iBoy — Review

24th July, 2018.

You know, there are plenty of things, I could be saying, right about now.

Really.

I’ve had the day off ill, today.

The guts have been playing up, again.

I swear, I will have to do something about that.

The possibility of implanting my personality into a younger body?

Has some appeal.

The fact I’m sitting here, sweating like an especially sweaty person, on a hot night in southeast England?

Is something else.

And, yes, I realise that’s not a pleasant image.

If it pleasant?

I’d rather you weren’t reading this, frankly.

There’s website’s for the sort of thing.

At any rate, I’m kind of grateful, at the moment.

That I’m the proud owner of an iMac.

One that, like any Mac, these days, lets me navigate around its interface … using assorted keyboard commands.

Hitting the Ctrl button and the Left and Right cursor buttons lets me navigate between the alternate desktops.

Cmd and Tab lets me switch between apps.

Is handy.

Especially when my mouse is recharging.

What CAN I tell you … ?

Apart from yes.

That is Kraftwerk playing in the background: Radio Activity, if you must know.

And, yes.   I’ve used my time to sit in front of the TV and watch a movie.

The 2017 Adam Randall Netflix piece that is … <>iBoy</>.

The things got some heavyweights in there … 

~≈§≈~

iBoy sees shy teenager, Tom (Bill Milner) buying a new smartphone, from best friend, Danny (Jordan Bolger) … 

Who promptly proceeds to tease Tom into asking Lucy (Maisie) for a date.

It’s only when he gets there … ?

To find a group of anonymous thugs have knocked out Lucy’s brother, and in the middle of raping Lucy.

It only gets worse for Tom, as he flees the scene.

He ends up, waking up in hospital.

To find he’d been shot, fleeing the scene … 

And has parts of his smart phone, embedded in his living human brain.

That’s where things start to go down hill … 

~≈§≈~

Now … downhill … ?

Personally?

You’ve seen — or at least read — about Spiderman, haven’t you?

At least the character’s origin/backstory: that Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider, and gets all sorts of super powers as a result.

I’m very aware iBoy is based on a novel: one that I’ve never actually read.

But believe that the film’s producers taken a basic super hero creation story.

And mixed it into an urban gangster revenge story that jogs along at a nice pace, has enough heavyweights — the ever capable Maisie Williams as Lucy, Miranda Richardson as Nancy, Tom’s grandma and Rory Kinnear as the menacing kingpin, Ellman — to keep you watching, talented youngsters — Milner himself, stands out as Tom, as does Jordan Bolger as Danny — to complement the heavyweight.

And a modern day cyberpunk feel that should keep SF fans watching, but not intimidate those of us wanting a crime thriller.

About the only disappointment?

Is that Netflis have chosen NOT to give this a cinema release.   I have the feeling the thing — especially the scenes of Tom accessing the ’Net — would look great.

Despite that one niggle?

iBoy?

Is worth watching.

iBoy

★★★☆