Mel Gibson hasn't exactly had the smoothest couple of decades. He's got something of a controversial past to say the least, including numerous allegations of racism, bigotry, and domestic abuse. Although there was once a time when any Mel Gibson film was pretty much guaranteed to draw a crowd, that's not really the case nowadays, and it's clear that the acclaimed actor and Oscar-winning director's star has fallen very far indeed.
Nonetheless, Gibson now looks to be making strides toward a comeback. The internet is awash with praise for Gibson's latest movie appearance in Boss Level, a sci-fi action Hulu original. Gibson isn't the film's lead, and he wasn't behind the helm as its director either, but fans and critics alike are absolutely loving the flick, with some taking special note of his performance.
By all accounts, Boss Level is a fun and gleefully violent action film that joins the ever-growing list of movies to have utilized the time-loop story trope. Frank Grillo, probably most familiar for his role as Crossbones in the MCU, stars in Boss Level as Roy Pulver, a Special Forces soldier stuck in an endless time loop, forced to relive the day of his death over and over again. Meanwhile, Naomi Watts plays Roy's estranged wife Jemma, and her boss is the defense contractor Colonel Clive Ventor, played by Gibson himself.
In the midst of Roy's many time loops, a suspicious death puts Ventor on his radar — and from there, the two are set on a collision course filled with all the explosions, car chases, and gunfights that you could possibly hope for.
Now, it's true that both casual movie-lovers and professional critics seem to agree that Gibson's new movie isn't exactly breaking new ground when it comes to the time-loop sub-genre. That said, Boss Level is still unique among such films for just how fun and unapologetically bloody it can get. As a result, plenty of viewers have taken to Twitter to praise the new sci-fi action flick. One user told their followers:
"If you like stuff like Groundhog Day, Russian Doll, Happy Death Day(2 u), then check out Boss Level on Hulu."
Meanwhile, another Twitter user called the movie:
"A hugely entertaining time loop action film [...[ bloody and inventive with its tongue placed firmly in cheek."
That same user also pointed out that Mel Gibson ought to have been given a little more to do in the movie — which is pretty telling praise in a world where many would agree that less Mel Gibson is definitely better than more. Putting a little smack talk twist on their praise for the movie, another Twitterer said:
"BOSS LEVEL is like if GUNS AKIMBO was Good."
And, although they didn't give a full verdict on the movie itself, one user highlighted the sheer bloodiness of Boss Level — and especially Frank Grillo's endless, gory deaths — writing:
"My theory as to why Frank Grillo made Boss Level... To dethrone Sean Bean with the most on screen deaths with just 1 movie."
Surprisingly enough, it isn't just the fans who are loving Boss Level, either. While the film's current Rotten Tomatoes score of 72 percent indicates that not all the critics loved the movie, it's still managed to garner some pretty noteworthy critical praise. At IndieWire, critic Christian Blauvelt wrote that:
"Grillo gives Boss Level the thing most video game movie riffs lack: a pulse."
While Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times said:
"[Boss Level] takes a well-worn gag and injects energy, showing the genre is still a game worth playing."
Writing for Den of Geek, Bernard Boo said of the movie:
"It's a lot of fun to watch and one of the best showcases of Grillo's 'very particular set of skills' yet."
While Decider's Johnny Loftus was more economical with his words, writing simply:
"It's outrageous. Just go with it."
So it really does seem like Boss Level might be something of a surprise hit — and at least some of that is down to Mel Gibson himself. Just what it means for his troublesome career, however, remains to be seen.
Mel Gibson hasn't exactly had the smoothest couple of decades. He's got something of a controversial past to say the least, including numerous allegations of racism, bigotry, and domestic abuse. Although there was once a time when any Mel Gibson film was pretty much guaranteed to draw a crowd, that's not really the case nowadays, and it's clear that the acclaimed actor and Oscar-winning director's star has fallen very far indeed.
Nonetheless, Gibson now looks to be making strides toward a comeback. The internet is awash with praise for Gibson's latest movie appearance in Boss Level, a sci-fi action Hulu original. Gibson isn't the film's lead, and he wasn't behind the helm as its director either, but fans and critics alike are absolutely loving the flick, with some taking special note of his performance.
By all accounts, Boss Level is a fun and gleefully violent action film that joins the ever-growing list of movies to have utilized the time-loop story trope. Frank Grillo, probably most familiar for his role as Crossbones in the MCU, stars in Boss Level as Roy Pulver, a Special Forces soldier stuck in an endless time loop, forced to relive the day of his death over and over again. Meanwhile, Naomi Watts plays Roy's estranged wife Jemma, and her boss is the defense contractor Colonel Clive Ventor, played by Gibson himself.
In the midst of Roy's many time loops, a suspicious death puts Ventor on his radar — and from there, the two are set on a collision course filled with all the explosions, car chases, and gunfights that you could possibly hope for.
Now, it's true that both casual movie-lovers and professional critics seem to agree that Gibson's new movie isn't exactly breaking new ground when it comes to the time-loop sub-genre. That said, Boss Level is still unique among such films for just how fun and unapologetically bloody it can get. As a result, plenty of viewers have taken to Twitter to praise the new sci-fi action flick. One user told their followers:
"If you like stuff like Groundhog Day, Russian Doll, Happy Death Day(2 u), then check out Boss Level on Hulu."
Meanwhile, another Twitter user called the movie:
"A hugely entertaining time loop action film [...[ bloody and inventive with its tongue placed firmly in cheek."
That same user also pointed out that Mel Gibson ought to have been given a little more to do in the movie — which is pretty telling praise in a world where many would agree that less Mel Gibson is definitely better than more. Putting a little smack talk twist on their praise for the movie, another Twitterer said:
"BOSS LEVEL is like if GUNS AKIMBO was Good."
And, although they didn't give a full verdict on the movie itself, one user highlighted the sheer bloodiness of Boss Level — and especially Frank Grillo's endless, gory deaths — writing:
"My theory as to why Frank Grillo made Boss Level... To dethrone Sean Bean with the most on screen deaths with just 1 movie."
Surprisingly enough, it isn't just the fans who are loving Boss Level, either. While the film's current Rotten Tomatoes score of 72 percent indicates that not all the critics loved the movie, it's still managed to garner some pretty noteworthy critical praise. At IndieWire, critic Christian Blauvelt wrote that:
"Grillo gives Boss Level the thing most video game movie riffs lack: a pulse."
While Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times said:
"[Boss Level] takes a well-worn gag and injects energy, showing the genre is still a game worth playing."
Writing for Den of Geek, Bernard Boo said of the movie:
"It's a lot of fun to watch and one of the best showcases of Grillo's 'very particular set of skills' yet."
While Decider's Johnny Loftus was more economical with his words, writing simply:
"It's outrageous. Just go with it."
So it really does seem like Boss Level might be something of a surprise hit — and at least some of that is down to Mel Gibson himself. Just what it means for his troublesome career, however, remains to be seen.