I was recently given the opportunity to review the newly released movie Wild Boys which is available now on Amazon Prime, Google Play, YouTube Movies, and Tubi. The film description reads as follows: When her late father challenges her to a treasure hunt with her inheritance as the prize, Kate (Kate Frampton Davis), a reclusive young woman, must venture into the wild unknown to protect her solitary way of life. Ill-equipped for an outdoor adventure, Kate gets lost and joins forces with a pair of feral young men (Vincent Catalina and Jordan Laemmlen) she encounters in the wilderness. Together, the trio must travel far and wide, solving mysteries and hunting clues. When an overzealous government agent (Vince Major) finds out about their mission, Kate must not only try to save her home, but also protect her new friends.
Plot
The entire film gives off a feral vibe of The Goonies mixed with Super Troopers which is absolutely amazing. The story starts off with a young female who appears to have extreme social anxiety although we do not get a backstory on her life, it is assumed this sedentary lifestyle has been lived for quite some time. The story opens with the main character, Kate, multitasking between her phone and laptop working on a video game and testing features out on her phone. This feels very relatable in today’s society as well. We all overstimulate ourselves with multiple screens and devices all at once while avoiding social interaction. Kate’s Father is planning to leave for some time and will be back later, urging Kate to try to leave the house today at which Kate shows absolutely no thoughts of following this request.
Fast forward through the day Kate’s alarm goes off on her watch saying her Father should be home. After a mildly frantic call with no answer she continues with her day. Another alarm, another call, through the night. The next day she opens the door expecting her Father but is sadly greeted by a police officer with tragic news. The next scene we find Kate returning home with her Father’s urn and the police officer. Kate and the officer argue about who owns the home when the officer gives Kate a CD containing her Father’s last will and testament. Her Father says he is leaving her NOTHING unless she completes one adventure that he has planned for her.
Kate shows zero ambition of wanting to complete this task and has a limited amount of time to actually complete it. Kate embarks on this journey fully unprepared and not ready for what this path will show her and teach her. Through this adventure we see Kate face multiple challenges that she has to overcome to reach her final goal. During her trials she finds help from some unlikely sources, faces some resistance that you wouldn’t see coming and evolves not only as a protagonist but also as a well rounded character. The story is filled with tons of laughs, multiple foreshadowing references that all come back full circle through the entire story and will definitely create some new catch phrases or memes in your life. Once I was finished watching this movie, I felt this strong desire to have hot chocolate and a can of beans. By the end of this story you too will understand and feel just a little bit more of a desire to go outside, explore the area and create unforgettable memories with some Wild Boys.
Visuals
The cinematography of this film was of a much higher quality than I would have expected personally. This is absolutely no Michael Bay film based on explosions and graphic quality. But this film has a much higher quality feel than an average B budget or indie type film. The use of a drone was utilized quite a bit in the outdoor scene to give your a much larger view of the expanse that lays ahead. This really did an excellent job of painting the picture of how out of her realm Kate really was. The lighting was always perfect in every shot with no dark spots during the night scenes or indoors. There is one scene, I won’t spoil it for everyone, looking up towards the sky that really was shot well and gave me quite a laugh.
Audio
The soundtrack and score was on point through the entire film. Scenes were well portrayed with the sounds and music in the background. There weren’t any scenes that had too much sounds or not enough. The vocals of each character, the feral howls of the Wild Boys and the other nature sounds were very clearly heard without being muffled by poor audio or other background noise.
Characters
The main characters on the protagonist side Kate, Red and Jon Deer are just lovable. The onscreen chemistry really shows how much fun the three had filming their scenes together. I’ve just discovered some behind the scenes shots as well on the films IG page which make the whole experience even more fun. Some of the scenes were a little cheesy and the acting wasn’t of Hollywood quality but I feel the film wouldn’t have that same personal feel that it does. The skillset presented on screen was very well acted and crafted.
Overall
This film was perfect for all ages, super fun to watch and easy to follow the story. I really feel like we could all take a moment and step back from our indoor lives to go explore a bit and seek out our feral side. Kate’s character was super adorable and fun showing a timid person that faces her fears and grows to dominate the wild. Red and Jon Deer were an unexpected delight. When they first appeared on screen I was slightly skeptical how much I would enjoy their scenes but quickly grew to love them. There are so many lines that I will be quoting at home and work because of this. The villain was exactly how I would picture someone in their position. The whole film from start to finish was a wonderful ride of twists, turns, beans and loin cloths. If you are looking for a fun movie that on a relaxing night in to watch with friends of family this is one that I feel will become a cult classic as time goes on. Looking forward to seeing much more from this crew.
