The Boys — Season 1 Review
by KJ Proulx
From streaming services to buying movies and shows on digital platforms, the way of watching content will be forever shifting. With an endless slew of streaming services, there will eventually be too many to afford for most people, but while we have the ones we have, we should be able to bask in the fantastic content we are receiving from most of them. Amazon Prime has recently graced us with the first season of their highly anticipated The Boys, and all I can say is that it’s worth all of your time to sit through it. It may be incredible gruesome and absolutely too violent for certain viewers, but I’m sure many viewers will call this one of the best new shows to be released in 2019.
In a world that feels like a rip-off of the DC Universe and has a very similar cast of characters to the Justice League, most of the “heroes” use their powers for evil but make themselves out to be heroes to the public. Throughout many vile and graphic sequences, the audience consistently gets a taste of what these people are truly capable of, but the protagonists are truly the characters who are on the hunt and believe the heroes to be what they truly are. This diverse collection of characters makes for a very enjoyable show.
All having their own reasons and backstories for where and why they are where they are, The Boys celebrates the Superhero genre, while also ripping it apart. This series, although bloody, will be a breath of fresh air for those who have grown tired of this medium in cinema and on the small screen. Personally, I don’t find myself garnering any fatigue when it comes to superheroes in the live-action format, but I too felt this show was needed with the flood of content we’re receiving at the moment.
Karl Urban as Billy Butcher steals every scene he’s in and his back-and-forth with Jack Quaid as Hughie Campbell is worth watching alone. On top of these two great performances/characters, Erin Moriarty as Annie is really the catalyst that brings everyone together and her character evolves a great deal throughout the course of the season. The group of heroes known as The Seven are truly all twisted and likeable in their respective ways, but Homelander, played by Antony Starr made my skin crawl the most. This is a show about terrible people doing terrible things, and there are some truly jaw-dropping moments, but if you can find a way to get enjoyment out of that, I think you’ll love it as I did.
In the end, this was a stellar first season for a show that wasn’t even on my radar until recently. I can’t wait to see what the future of this show has to offer. Amazon Prime has released one of the most refreshing shows of the year. From surprisingly great camerawork and direction that feels both inspired by generic superhero fare and horror alike, this group of directors gave it their best in bringing something special to the small screen. I can’t recommend this show enough. At a mere, breezy eight episodes, The Boys is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Rating: 4.5/5
Check out the trailer for season one below:
