iBoy

Plot synopsis:
Living in a gang ridden part of London, teenage boy Tom struggles to get by with the help of his best friend Danny who gets him a new phone and encourages him to go after his longtime friend Lucy who lives nearby. Lucy asks Tom to help her study for exams to which he happily agrees. Arriving at her flat that night, Tom sees Lucy's brother unconscious and a group of masked thugs coming out of Lucy's room, having raped her and recorded the event. Tom flees and attempts to call the police, but is shot in the head and rendered unconscious.
Tom awakens days later, with his doctor informing him that shrapnel from his phone is embedded in his head. Later that day, Tom begins to hear phone transmissions and can visualize digital signals. Using his new found abilities, Tom pieces together who had attacked Lucy and begins to take them down one by one. Meanwhile, Lucy has become a shut in with Tom her only source of hope as they enjoy a meal together outside for the first time since the incident. After a confrontation, Tom's vengeance grows and he tracks down those who gave the orders to hurt Lucy and raids their leader's home; damaging their electronics and stealing their hidden cache of cocaine which Tom plants on the attackers and tips the police off.
Furthering his vigilantism, Tom adopts the alias "iBoy," texting Lucy that he's going to set things right for her, posting his acts online, and working his way to take out more drugs that are coming in. During another raid, Tom gets trapped by the gang and is beaten severely but barely manages to escape. He stumbles his way home, but passes out in a park on the way, missing his exams and breaking a promise to Lucy. When he goes home, Tom's grandmother is held at gunpoint and the crime boss known as Ellman he's been attempting to thwart threatens Tom to give back the money he stole in exchange for Lucy's and his grandmother's safety. Tom reluctantly agrees and begins to use his powers for both Ellman and to track and help Lucy, who's been kidnapped by those who assaulted her before.
Tom is driven to the kidnapping site, where he was able to call the police, but they were unable to find anything there. Lucy was able to get a gun away from the kidnappers, but is unable to escape before Tom and Ellman arrives. Though his powers were diminished due to his beating, Tom is able to overload everyone's cell phones to explode, however, Ellman threw his away and flees outside. Tom attempts to subdue him with help from Lucy, but both are unable to do so until Tom unleashes a pulse from his brain; knocking all of them out. Tom awakens later in the hospital with his grandmother by his side.
Going home again, Tom sees Danny (who had ratted him out to Ellman), who wants to pay Tom back for what he did to him. Tom rebuffs him, saying he never took down the person who recorded Lucy's attack, suggesting it was Danny. Tom meets Lucy on the roof of their building, who's made a picnic for the two of them and they share a kiss while looking out to the skyline.

Tags: revenge

Review:
The biggest mistake you can make going into iBoy is expecting something from the Marvel catalog.Cause that is simply not going to happen.Instead what you get is a solid Brit "estate gang" story (like Harry Brown 2009 or a dozen others you could probably recite from memory) with some Marvel/Spiderman superhero stuff cleverly thrown in.And that is a mouthful because I have watched and reviewed a lot of films (check out my list, about 1300) and have never seen anything quite like this before.Does it work?
There are some pacing issues here and there, and it takes a while for the young lead to develop a character arc that the audience is comfortable with, but the suspense/payoff is rock-solid and nail-biting; and the close is edgy but respectful and optimistic.The two best performances come from supporting actors -- another oddity.Maisie Williams steals every scene not otherwise nailed down and does so with a sweetness of character that makes you wish you knew someone like her when you were in school.And Rory Kinnear as the arch-villain almost but not quite moves into the rarefied air of a Bond film -- you keep waiting for him to say "WHAT DO I WANT IBOY, I WANT YOU TO DIE" -- but shows enough restraint to keep from falling over the edge.In short, given the brilliant idea, the solid execution and its ability to keep the viewer both offguard and entertained at the same time, this a fun flick deserving of a higher IMDb score than I am seeing.Recommended!.
A largely unknown cast come together nicely, and the cinematography, special effects and score are all very well done.The story as a concept is pretty simple, and in the early stages of the movie things were looking very promising and I was enjoying it a lot.
