A teenage boy (Bill Milner), living in the London outskirts, gets shot in the head as he stumbles upon his friend (Maisie Williams) getting raped. Pieces of his phone get blasted into his brain and this gives him the superpower of control over all things electronic. Because of course it does.
And the premise itself is fine. Super hacking as as a power is something you could definitely build a movie around. The way it's depicted here is perhaps the easiest way around the visualization issue, but for a low-budget film such as this one, I'm willing to give it a pass. I also like the two main actors, especially Williams, who gives a very credible performance as a strong person with inner fire brought low by the cruelty of life.
Unfortunately the story and its execution are garbage. The story is nothing more than a revenge fantasy. And that would be fine with the right tone. Many a grindhouse film has been nothing more than a revenge fantasy. But this film tries to be grim and realistic. Grim I could deal with. Realistic is a deal-breaker.
Plus, the central idea, that of super hacking, is not handled correctly. The way the main character gets the powers is cheesy enough that it circles around and lands on the right side of the line. The problem is the way these powers are showcased. Because it's not really super hacking. It's super martial arts, mind control, blaster powers, anything and everything under the sun basically. It's powers as the plot demands, and that is always a terrible idea. Always! Especially if handled this egregiously.
iBoy has a promising idea. It has some acting talent. But it also has terrible writing, uncomfortable morals, lackluster action, questionable plot twists and an overall poor structure. Not recommended.
And the premise itself is fine. Super hacking as as a power is something you could definitely build a movie around. The way it's depicted here is perhaps the easiest way around the visualization issue, but for a low-budget film such as this one, I'm willing to give it a pass. I also like the two main actors, especially Williams, who gives a very credible performance as a strong person with inner fire brought low by the cruelty of life.
Unfortunately the story and its execution are garbage. The story is nothing more than a revenge fantasy. And that would be fine with the right tone. Many a grindhouse film has been nothing more than a revenge fantasy. But this film tries to be grim and realistic. Grim I could deal with. Realistic is a deal-breaker.
Plus, the central idea, that of super hacking, is not handled correctly. The way the main character gets the powers is cheesy enough that it circles around and lands on the right side of the line. The problem is the way these powers are showcased. Because it's not really super hacking. It's super martial arts, mind control, blaster powers, anything and everything under the sun basically. It's powers as the plot demands, and that is always a terrible idea. Always! Especially if handled this egregiously.
iBoy has a promising idea. It has some acting talent. But it also has terrible writing, uncomfortable morals, lackluster action, questionable plot twists and an overall poor structure. Not recommended.