Boss Level - Awesome but a bit Repetitive

 

Stream it on Hulu 

    Earlier this year, I listed the Hulu original film, Palm Springs, at number 3 in my "Top 5 Films of 2020". Furthermore, in my original review for that movie, I commented that very few movies utilizing the "repeating day" time travel mechanic made famous by the classic Bill Murry comedy, Groundhog Day, have rarely succeeded in utilizing that narrative ploy freshly. The closest we've gotten to a fun take on the concept (arguably) is with Doug Liman's action sci-fi blockbuster Edge of Tomorrow, which I argue is a better film than most give it credit for, but I digress. 

    Today's subject, Boss Level, is an action film that utilizes the repeating day narrative mechanic to varying degrees of nuance but has just enough decent charm and goodwill for all the people involved to just slide by with a passing grade. Had this film been handled by anyone else, it likely would not have turned out as watchable as it has. 

    The story follows a former navy seal named Roy (Frank Grillo), an alcoholic with an estranged ex-wife named Jemma (Naomi Watts), and a young son he's desperate to reconnect with.  Sadly, his efforts prove to be more difficult than expected. Not only is he mysteriously repeating the same day over and over again, it just so happens to be the day that a bunch of eccentric assassins are after him and always seem to end his day in the same bloody manner. In the few times he's managed to piece together new information, he learns that it's somehow connected to his ex-wife's boss, mostly referred to as The Colonel (Mel Gibson). Now, Roy must solve the mystery, and in doing so, potentially save his love interest and restart his relationship with his young son. 

    One of the elements which make me appreciate this film is its thematic connection to video games. Everything from the title to the concept of having to repeat the same day over and over again after your death is directly connected to the experience of playing a challenging level in a video game. However, unlike most "video game" based movies produced in recent years, this is probably the first one that genuinely understands, appreciates, and accurately presents the healthier aspects of video games and gaming culture. The protagonist learns from past experiences and realizes the need to better himself to progress further towards his goal. Not to mention how video games are a more unifying medium than most people would prefer to believe. When watching this film, I was reminded of the days spent in the old video arcade with my dad, along with playing classic Nintendo games with my sisters, and how those became some of our most memorable shared moments in our lives. Those positive and influential-oriented video game memories have recently been increased by playing lots of Mario Kart with my mother, sister, and brother-in-law. So many wonderful laughs abound! 

    In this respect, I incredibly appreciate Boss Level as fun and watchable cheese. On the other hand, it is not without its flaws. 

    It's rather difficult to complain that a movie is "too repetitive" when its very narrative premise is about a guy repeating the same day over and over again, but it feels particularly obnoxious here. While much of the graphic violence is understandable and relatively appropriate given the story, it can feel as though it overstays its welcome from time to time. There are only so many times we can see the protagonist get his head chopped off by one of the bad guys before it abuses its shock value. Although to be fair, that particular element does have a satisfying payoff towards the end, but it takes a while to get there. 

    While this particular iteration of the Groundhog Day concept may not be as innovative or as narratively nuanced as it might like to think it is, the movie is an overall blast with just enough crazy charm to skate by its flaws. I strongly caution some of my readers, given the film's use of graphic violence, but, at the very least, it's there for a tangible reason and is not utilized for the sole purpose of increasing shock value. It's a fine piece of crazy work that's only here to have some brainless fun and maybe provide some much appreciated positive commentary about video games. 

Give this one a chance. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.