TV Series Review – The Boys
Over the last 10 years, the movie industry has achieved a very difficult task, namely the translation of superheroes to the big screen. There is almost no one who doesn’t know Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor and many more. But what they all have in common is that as superheroes they fight for humanity and we are used to see them as protectors. What if, instead, the superheroes thought only of themselves and didn’t care about ordinary people? That’s exactly the story in one of DC’s darker comics, The Boys, which recently received an adaptation from Amazon. In the following paragraphs, I will look at exactly that moral dilemma.
Although Hollywood has tried several times in the past to recreate the comics on the big screen, I can count on the fingers of my hand the truly successful productions. These include Tim Burton’s and Chris Nolan’s Batmans, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man and Christopher Reeve’s Superman. Set next to the giant Marvel, who has dominated the genre for the past 10 years, these are a handful of films. The first Iron-Man has launched a unique universe that is unlikely to go down anytime soon. Alongside, several different adaptations of favorite characters have emerged, including some pretty dark ones. One of which is The Boys.
The comic book itself recreates a parody version of the Justice League, in a world where Superheroes, though portrayed as saviors, are more like Vogue’s PR puppets in the US. In front of people, they present themselves as good, but behind the scenes things are different. Due to their strength, they are considered God-elected and most of them care little to none about ordinary people, whom they are supposed to save. The contrast between their two personalities is extremely big and even makes you love their “bad” side.
In this world, the main character Hughie (Jack Quaid) experiences one of the greatest tragedies after the superhero A-Train (Jessie Usher) (a parody of The Flash) literally goes through his girlfriend at a speed close to supersonic. You can imagine what the subsequent effect of this collision is. With a completely shattered world, he at least hopes the superhero will apologize for his actions, but after seeing how he gives an interview in which he justifies himself, he realizes what is the reality behind the image of the fastest man alive. This picture gets even bigger after being found by the leader of the CIA team The Boys, Billy Bucher (Karl Urban). He shows him the lust, treats and impunity that goes on behind the scenes, convincing him that superheroes must be stopped. This starts a great dynamic which unfolds between the God-elected superheroes and The Boys.
I will not go into details, because it will spoil the pleasure for future fans of the series, but adding an R-rating to all this produces a truly graphic picture. The first season is just wild, keeping the viewer in front of the screen at all time. The political games of Vought company, which is behind the image of superheroes, actually creates the link between protagonists and antagonists. The interesting thing, however, is that in this series it is not very clear which is which, because each one has its good and bad sides.
In a world where superheroes are real, but their human side takes the upper hand, tempting them to use their powers for their own gain, five CIA agents decide it’s time to put an end to these atrocities. This is the whole basis of the series from which a tree spreads, branching out to the stories of many characters, bounding them around one common purpose, to fight for themselves. Whether they are superheroes or ordinary people, they are all driven primarily by their selfishness, with some small exceptions. I’m sure if there were powered people in our world, most of them would be supervillains. That’s why the Vought company, at least seemingly tries to keep everyone on the “good” side.
In conclusion, I want to recommend this series to all superhero fans, because it’s just brilliant. Political drama and moral dilemmas mixed with superpowers serve as a perfect product that leaves the viewers with their mouths open. Comic book fans even confirmed that the adaptation is better, which is very rare these days. I invite you to join the battle of Billy Butcher, Hughie, Mother’s Milk, Frenchie, and The Female against The Seven and Vought. I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised.
