Review | ‘The Boys’: In the Shadow of Greatness

The Boys is an Amazon original adaptation based on a comic series written by Garth Ennis, co-created, designed, and illustrated by Darick Robertson.

When you watch the series, you discover it is 2008 and superheroes are real. They walk among us and use their amazing abilities to keep us safe from harm. They catch criminals and perform heroic acts of courage. And, occasionally, they slip up and run over your girlfriend, leaving her as a red smear on the road while you’re left holding her hands and nothing else. (Really.)

If that last example made you sit back and go “Woah”, then welcome to the world of Vought–a massive conglomerate that has turned “Supers” into a commodity.

Their number one brand is ‘The Seven,’ which is an elite team of Supers that hold all the cards but none of the power. Despite their near omnipotence, they are at the beck-and-call of the public relations branch of Vought.

Imagine a world where superheroes are told what to say when to say it, but mostly, when to shut up.

The Seven

Led by Homelander, the quintessential hero, the team also boasts: the silent-but-deadly Black Noir; the super-fast A-Train; the near-indestructible Translucent (whose skin can bend light); Queen Maeve who is bulletproof and super strong; The Deep who can breathe underwater and talk to fish (sound familiar); and Starlight who is the latest addition to the team.

They are unstoppable, impossible to kill, and above the law. There is no justice in this world. No sanctioned justice anyway, but this world has its real heroes too.

“The Boys” are Butcher, Hughie, Frenchie, Mother’s Milk, and … the Female. They have one job to bring the Supers to justice whenever they step over the line.

It’s a thankless job, as you can imagine. Supers are revered and most people wouldn’t believe they could be guilty of anything wrong. Bringing them down is a full-time job, the pay is nonexistent, and the only perk? You get to die in exciting ways.

The Story

I can’t tell you much more about the story without spoiling something, but I can tell you this is a remarkable adaptation.

Although the writers took some pretty big liberties with the original content, I feel like it has made the story more palatable. The heroes on both sides are more relatable and yet, the hardcore, gritty feel of the source material are still there.

Quick Note: This is an extremely violent show. You will see things that you wish you could unsee…and, in this series, dolphins are creepy (watch the show and you’ll understand).

I give this series my stamp of approval.

Though we may fast be approaching superhero fatigue, I believe this show has what it takes to pique your interest, and I am already looking forward to a second season.

It’s a unique take on the superhero genre–something that’s familiar yet still refreshing. Despite superhero affairs being all the rave in the film landscape today, The Boys does more than enough to differentiate itself. This isn’t your typical superhero story.

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