Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

A more descriptive title for this film might be "A Portrait of the Psychopath as a 9-Year-Old Boy," but whatever you call it, it's a creepy, mostly effective examination of profoundly disturbed child Ted (Jared Breeze) trapped in an isolated existence in a run-down, failing motel run by his broken father (David Morse).Death and decay are the overriding preoccupations here, especially young Ted's growing fascination with anything dead and dying, so much so that he starts to engineer the outcomes he's intrigued by with increasingly dire consequences. This isn't a film that necessarily can be spoiled (though I won't give away plot developments) because you can see where it's going almost from the first scene. Director/co-writer Craig William Macneill is not interested in surprises or twists, but in constructing an atmosphere that leads inexorably to the what seems like the inevitable finale. He does so through long, static (or nearly so) shots of scenery and action that is often filmed at a remove -- characters half-hidden by obstructions of various types or framed in the background. He gets a lot of mileage out of the desolate beauty of his location. This was filmed in Colombia, but is set in non- specific rural U.S. roughly two days drive from Florida (that's as specific as it gets). Like Macneill's angelic-looking star, the scenery here could be quite pleasant, peaceful and innocent, but the film instead emphasizes its (and Ted's) more menacing, uncaring qualities. The particular combination of stylistic characteristics he evokes is a bit like Alfred Hitchcock meets Peter Greenaway, minus the lushness.Breeze and Morse carry the lion's share of the film on their very capable shoulders. Rainn Wilson and, somewhat surprisingly, Mike Vogel are also on hand in smaller, not terribly demanding roles. Breeze, especially, is very effective without resorting to showier. idiosyncratic or self-conscious acting that child performers in horror movies are often directed to perform. Breeze's matter-of- fact, naturalistic performance helps sell the extent to which some of what Ted gets up to is what any lonely kid trying to amuse and occupy himself would do, while some is only what a child lacking any empathy could do.This is a pretty dour movie -- there aren't any obvious characters to root for or even be engaged by save Ted and his unfortunate father. There's not much to cheer here, nor much relief from the bleak view of humanity, nature and how they intersect. As such, it's not a fun watch, but it is intriguing and stylish enough to hold viewers' interest, if they approach it in the right frame of mind.

I gave it 5 stars, I would have went for 6 but if I consider it a horror, it has way too little to offer.The plot is smarter than I thought, has a deep level, it surely takes its time with us, but it goes there and it concludes the story in a good way. The acting was OK, not so great coming from the kid but the rest of the cast was class A. Of course the motel part, well that is more of an American thing right there, cause it's hard for others to see how that could work or be for real. You'll see what I'm talking about once you see the movie.Other aspects? Well it sure has its disturbing moments, the building towards the climax is well done, the ending is satisfying. But I would always recommend |The Good Son over this.Cheers!

The Boy follows the evolution - or the beginning of it - of a young boy from troubled son of a failed motel manager, to budding serial killer. Cinematography and music score are simply outstanding, as are the performances by the whole cast, and the film carries a tremendous atmosphere of brooding menace, whilst simultaneously capturing the carefree curiosity - and cruelty - of a lonely child. I am saddened, but not surprised, by the lazy, idiotic reviews given by some people on this site - just so you know guys, this is how stories are supposed to be told, unfolding naturally to a great climax rather than throwing five murders into the first few minutes and then having absolutely nothing else to say for the next ninety... and all shot on "found footage", blah blah blah. True kudos to the director; this is a terrific calling card from a real filmmaker that will hopefully start a great career.

To be honest, it seemed like an interesting idea that simply didn't work as a film. Although there's some great acting, the plot moves so slowly that it's like pulling teeth. I found myself getting very bored quite early on and things just never really picked up from there. The characters are interesting and well developed, but just don't seem to engage the audience, leaving you with little sympathy for them as events unfold. As always, I stuck with this movie to the end hoping that it would improve or that I'd be dazzled by some shocking twist in the plot towards the end, but to no avail. As a study into mental health disorders or the origins of psychotic or sociopathic behaviour it's probably excellent - as an entertaining movie to watch one evening at home, unfortunately it fails on many levels and leaves you wondering why you bothered to waste your time.