Monkey Man and Boy Kills World are both out in theaters! These are two crazy action male led action films that have not being so well at the box office! Even if you take into account how there’s very little movies nowadays that do well at the box office, these two flicks have been playing in mostly empty theaters. That is such a shame! Not only because these are two very well done action movies that perhaps have a hiccup or two in terms of storytelling but these are literally the kind of flicks that people claim they want in theaters.
And to go into exactly what I’m talking about, I’m going to give you all five reasons why I genuinely believe that Monkey Man and Boy Kills World deserves your time and money at your local movie theater!
1.) Stellar Debuts For Two First Time Directors
That’s right! Monkey Man and Boy Kills World made for the very first film from a directing standpoint from both Dev Patel (who is also the main lead of the picture) and Moritz Mohr. It’s always important for directors to make the best possible first impression to audiences and both are able to do that just splendidly with their directorial debuts.
When watching both films, you can definitely tell that have a unique version of what kind of action flick that they were wanting to make throughout the entire production. Patel was aiming for a bleak and dirty action flick with fight scenes that have personal stakes and wants the viewers to feel every punch the main protagonist takes. Mohr was aiming for a crazy and over-the-top action flick where each action sequence dare to top themselves in terms of pure spectacle and carnage. Both of these kind of action flicks have their place within the genre and both directors were able to make the best use of it.
That’s not to say either one of them is flawless. Patel could have afforded to move the camera back every now and then and Mohr could have added a bit more weight to each fight scene. However, these are definitely flaws that can easily be fix with future film installments from the creative mind of these two gentlemen. These two films only got me more curious to see what these two will do next for their upcoming projects in the directing chair.
2.) Dev Patel And Bill Skarsgård Are Action Stars In The Making
The most impressive aspects of both movies is how well both Patel and Skarsgård suit themselves as action stars and provide enough screen presence to carry each film. Sure, both actors might have been part of big franchises out there such as with Patel in The Last Airbender *shivers* and Skarsgård with It and John Wick but this is mostly the first time they had to take action roles in order to carry an entire film. Thankfully, both are able to live up to the challenge.
They not only look the part and are completely buyable in the action scenes but they have their own unique screen presence that makes their performances for their characters stand out. Patel has his own stoic stone-face charisma that is able to copy the right notes from the likes of Keanu Reeves and Jason Statham. Skarsgård is able to find the perfect dry sense of humor of having to provide his own A.I. voice spin, playing a character that is both mute and deaf at the same time.
Action flicks can’t work if your main action lead isn’t compelling, entertaining, or awesome to watch in action. Despite the minimal experience, Monkey Man And Boy Kills World are able to provide that greatly with the performances from Patel and Skarsgard.
3.) The Action and Set Pieces Are Spectacular
Of course, the most important part of action movies is the action. Thankfully, Monkey Man and Boy Kills World are able to deliver very well on that front, creating impressive and stylish action set pieces that’s able to stand perfectly on its own.
While admittedly suffering with a bit too much shaky can and the camera being too zoomed in during certain fights, the fight scenes in Monkey Man are really hardcore. It’s always interesting when you see the protagonist start off completely sloppy at the beginning during fight scenes only to get better and more badass the more the movie goes on. The standout sequences include every boxing match in the ringer, an impressive bathroom set piece, and the final showdown between Kid and his mother’s killer.
As for Boy Kills World, it’s able to lean hard on its blood and gore to make the action more delightfully gruesome. If you can imagine the best possible version of Deadpool meets Kill Bill, this is basically what you get. Plenty of slicing and dicing and hand-to-hand combat, Boy Kills World is able to deliver on the action front in ways that will only itself can. The standout sequences include the training montages, the news brawl, and the final showdown between Boy, his *SPOILERS* and the true antagonist of the picture.
Even in a genre full of variety, these two films are able to provide their own significant stamp on action films. Not only to create memorable fight scenes with stellar fight choreography but to also use its set pieces to tell its rather complex stories, with the action serving as an unique metaphor for the journey that are protagonists go through. Those are action films at their absolute finest!
4.) New Male Led Action Flicks
There has been two tiresome complaints when it comes to modern cinema by folks on social media in recent years. The first one of those is that there are too many female led movies going on right now and not enough male ones. Never mind the fact that we literally just came off a year with another John Wick and Mission Impossible, the later of which was a financial failure, that pushed the boundaries on what action films can do, studios have stopped caring about male demographics and are only interested in trying to get a female demographic to big action flicks for brownie points.
If that’s the case, then I would like to hear their excuse as to why those folks have likely not shown up for these two films yet. It’s got straight male leads front and center that kick plenty of ass while also having a sense of vulnerability throughout that makes each fight scene have their own genuine stakes to them. We see them work hard, train, and put themselves through hell to become the ultimate badass in the hopes they are rewarded for it by the very end. While I’m not sure that Kid and Boy (lol, I can’t believe those are their actual names) will be as iconic as the likes of Ethan Hunt and John Wick, they are very compelling action heroes to watch on screen.
In a year that has these two movies, Dune: Part Two with Timothe Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling’s Colt Seavers, and Deadpool & Wolverine with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, we have quite a bit of male lead action films to look forward to. For those that whine about there being so many “girl boss” movies nowadays, you all better be supporting these two movies and/or at least any of the other upcoming films I just mentioned or else you can not complain whatsoever.
5.) These Are New And Original Films
The other most tiresome complaint about modern cinema is that there is nothing original anymore. It’s all just reboots, remakes, legacyquels, and superhero flicks. Later, rinse, and repeat! Those who make that constant complaint always prove themselves to be massive hypocrites. First off, there are more original films being made in this day and age than there ever has been (Seriously, go look it up!). Secondly, whenever there is an original film that comes around such as Monkey Man and Boy Kills World, they don’t show their support it.
Rather than put the money in their mouths and support flicks that is not a reboot, remake, legacyquel, or a superhero flick, they would rather whine about Hollywood’s constant reliance on it, despite the fact that those are usually the kind of flicks that end up being among the most successful films of each individual year. Granted, that could just mean that the internet is not always an indicator on what the general public thinks of modern films nowadays. Even so, it would be for the better for those folks to support films like these two and spread the word of their good quality onto others both online and in-person.
If you really want to tell Hollywood that we want new and original flicks, then make your voice heard by showing your support at the box office in your local theater. There is no other better form of communication with Hollywood than box office numbers. That gives the exact indicator on what kind of films that people want and what kind of films they don’t want. At the moment, the low box office numbers is giving the indication that Monkey Man and Boy Kills World are not what audiences want for the future. If you want to prove otherwise, then go check out both films in cinema and tell your friends and family to do so as well.
It’s also important to enjoy original movies and/or IPs while you can because if they happen to get more installments, then it’s technically no longer original but another franchise for Hollywood to bank on. As the old saying goes, something can only be original one time.
In Conclusion
I can understand the circumstances of Monkey Man and Boy Kills World not performing very well in theaters at the moment. These are smaller, more experimental that had little to no marketing attached to it and not much word of mouth outside of critical acclaim from the film festivals they were a part of. Not to mention with how high prices are for seeing movies in theaters and buying concession is nowadays, general audiences are more likely to save their money on trips to cinema and only use on special occasions.
However, for those that don’t qualify as that kind of general audience and go to the theaters on a daily basis, I strongly recommend checking these two films out. Not only do they make for great action flicks, they make for great experiences that is worthy of the big screen. Whether your reason is for watching movies in cinema nowadays, you owe it to yourself to check out Monkey Man and Boy Kills World in theaters.
Adam's Blog 