45
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- The film’s biggest flaw is that there’s never any doubt about where Ted is going to end up.
- 50Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenCraig William Macneill's film is a sporadically frightening slow burn with a fatally overlong fuse.
- 50The New York TimesAndy WebsterThe New York TimesAndy WebsterThe Boy, despite remarkable performances and gorgeous imagery, does not sufficiently flesh out its subject.
- 42The PlaylistCharlie SchmidlinThe PlaylistCharlie SchmidlinThe seeds of a sequel sprout in the film’s lasting final shot, but perhaps with a look further into Ted’s future, a narrative to match the mood will emerge as well.
- 40The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckFeaturing long stretches in which little is said or happens, the film never quite burrows into the viewer's skin in the way in which it was obviously intended.
- 40Village VoiceSherilyn ConnellyVillage VoiceSherilyn ConnellyCraig William Macneill's The Boy tries so hard to be ominous that it nearly strains itself in the process.
- 30VarietyDennis HarveyVarietyDennis HarveySo little happens in The Boy, and so little suspense is effectively built around its central figure, that by the time things finally do heat up the movie has flatlined too completely for us to care.