As the movie reaches its climax things began to run out of steam and a few unnecessary writing decisions opened up a number of plot holes which had me scratching my head at times.
Although the acting and cinematography are good.A boy gets his smartphone smashed and embedded in his head, and gets super powers from this.
A great double feature movie would be "Attack the Block," and "iBoy."Bill Milner, playing an offbeat nerdy looking hero, commands every scene he appears in, which is pretty amazing, since Maisie Williams steals every scene she's in with her own unique beauty and a to-die-for personality.
The special effects look cool, without overpowering the camera work, and the sets are perfect for the story.Rory Kinnear, who I shall always remember as the Creature in "Penny Dreadful," gives us a near perfect villain, although I really wish they had given him more screen time.Take a leap of faith and accept that having parts of an iPhone embedded in your brain turns you into a talented cyborg, and you will have a grand time.
iBoy is a Netflix original film that centers around a teenage boy who gets shards of a phone lodged in his brain, which causes him to be able control any electronic devices.
It's no Max Steel or Fant4stic, and the thing that elevates it above those things is the general plot and some good acting from supporting characters.The plot is interesting, and despite the slow pace it keeps you watching.
I thought he was excellent in his episode of Black Mirror, and this makes me want more from him.Overall, iBoy is an okay movie with some terrible writing and pacing, but good enough performances and general plot to get you through it..
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.
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.
iBoy had a weird but decent plot which could have done wonders but missed the opportunity and depended hugely on Maisie Williams screen presence..
iBoy (2017): iBoy has one of the most weirdest super powers plot.We have seen lot of superheroes origin and few of them are results of radiation accidents like Spiderman and Hulk but in iBoy he gets superpowers when he is on a call (Uses iPhone) and gets shot on head which gives him powers of telepathically hacking into any digital network.Plot: Tom (Bill Milner), a shy, lonely teenage boy on an estate who interrupts some men who have sexually assaulted his friend Lucy (Williams) in a neighboring flat.
Calling himself "iBoy" he sets out to avenge Lucy and take on the drug gangs.What I felt:iBoy with its weirdest plot did nothing weird to justify it.Even though they have a new idea,they followed the same revenge which happens in almost all of such films.He even does some weird ways of revenge some times lie hacking into Youtube.Casting Maisie Williams,our own Arya Stark in this film is the major pro because if not for her,I would have skipped this film.Being a huge fan of her,I watched this film and I am glad that she didn't disappoint.Her screen presence is charming.Helped by the script's sharpest dialogue, the moments between her and Tom light up the movie.
One particularly lovely scene finds them in her bedroom together, sending each other text messages without talking.Effects are very good even with such limited budget.Dark tone in picture looked like they seriously tried to imitate Daredevil (TV show).So,iBoy had a weird but decent plot which could have done wonders but missed the opportunity and depended hugely on Maisie Williams screen presence.My rating 6.25/10.
Well, it's a brain, so we tend to think of all of it as quite important."Every now and then I watch a movie and afterwards I can't decide whether it's good or bad.
The fact that Tom (Bill "Broken" Milner), got a bullet through his head, while fleeing from robbers, and his iPhone (which he was using while contacting 911) was shot into smithereens and fragments ended up in his brain, was in itself a original starting point.
As he takes control over any electronic device, it started to feel a bit absurd.If however you manage to forget about that and you won't concentrate on the nonsensical content (as a result the nonsense-level decreases slightly), you'll get an entertaining film about a sort of superhero (without the obligatory superhero outfit) who takes revenge on those who assaulted Lucy (Maisie Williams), the girl he has a soft spot for.
Half decent special effects , acting not bad, story could have been a winner but the actual idea that having a piece of a broken smartphone in your head (we are never told if its an iphone and it didn't look like one) and turning you into a superpower hero is just laughable it actually sounds like something a schoolboy had written for his first year in English class fiction studies!What is it with British films these days they used to be so wonderful.
