Boss Level

For B-movie silliness with a video-game concept, Boss Level has a surprisingly fresh and imaginative screenplay with twists that take the story clichés twice as far in the plot as you would expect. And with a lot of original funny moments. Non-stop entertainment with a pleasantly light tone that (thank God) doesn’t take itself seriously at all. (2020-12-12)

The story looks like it was written by two 10 y.o. boys and Joen Carnaham helped them to turn that into a script. Even if that was the case, it would be fine, really, because Boss Level is mostly good fun (I’m seriously lacking comedies among the genres) with only the occasionally unlikeable Frank Grillo. (2023-03-31)

Original, fast-paced, fun. Understandably, it doesn't surpass the conceptually similar Edge of Tomorrow, the plot is too trivial for that, but that was not the intention. Carnahan sets the viewer on a sarcastic note from the start and doesn't take his foot off the gas until the very end, which is appropriately weird. The buffed-up Grillo shows that he can be a pretty likeable dad in addition to a perfect figure, so for daring to take his acting creations a step further, it's definitely a thumbs up. Gibson, meanwhile, plays his grizzled bad-ass standard of recent years. (2020-12-11)

A inoffensive combination of Frank Grillo, action carnage and a fresh mix of Edge of Tomorrow style and arcade gameplay with a shoot through to the final boss. Perhaps a bit of a shame that the action didn't step on the gas more, that Mel Gibson didn't have a more prominent villain role, and that there's 20 minutes of conservative love story filler and emotional wringing from the father-son bond, but otherwise I enjoyed the film in places. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's still one of those less annoying action B-movies. (2023-01-20)

Carnahan’s early Xmas gift to connoisseurs. Even though this is rather a cheap, nostalgically bloody production with just average special effects and an uncomplicated, nineties story, it has so many nods and so much self-parody that it’s easy to forgive. The time loop is the catalyst, but Boss Level is more about love of action, old video games and family. Frank Grillo is great as both ultimate killer and caring father. He reels off great one-liners, one after another, so you can’t help but root for him. Gibson enjoys himself greatly in the role of colonel with a savior complex who likes listening to himself speak. Naomi Watts manages to chisel out the most complex of characters in just two scenes. Great fun, but I’m very sad that I won’t be able to see it in the movie theater, thanks to Covid. There's something I don't like about him. He has that... trait. ... The overachiever who makes up for a lack of talent with hustle. (2020-11-23)