A superb superhero must-watch… for those with the stomach to handle the splatter.
So, I just finished watching the finale of season 4 of this outrageous show on Amazon Prime and felt compelled to write a review. Firstly, what an incredible rollercoaster. It is rare that after 4 seasons of a show, it still manages to surprise you… suck you in and never let go…and I have to regard The Boys as being amongst a small club of shows that really turns up the heat the further you delve.
If you’re reading this you’ve probably watched at least a couple episodes, and I’m sure you agree… The Boys takes you places that many superhero nerds (myself included) have always wished to peer into. Eric Kripke and his flagrant team of writers have displayed with gruesome ingenious dark humor, a world where a superhero with the same indestructible powers as Superman is incredibly abused as a child and grows up to become a sociopathic super-narcissist (pun most certainly intended)… and the lengths he will go to clinch onto said power.
No honest review of this show would be complete without immense praise for the protagonist Antony Star, whose acting talent in his portrayal of ‘Homelander’ is so frighteningly impactful that he has become regarded by me as thee case study for narcissistic personality disorder. Every smirk, every fake smile, every trigger of frustration I could feel. The show needs a really strong performance from its lead and my oh my does Star consistently deliver. It is truly a beautiful thing to watch and if Star isn’t awarded an Emmy, I’ll be surprised and disappointed for him.
I would also like to make notable mention of Erin Moriarty, who plays one of the good guys, ‘Starlight’. She too has onscreen charisma in droves and in one specific scene in season 4, delivers an incredible performance playing the evil shapeshifter who has morphed into ‘Starlight’ herself who then captures the real Starlight and taunts her distressingly and painfully. The scene sent chills down my proverbial spine.
Needles to say, The Boys delivers episode after episode… yet since this is a review and finding critique is encouraged, I will admit there are a few scenes where writers push the violence envelope just a smidge too far… I mean, how many times do we need to see Hughey’s face covered in blood splatter? Or that one scene when our heroes walk in on a “supe” that can multiply himself and find he has unashamedly formed a human-centerpede to pleasure himself! Crazy stuff and we see everything!
With all its dark humor and unlimited bloodlust, The Boys is an hysterical and unreserved look into how any of us might act, if bestowed with the superpowers of Aquaman or The Flash, to name a few. A step deeper there, the show provides a satirical look at where America finds itself now with the current Democrat vs Republican spat of division and how silly we look since we are all Americans at the core, especially when you add the actions of extremists.
The Boys is superb unfettered entertainment for those with the stomach to handle the splatter, and deservedly many of the cast’s careers have exploded as a result. A huge nod to Amazon for producing this wild delight!