The Boy was a tad better than I expected but not by much. The performance by Lauren Cohan might be one of the better aspects as the screenplay could’ve used further development and a third act that was painfully bad, though it is a step up for William Brent Bell over his previous film, The Devil Inside (take that for what you will).
The Boy
(2016)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Suspense Thriller, Horror
Universal | PG13 – 98 min. – $34.98 | May 10, 2016
Date Published: 05/06/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE – 2.25/5 |
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When I heard The Boy was directed by the same person as The Devil Inside, let’s just say it didn’t give me much hope. On the one hand, The Boy was a better movie. On the other, The Devil Inside was utter crap so that’s not saying very much. In all seriousness, if this were an episode of “The Twilight Zone” or “Tales from the Crypt” (if either shows were still around), it’d might’ve made for a serviceable story. As a feature, it meanders around and while some of the funny scenes worked, the creepy ones didn’t and they were instead unintentionally comical, though there was some atmosphere built, just that the follow-through failed.
Greta Evans (LAUREN COHAN) is a young woman who has moved from the States to the UK, taking a job for what she thought was babysitting a boy. Upon her arrival to a vast, but beautiful, estate and after meeting the parents (JIM NORTON, DIANA HARDCASTLE) she discovers their “son”, Brahms. She gets a tour of the estate, the choirs and duties of her job that includes making meals, reading, put on music, putting to bed and dressing Brahms while the parents leave on holiday for a few months. Greta’s only access to the outside world is a landline (no cell phone service) and a man named Malcolm (RUPERT EVANS) who delivers groceries once a week and gives her the 411 on the doll, that the real Brahms perished in a fire decades before. With television and no radio, she spends her days reading magazines sent by her friend back home. During this lull, as an audience we learn more of her background: traveling overseas to escape an abusive ex-boyfriend. But just as she’s settled into a boring daily routine, strange things begin to happen from clothes going missing and getting trapped in an attic, Clark Griswold style.
As time progresses, and some romantic feelings with Malcolm develops, the oddities only ramp up and little by little Greta begins to believe that maybe – just maybe – this doll may indeed be possessed by Brahms’s spirit. I thought the performances weren’t terrible, albeit there are only five major characters, headlined by Lauren Cohan, best known for her role on “The Walking Dead,” serving well as a leading horror genre lady and she shares some nice chemistry with Rupert Evans. To be fair, the script isn’t taxing on their talents yet I still found the two to be likeable and at least make the film itself to be sufficient enough in the entertainment department; for sure teen audiences probably will dig the film. Directed by William Brent Bell, whose last turn in the chair was the abysmal, and incomplete, The Devil Inside, The Boy at least was a passable little horror-thriller that showcases some decent atmosphere set in an unnamed English countryside. Having said that, the first two-thirds of the film is rather dull in spots and we get two terrible jump scares contained within a nightmare. Then the last third blatantly steals (or heavily borrows) from other movies, heck I remember the twist done on an episode of “CSI” for cripes sake…
In the end, The Boy isn’t a very good movie but it’s hardly terrible either. There’s just enough to keep one entertained and even with a lame third act it might be worth a rental but that’s about it; otherwise this is the type of movie that could air, mostly unedited, on SyFy. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 0/5 |
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Well, this release comes with a matted, title-embossed slip cover and redemption code for the Digital HD copy but that’s it, no features were included… |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| Universal Studios Home Entertainment brings The Boy to life presented in its original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer. The movie itself doesn’t quite “pop” off the screen given how darkly lit it is (even daylight, outdoor scenes) but still detail is relatively sharp, there’s some nice film grain and no noticeable instances of artifacts, aliasing or banding. Even the really dark shots showcase a nice starkness to them making for a visually pleasing picture. |
AUDIO – 4.5/5 |
| The disc comes with a nice DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 that helps amp up the atmosphere in conjunction with Bear McCreary’s low-key but suspense-filled score. Dialogue levels sound clear through the center channel while ambient noises make the most out of the rear speakers. It’s nothing I’d call reference quality but nevertheless an impressive sounding lossless track especially considering 2/3rds of the film was more suspense build-up before the action in act three. |
OVERALL – 1.75/5 |
| Overall, The Boy was a tad better than I expected but not by much. The performance by Lauren Cohan might be one of the better aspects as the screenplay could’ve used further development and a third act that was painfully bad, though it is a step up for William Brent Bell over his previous film, The Devil Inside (take that for what you will). The Blu-ray released by Universal is pretty basic with no features except the video/audio transfers which are well done. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.