Almost all of them now are set in some gang infested London backwater replete with oodles of violence , foul language , overt sex and no story that's what seems to be the recipe for another walk down depressville lane and suicide alley.I want to watch a film now and again and come out enervated and full of hope for the future or at least a smidgen of joy but these days after watching dross like this you come out feeling hopeless, depressed and suicidal.Is this really life in Britain today; well yes it probably is but that is why the cinema should be a place to go to be taken out of yourself and not reminded of the grim reality of the truth of life!Joyless , soulless, plot weak drivel..
This seems to have been written for the screen (not a compliment in this case), but perhaps the book was light.Not familiar with Bill Milner who is fine and good but not quite 100% convincing, but love Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) (and wondering why she's doing this).
Within British cinema you very commonly have the "Estate" movies and that's what this is, putting it at an even further disadvantage with me.It tells the story of a young man who after being shot in the head and having his mobile phone splinter into his skull gains the ability to control digital devices.
Arguably it's comparable with Watchdogs (2014) and that's a good thing.Starring the adorable diminutive Maisie "Arya Stark" Williams and Miranda Richardson it has a passable cast considering the "Estate" aspect and we see our hero battling against the local gang and their powerful bosses.In movies like this they have the habit of casting obnoxious pretty boy guy types to play the lead whereas here Bill Milner avoids that and comes across likeable and endearing for the most part.
Then we have Rory Kinnear as our antagonist who I'm unfamiliar with yet after this incredible performance will keep an eye out for in future movies.iBoy by all rights could have been better, the concept felt a tad wasted, it perhaps could have done with an additional 30+ minutes and the finale was a total anti-climatic bust.Regardless I enjoyed iBoy despite a host of reasons on paper why I really shouldn't have.
Enjoyable stuff, especially if you go in without preconceptions.The Good:Maisie Williams and Rory KinnearA fitting leadThe Bad:Doesn't utilize it's concept very wellPoor finale.
I feel like I was robbed that the people who love movies were robbed the story that would have been huge will never be told..
It is difficult for me to watch a slow and gloomy movie till the end and without having the need to find something to compensate the boredom I got ...Of course there are always exceptions like this one ...
I'm pretty sure in those situation, people would think that boy's brain works much much better after the incident and that he has hidden a computer or handy somewhere but concluding directly he can control machines with his brain is absurd.Another thing, those kids going around, hitting people taking PC and phones without hidden their face.The concept of the ability is also quite interesting.
Do they expect like every super-hero movie, there's a doctor/scientist all ready and set to examine and give us an rational and scientifically correct resume?How the character reacted fit perfectly to his personality and the way he's portrayed..
What's going on in the movie seems different from what Netflix is selling.I'm more use to seeing Brits play American superheroes than making ones themselves and they did a pretty good job developing that whole mythology of a super hero and even his connection to the super-villain.
The fact that in the film the fragments get stuck in his head throughout a shot makes it more real than in the book in which the phone is dropping off a building.
A new hero has risen and his name is iBoy. Awkward teenager named Tom(Bill Milner) is kind of a loner, lives with his grandma(Miranda Richardson) and has a crush on fellow student Lucy(Maisie Williams).
So Tom decide to use his new found skills, to help flush out the bad guys that hurt Lucy.A good new concept of a kid getting powers type story.
I also liked the way the villains where not portrayed has comic book bad guys, but has real life scoundrels , typical evil trash you read about in the newspaper or watch on the news.
I say this, to probably "justify" maybe a goodwill that may be considered by others, excessive with the film.Speaking of more tangible features now, iBoy is a new movie of superheroes, at a time when the film industry is overflowing with theme projects, but in my view, it brings a concept that involves themes that are very much present today in our Society (the technology itself) and incorporates into the genre of superhero, showing something that no one has yet shown, and that to me is the film's great asset.
In addition to Milner, she also highlights Maisie Williams (Lucy) and, in general, all supporting actors, who competently perform what is expected of their respective roles.In summary: iBoy comes in this big wave of hero movies, but it takes a different approach from all the others we've seen, it talks very well with extremely familiar elements in our modern life, and with all this it is very competent to entertain the viewer, In its 90- minute duration..
