REVIEW: Amazon’s The Boys is Not for the Faint at Heart

Amazon’s new show, The Boys, premieres tonight, July 26, and this show is definitely not for the faint of heart. Based on the comic book series written by Garth Ennis, The Boys follows a small group of operatives who have been tasked with monitoring the superhero community, which really isn’t all that “super”. You see, these superheroes are fame hungry, egotistical, “super-abled” beings trying to hide their insecurities and dark habits.

As the series premiere begins, viewers follow the two very different lives of Hughie Campbell and Starlight, whose paths happen to cross by chance. For Hughie, played by Jack Quaid, he has just faced the biggest tragedy of his life, the death of his girlfriend at the hands of a super. From there he meets Billy Butcher, played by Karl Urban, head of The Boys, who introduces him to the world of superhero monitoring and requests that he joins the team.

Starlight, played by Erin Moriarty, is a rising super still bleeding with innocence and purity and not yet corrupted by the celebrity status. She joins the Seven, the biggest and most famous superhero group in the world, and is introduced to Deep, played by Chace Crawford, the King of the Sea. From there she is thrown into the dark world of superheroes that ends up leaving her with a very bad taste in her mouth. When Starlight and Hughie come across one another by chance in Central Park, their lives become intertwined and the story progresses from there.

Amazon has a fun project on their hands with this one. In a world where Marvel and DC Comics have taken over the superhero film and TV genres, it is nice to see a new take on the superhero world. The Boys is a wild ride that will leave viewers with their jaws dropping at every turn. If you are a fan of the comics, expect the same level of foul language, raunchiness, and gore you had come to love. If you have never read the comics, be prepared for a fun rated R experience.

Grade: B+