Press Start on This Video Game-Inspired Time Loop Movie

Director Joe Carnahan’s “Boss Level” is a welcomed addition to the growing “time loop” genre. While it’s not wholly memorable, it is stylish and entertaining. What impressed me most was that it paid homage to video games without turning into parody, i.e. “Guns Akimbo.” 

Frank Grillo plays Roy Pulver, a retired special forces officer who’s trapped in a time loop. Every day he fights off a host of colorful characters before he’s eventually killed in some form of over-the-top mayhem. He likens his dilemma to being trapped in the boss level of a video game. To make matters worse, Ray has no idea why any of this is happening to him. 

Ray’s hunt for answers eventually leads him to Gemma (Naomi Watts), a scientist and his estranged lover. Gemma works for a secretive corporation headed by Colonel Clive Ventor, played by an extremely wooden Mel Gibson. As you probably guessed, Gemma and her boss are monkeying with time.

“Boss Level” is loaded with interesting visuals and choreography. Having lived the same day over a hundred times, Ray mindlessly moves with perfect timing, dodging machetes, bullets, and cars. On top of this, we’re treated to Ray’s internal narration. He’s a put upon action hero, exhausted, tired, and frustrated. He might look like a bad-ass, but that’s only because he’s done this song and dance so many times that it’s rote. In fact, Ray’s narration veers close to “MST3K” levels, which helps balance out the ridiculousness of the story.

As mentioned up top, “Boss Level” has a bevy of whacko assassins, all with their own schtick. It would’ve been easy for these characters to overwhelm the film, but almost all of them are kept in the background as humorous diversions. I can’t underscore enough how impressive this is. Most filmmakers would have let these characters ham it up on screen, bogging down the story. Instead, Carnahan gives us just enough to make them interesting, while keeping the story moving at a breakneck pace. 

“Boss Level” is a mashup of a lot of films, including “Happy Death Day,” “Mortal Kombat,” and “Scott Pilgrim vs The World.” If you like any of these movies, hit the start button on his video game homage. — David (@itsmedavidcross)