Hidden Gem. 8 stars for this hidden Gem. A good story line and isn't necessarily full of action but fighting with wit and technology makes this movie worth watching.
Let's imagine all people involved in the making of iBoy inside a room and they are all using 100% of their brain power to come up a new ideal about a superhero movie that not only the teen audiences can relate to the main character but his source of power at well and then the sound of an iPhone ringtone disturbed the room and one person slam the table then say:"Guys, I think we just hit goldmine".The movie not really as bad as I though but the concept of some piece of a normal broken iPhone stuck in your head can make you control other people car or overload other phone is so laughable.If the movie take some time to explain why that even work I swear as crazy as it sound I will still take that but no they just hope people watching the movie roll with it..
Slight twist with the phone embedded in his brain, good writing, could of been a bigger better film with more funding maybe?.
The actors, Maisie Williams and Bill Milner, make a good job in this film and also the other actors perform well.
iBoy' is a sparky film, in London's cheek-by-jowl world of wealth and poverty.It's also a dark teen drama, peppered with brutal beatings, gang rape, drugs and dead bodies.MOVIE DETAILS On DVD or streaming: January 27, 2017 Cast: Bill Milner, Maisie Williams, Rory Kinnear Director: Adam Randall Studio: Netflix Genre: Science Fiction Run time: 90 minutes MPAA rating: NR.
REVIEW - IBOY Saw this and just out of interest started watching purely because it was a Netflix original but set in London.What a surprise, brilliant film, brilliant story asking questions of friendship and loyalty.Ironically this film is about technology and its ability is only via technology.No I'm not going to spoil this for you but all I will say is if you have Netflix and want to watch a good film this is the one..
Dear friends, When I have completed the iBoy movie, I came across with a question of "is he good ?".
The question of "good" or "bad" boy is not clear in the movie.
iBoy is a movie about a boy who gets shot in the head while he's holding a phone and he suddenly becomes a phone-man.
But you know how sometimes we have these movies with good ideas but bad execution.
While iBoy is congruent with recent Marvel Super Power heroes, the film is uniquely British in both style and production.
The thing is, I reckon the movie would have been even better,if it featured some more original events based on the book (Tom actually fighting the gang members multiple times for example) instead of new ones that don't make that much sense (Tom being able to operate the car and have it burning isn't mentioned in the novel).
Anyway, the plot with its differences from the book remains really interesting, the pacing is good only with some small problems of progressing too fast at some points maybe and the acting of Bill Milner (Tom) and Maisie Williams (Lucy) is exceptional.
All in all, I do recommend watching iBoy, because it presents a very unique and modern type of superhero powers, it features messages about crime and violence, it even contains a sweet teenage love story.The reason I can't rate it more than 6/10 is cause I feel the adaptation from the novel could have been executed better both in terms of including stronger dialog and in terms of exploring the superpowers and the characters more.
But I think somewhere in between the movie, the story-line is executed in a rush.Definitely scope for a part 2 (and this time please just call it WatchDogs and use some of its FX ideas)..
The movie also does a pretty good job at showing the trauma caused to Maisie Williams character and doesn't just use her as a plot device.
Of course the book and movie have their differences but after all it wasn't that bad.The pacing is a bit slow although it escalates quickly which kind of ruins the story itself.
The book and the movie have a bit of different story as of where in the book, "iBoy" doesn't get shot in the head instead an iPhone comes flying out of the window hitting his head.
Maisie Williams from GOT, is great as usual and the main character is perfect as we weave our way through the story.
This movie hypes up as it starts right off the bat with this kid getting shot and gaining a sort of super power.
Questions and topics that just suddenly stop being talked about and end up with no answers.Not really sure how is this a Netflix produced/supported film, worst movie I watched since Sharknado, and I actually understand that Sharknado was supposed to be bad.It looks very amateur in all the ways, for a Netflix production/supported film I was surely expecting way more!Sad, that they made such a promising actress like Maisie Williams on a fast-growing career moment, act in such a bad movie.Will for sure recommend this film to all the bricks i know!
I wouldn't class IBOY as a decent film, as have some other reviewers, but it isn't quite as bad as I expected.