Editor’s Note: this is a full season review with very minor spoilers.
Between Marvel and DC’s output, and Marvel’s latest penchant for re-releasing their hits back into theaters, superhero movie fatigue can be a real thing for some. Especially when they seem to reboot some of their properties every few years with the same origin story, but new cast. Enter Amazon Prime Video’s new series The Boys, based on Garth Ennis’ comic book series of the same name. Instead of being heroes, the Supes in this series are more corporate tools and corrupted by fame and power. In a world where the good guys aren’t actually good and the authorities can’t do much about it, it’s up to a vigilante group known as the Boys to take them out. Often in the goriest and most darkly comedic fashion.
Developed by Eric Kripke (Supernatural) and executive produced by Seth Rogen (Preacher), The Boys stars Jack Quaid (Tragedy Girls) as “Wee” Hughie Campbell, our entry point into this richly rendered world. Hughie lives a comfortable life working at an electronics store and in love with his girlfriend Robin. But in a span of seconds during an opening scene, Robin steps off the curb of the sidewalk only to get plowed into by lightning-fast superhero A-Train (Jessie Usher). Robin literally explodes from the impact, leaving Hughie shocked and covered in her viscera, and A-Train can’t even be bothered to stop or care.
A-Train is part of the Vought Corporation owned superhero team known as The Seven, a sort of warped version of the Justice League lead by the ruthless Homelander (Antony Starr). The Boys’ leader Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) has a personal vendetta against Homelander, and recruits Hughie in his quest to stop these superheroes by any means necessary.
For fans of Ennis’ series, don’t expect an identical duplicate in this screen adaptation. You can, however, count on Kripke to have a fundamental understanding of the material and retaining its core essence. As hyperviolent and gory as this series gets, Kripke keeps the characters’ arcs and heart front and center to ground the extraordinary. There are major changes, but there are also plenty of subtle nods to the comic too- like Queen Maeve’s (Dominique McElligott) unspoken affinity for gin.
At only eight episodes long, the inaugural season moves at a swift pace that begs to be binge-watched. The mysteries behind certain character motivations and the truths locked behind Vought’s closed doors propels the story forward, but the character interrelationships become just as compelling as the unpredictability of violence that often brings at least one jaw-dropping moment per episode.
The cast is nothing short of remarkable. Urban is Billy Butcher, ferocious and secretive, and Quaid makes for the perfect, sympathetic audience proxy in this strange universe. From lead roles to even minor cameos, the entire cast is stacked with surprising names and talent from beginning to end. Above all, that’s what makes The Boys special. The characters, made complex by both the writing and the actors, consistently test our allegiances thanks intricacies and depth found with every new reveal. We become invested in all of them as the series progresses. The journey may have started with Hughie, but Kripke seamlessly shifts The Boys into an ensemble piece tethered by Hughie’s moral compass.
No corner is left unexplored in the possibilities of a world where superheroes’ fame and power can lead to darker impulses. Vigilantism takes on a wholly different tone and meaning in The Boys than it did in Gotham city, and it makes sense. Not a frame or second is spared in crafting this nuanced and darkly humorous universe drenched in blood and violence, either. All eight episodes are expertly crafted and constructed to tell one cohesive story that will make you gasp, guffaw, and cheer in equal measure. The Boys presents a wildly entertaining superhero story that has genuine stakes, and it’ll leave you begging for more.
The Boys will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on July 26, 2019. Don’t miss it.
