THE BOYS (SPOILER FREE REVIEW)
By: RogueSymbiote
Summary
The Boys is a live action adaptation of a comic book series by the same name co-created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. The story centers around a motley crew of degenerates that seek to take down the super powered group of douchebags known as The Seven. Absolute power corrupts absolutely and The Seven embody this concept perfectly. What can a group of normies do against super powered beings? Surprisingly, and disturbingly, a lot it turns out.
Review
In a world where comic book adaptations are a plenty, The Boys stands out as a shining example of how to take the heart of source material, expand it and add even great depth. Some characters remain the same as their comic book counterpart, but others are changed to better fit the narrative. Additional aspects about the world, relationships and general plot points have been altered, but never once did these alterations seem out of place or unnecessary. In fact, these changes help better ground the series in reality and improve character development.
The cast is absolutely brilliant and play well off one another as a cohesive unit. It's difficult to give every character in a large ensemble cast a shining moment, but show runner Eric Kripke and a slew of writers, directors and developers pulled it off. The writing is unbelievably well done. So many suspenseful moments enriched by thought provoking dialogue. If you're a fan of dark humor, this is the show for you. Surprisingly, the amount of sex is toned down in the show while the violence remains on par with the comic. There are so many moments I wish I could talk about, but The Boys is best watched without knowing what's coming.... which is why this review is painstakingly vague.
The CGI, visuals and costuming are stunning. The show is hyper violent and not afraid to show horrific acts in graphic detail. The realism of injuries is both terrifying and impressive. In a show involving superpowers, I never once thought, "wow, that looks fake." The Boys is visually captivating from opening scene to closing shot.
Having read the entire comic series, I can safely say that the Amazon adaptation improves upon what made the comic so appealing. It's rare that I prefer a live action adaptation over source material, but The Boys is a perfectly executed breath of fresh air. The show takes everything that makes the comic great and turns it up to 11. With season 2 already green lit, there is A LOT to look forward to. Major plot points involving Compound V were omitted from season 1 which could lead to some phenomenal moments. You can stream The Boys on Amazon Prime Video right now!
