In the same month where Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame crossed James Cameron’s Avatar to become the highest-grossing film ever, the audience has also been greeted with the ‘earth-shaking’ arrival of ‘The Boys’, a show which completely tears to pieces the notion that superheroes are unquestionable saviours.
It is set in a world where superheroes are nothing but a marketing gimmick. Handled by a fictional company named Vought, they abuse the fame and power at their disposal and even commit heinous crimes only to cover them up. To expose and destroy them, a group of ragtag vigilantes band together to form ‘The Boys’.
The show is Rated R for good reason. Some of the scenes are borderline preposterous and definitely not for everyone. This would never have seen the light of day on TV. You need to be sure you’re okay with absolutely anything they throw at you, and believe me, they try their best. If nothing phases you, this might just turn out be a fun-filled watch and far different from anything you’re used to.
The cast is a treat to behold. Karl Urban, who plays Billy Butcher, head of The Boys, is perfect as the badass leader masking his internal issues. Jack Quaid also nails it as Hughie, the naive new member who doesn’t really belong to a world of violence, but is nonetheless hilariously trying his best.
The superhero organisation called The Seven is a glaringly obvious version of DC’s Justice League. Every ‘hero’ plays their part convincingly, but keep an eye out for Antony Starr as Homelander, Chase Crawford as The Deep and Erin Moriarty as Annie/Starlight, the new inclusion and a character who serves as a parallel to Hughie.
Yes, the main objective of the series is to take a jibe at the superhero genre, much like the comic book series (also named The Boys) it’s based on. This is more apparent during the initial episodes, but as it takes its course, there are twists, shocking revelations and antagonists are developed enough that they can’t be passed off as pure villains.
The writing is sharp. Even though there are several changes from the comics, you can understand why they were made. There’s careful thought behind each event, and not just a ‘we’ll bash superheroes because we can’ attitude which could have easily derailed the show and made it into mere parody.
All that said, it’s ironic that the most interesting characters of The Boys are the corrupt superheroes and not The Boys themselves. Their backstory is also left vague. Even if the creators were planning on revealing more in the coming seasons, they could have shed more light on what happened before the events of the show.
On the visual front, it’s on a completely new level for a streaming platform series. Not many shows or films on the web can even hope to compete with these effects. It’s in the same dimension as theatrical films, a feat which could be massive for the future of digital entertainment.
The Boys was originally set to be created by Cinemax, but it was beyond their budget. You have to be grateful to Prime Video for putting faith in it and flying in to save the day even if the superheroes in the show do not.
To see how Twitter reacted to The Boys, click here.