There’s More to “Boss Level” Than Gaming

Release Date：Mar/5/2021

Genre：Action/Mystery/Sci-fi

Director：Joe Carnahan

Cast：Naomi Watts、Mel Gibson、Michelle Yeoh、Ken Jeong、Frank Grillo、Mathilde Ollivier

Viola's Rating：7.6

It has been a long time since the audience saw an adrenaline-filled feature film on the big screen due to the pandemic. Last year, “Nintendo Animal Crossing: New Horizons” and Sony Playstation 5, along with four other gaming consoles or TV products were selected as The Best Entertainment Inventions of 2020. With all the lockdown and stay-at-home measures, gaming has become an even more critical role in our daily lives, and the release of Mel Gibson’s latest film “Boss Level” can’t be timelier.

Similar to the upcoming Playstation 5 action-adventure game developed by Arkane Studios, Deathloop, this mysterious action sci-fi is depicted as an “Edge of Tomorrow” meets “Kill Bill” story. The plot is mainly about a retired special forces officer, Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo), is trapped in a never-ending time loop on the day of his death.

Aside from the action scenes, “Boss Level” also includes some family elements, telling moviegoers to cherish their family and seize the day, but in a way that wouldn’t steal the spotlight from the main theme.

There were many time loop flicks that require the protagonist to figure out a puzzle to get away from the loop or to solve a problem in the society, for example, “Edge of Tomorrow” and “Source Code”. However, the best part about “Boss Level” is that right when you’re about to think it’s simply like all the other time loop motion pictures, “Boss Level” would give you new wine, new skin, just like those hidden levels in video games.

Although what Roy experiences in “Boss Level” isn’t “a game”, the crew managed to incorporate different gaming and time loop elements into details, including the soundtrack. All the songs are filled with lyrics about kill, loop or time, and all the scores sound like background music of games. Audience would be able to immerse themselves in “Boss Level” and enjoy the game-like adventure with Roy.

Even though “Boss Level” itself isn’t about gaming, it has a bunch of similar characteristics with video games. From the opening titles to the ending credits, the design and graphics are reminiscent of the 8-bit games in the 80s. Also, as mentioned before, the movie keeps revealing hidden levels for moviegoers so that they won’t feel tired keeping watching same incidents, and secret levels are surprises that video game designers award their players. Last but not least, the repetition gamers need in order to complete the levels is seen in Roy’s journey.

All in all, there’s more to “Boss Level” than just gaming. From the family theme to details like design and music are worthy appreciating. If you’re a gamer or looking forward to an action, even better, “Boss Level” would be an amazing picture for you.

Picture Credit: Cai Chang International Inc.