is in building something compelling beyond the killing spree. We’re introduced to a Boy (Skarsgard) early in the film. He tells us that his world is ruled by the Van Der Koy family, whose head, Hilda (Janssen) keeps the people in line through an annual Culling, where she kills “enemies.” Our protagonist’s mother and sister were among her victims. The Boy barely survived; saved by the Shaman (Yayan Ruhian), who trained him to be a warrior. Now an adult, the Boy is ready for the killing to stop. He’s deaf and mute, but his internal voice (H. Jon Benjamin) helps fill in the gaps. He’s haunted by visions of his young sister and driven to wipe out the Van Der Koy’s in her name. That puts him at odds with Hilda, her brother Gideon (Gellman), sister Melanie (Dockery), and top enforcer June27 (Rothe). After seeing more innocent people slaughtered as another Culling approaches, the Boy springs into action. Can he use all he learned to get ahead of the Van Der Koy army and cut the head off the snake? By the title alone, it was clear this would be an orgy of violence. That’s OK sometimes, but you have to be invested in the rest of the journey. I wanted to be invested here, but the story is just OK, the gags wear thin, and the twist at the end is something that’s fairly easy to see coming. Skargard does a nice job, carrying the film with a physical and dialogue-free performance. His facial expressions and actions are a delight. And the humor from his inner monologue is one of the best parts of the film. I also liked the cast here, which made me hopeful about what we were going to see. But it’s mostly a near continuous blood bath with not enough world-building. And what world-building they do, like the concept of the Culling, feels taken from other, better projects. There are times where it wants to give a Hunger Games vibe but seems to betray that sentiment by glorying in endless carnage. Even the final act, which features some dramatic reveals and tense face-offs feels like a let-down. It doesn’t help that the inconsistency of mission makes even our protagonist somewhat difficult to root for throughout the film. Director Moritz Mohr offers some interesting flourishes at times, and the action sequences are well choreographed. But this feels like playing an endless first-person video game. There’s plenty of battles but seemingly nothing in terms of stakes. That leaves it as a glossy but empty ride.
Rating: Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, language, some drug use and sexual references.
Verdict: Two and a half stars out of five

Challengers (Theaters)
Starring: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist
Synopsis: It takes a lot of passion, intensity, and work to become a champion on the court. But sometimes those same things are required to keep our relationships alive. That’s all at the core of Challengers, a new film from Luca Guadagnino that smolders with intensity from start to finish. The film follows three tennis players over the course of 13 years. We begin at the end—a finals match in a U.S. Open qualifier between one-time friends and teammates Art Donaldson (Faist) and Patrick Zwieg (O’Connor). There in the stands is Art’s wife, Tashi (Zendaya), who has a complicated history—and present—with each of them. We quickly go back 13 years. Art and Patrick were doubles partners set to square off in the Junior Finals. Tashi was at the top of the women’s game, winning the women’s final in dominant and impressive fashion. Both Patrick and Art are drawn to Tashi, and she seems drawn to them. A chance at a relationship becomes the stakes for their finals clash. Patrick wins, and as we move through time in flashbacks, we see Tashi’s relationship with both play out. It goes through the varying arcs of their lives and careers, until we reach the present. Art is a decorated champion making a comeback after injury. Patrick is a talented player that flamed out and is hanging on—barely—to the professional ranks. Tashi is a wife and mother, becoming Art’s coach after her own career was cut short. Their collision at this tournament—and in this finals match—is the catalyst to explore old wounds, current struggles, and their once fierce bonds. This is a powder keg of a film. The three leads work well here and are the sole focus of this film. We see their story tensely play out between points and volleys on the court, where Art and Patrick are squaring off on a blistering August day in New York and Tashi is left to watch at center court. Guadagnino is no stranger to showcasing fraught and tense relationships in film. This slides right into that genre, as we see these three drawn together and pulled apart throughout the course of this film and the 13 years it showcases. We see their story play out as the tension beautifully builds in the game on the court we’ve come to see. The use of editing, the tight shots on these performers, and the captivating and up-tempo soundtrack all bring the intensity of the film as it moves toward its climax. And what a climax it is. The smoldering final 15 minutes is something to behold, ending on a high-charged note. I particularly enjoyed the performances and direction here. Guadagnino builds a beautiful world and makes the most of his cast. The performers give it their all, too. I thought Zendaya was brilliant, and O’Connor smolders in several sequences. Faist is quite good as well, particularly in the film’s closing moments. This is a tense and intense film, but one that’s captivating and well-told. It’s one of the better releases so far in 2024.
Rating: Rated R for language throughout, some sexual content and graphic nudity.
Verdict: Four stars out of five