We have seen a lot of action films this year. Many have featured violent sequences, but some have been more artful than others. The new film, Boy Kills World, provides plenty of violence. It’s right there in the title. But where it falls short is in building something compelling beyond the killing spree.

We’re introduced to a Boy (Bill Skarsgard) early in the film. He tells us that his world is ruled by the Van Der Koy family, whose head, Hilda (Famke Janssen) keeps the people in line through an annual Culling, where she kills “enemies.” Our protagonist’s mother and sister were among her victims.

The Boy barely survived; saved by the Shaman (Yayan Ruhian), who trained him to be a warrior. Now an adult, the Boy is ready for the killing to stop. He’s deaf and mute, but his internal voice (H. Jon Benjamin) helps fill in the gaps. He’s haunted by visions of his young sister and driven to wipe out the Van Der Koy’s in her name.

That puts him at odds with Hilda, her brother Gideon (Brett Gellman), sister Melanie (Michelle Dockery), and top enforcer June27 (Jessica Rothe). After seeing more innocent people slaughtered as another Culling approaches, the Boy springs into action.

Can he use all he learned to get ahead of the Van Der Koy army and cut the head off the snake?

By the title alone, it was clear this would be an orgy of violence. That’s OK sometimes, but you have to be invested in the rest of the journey. I wanted to be invested here, but the story is just OK, the gags wear thin, and the twist at the end is something that’s fairly easy to see coming.

Skargard does a nice job, carrying the film with a physical and dialogue-free performance. His facial expressions and actions are a delight. And the humor from his inner monologue is one of the best parts of the film. I also liked the cast here, which made me hopeful about what we were going to see.

But it’s mostly a near continuous blood bath with not enough world-building. And what world-building they do, like the concept of the Culling, feels taken from other, better projects. There are times where it wants to give a Hunger Games vibe but seems to betray that sentiment by glorying in endless carnage.

Even the final act, which features some dramatic reveals and tense face-offs feels like a let-down. It doesn’t help that the inconsistency of mission makes even our protagonist somewhat difficult to root for throughout the film.

Director Moritz Mohr offers some interesting flourishes at times, and the action sequences are well choreographed. But this feels like playing an endless first-person video game. There’s plenty of battles but seemingly nothing in terms of stakes. That leaves it as a glossy but empty ride.

Boy Kills World is now playing nationwide.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.