Exoticalot
People are voting emotionally.
CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Taha Avalos
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
Cassandra
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
peterich-69001
I felt compelled to write my first review on here after seeing this film. There are some few low scores here that complain about how the story goes where you don't expect it to. Well, if it did, then surely it would just blend into every other "doll" film like Annabelle or Child's Play.
I personally loved it. The acting was believable. It wasn't over cooked or hammy. The characters took one another seriously rather than choosing not to believe what was going on. There were some decent back story elements.
What I also enjoyed was how creepy this film was. I had a few moments where the hairs stood up on my arms and neck.
The twist...well I won't drop any spoilers but I believe this to be one of the very few horrors that has blended two horror sub-genres together and I found it really effective.
Turns the lights off, and enjoy!!
CinderFall
And by "I've seen this before" I mean that there's a movie that shares so many similarities with The Boy. Not to say that this one is bad, but it's not flawless. I feel like the entirety of the movie would have been good if it continued with the "possessed doll" feel to it to the very end. The twist ending, while it makes sense, is kind of what killed this movie for me. I do give it a 7/10 for great acting, amazing cinematography, a fantastic script, and outstanding pacing. The twist did make the ending bad, but that doesn't mean it wasn't enjoyable to watch.If you liked this movie, I recommend a New Zealand movie that feels similar, but it's a dark comedy, called Housebound.
Nigel P
'The Boy' suffers from 'how American writers think English people speak', I'll get that out of the way first. For example, the grocery boy Malcolm (Rupert Evans) says things like "I'm considered quite charming in this country." Evans is encouraged to use a well-spoken but entirely region-free accent throughout. It's not a huge issue, and UK films are not always accurate in their representation of US characters either. If you can get past that - and there are far worse examples out there - then there is much to enjoy with this.Miss Greta Evans (Lauren Cohan), an American Nanny, travels to a gothic mansion to tend to the needs of an elderly couple's young son Brahms. It is difficult to escape the central storyline in the publicity - the fact that Brahms is a doll initially filled me with reservations. Could such a realisation be taken seriously? Andrew Jones' series of low-budget projects involving Robert the Doll is good, for example, but suffers a little when the prop figure is required to move.There was little need to worry: this is a cracker: restrainedly directed by William Brent Bell at least initially, and written in the same way. Greta is just as incredulous as to the notion of a living doll as the most cynical audience member, and yet when she has reason to be convinced if the reality of its existence, we are too. Brahms is a ghostly looking, handsome doll, sometimes very life-like and often lifeless, as necessary.Greta's willingness to care for Brahms is reasoned by a miscarriage she suffered at the hands of an abusive relationship with a character called Cole (Ben Robson). Cole suddenly turns up at the house demanding Greta returns home with him. He is, of course, exactly the kind of overbearing bully we want him to be - and then we can begin the business of desperately wanting some punishment for him. This is when the pace moves from slow-burning build-up to pure horror. When the resultant manifestation of Brahms reveals itself, the fragile build-up takes a step back in favour of Jason/Michael Myers territory; whilst this doesn't carry the same kind of emotional weight we've enjoyed so far, it is still effective. The finale explains things away and makes sense of it all, but there is a slight disappointment that the spell has been punctured with reality. As a whole, though 'The Boy' works beautifully, far better than I expected it to.
mrivas-42691
Somewhat of a good twist at the end but the build up has many flaws and is what holds this movie back. Never truly scary and twist is not enough to carry it as a thriller.