Boys in the Trees (2016) Reviews

• Saying farewell to childhood

  thekarmicnomad2017-10-03

  It is Halloween and a bunch of mean boys are going out to have some fun. One of them is starting to out-grow the group, especially when they pick on another boy he knows from when they were kids. The bullied kid black mails his old friend to spend the evening with him. This is a coming of age film with a heavy under lying sense of menace, the horror element is very slight indeed. The film has a slight surreal feel about it, all the adults leave the kids to run amok across town and everyone bumps into each other in the most unlikely of places. There is a certain inevitability about this film that could be seen as predictability but I quite liked it. The dynamics of the gang are portrayed with great zeal and shows how strong personalities can cloud the better judgement of others. Well filmed, produced and acted. Some of the kids look a little bit old but their acting skills make up for it. You will see the ending coming a mile off and there isn't much meat to the story but this was a very enjoyable Netflix watch.

• A wonderful surprise!

  berencamlost2017-08-18

  Like some have written before me, I was ready for something in the vein of Lost Boys... Instead I was served an amazing coming-of-age story, a surreal depiction of how cruel kids can be - and what good they are capable of. Part memories, part imagination, add real life, myths, and a sprinkle of the paranormal - this is the recipe for a very good film. A layered film that should have obligatory screenings at high-schools world wide. (I hope kids today get it)

• Don't believe the negative reviews

  vmalast2017-10-29

  This is not a horror movie, what it is is a coming of age movie. Much like Stephen Kings "Stand By Me", if you liked that movie you won't be disappointed. I don't think that this info is really a spoiler but, there is a ghost and ghosts of memories and dreams that can only be made in childhood. Ghosts of promises made, promises broken and when to run with the wolves or stand on your own. I gave this movie a 9, I don't do 10's because I'm not at deaths door and who knows what next great film I'll come across. Add on: The negative reviews were written by those who expected a true "horror" movie and/or under the age of 14.

• A darker tale of a similar story.

  WhenAmyMetSalad2017-08-22

  I was not expecting much from this movie to be fairly honest. I went in without watching any trailers or even reading the synopsis. I just saw a few screenshots of the movie and dove in head first. I was then unexpectedly impressed and entertained as I was taken on this journey of a test of a childhood friendship. I highly recommend it if you are into drama movies, but be aware there are some horror elements in play throughout the movie which takes this drama to another level. *WARNING SPOILERS* If you do not want to be spoiled on the movie especially the ending stop reading after the break. ----------------------------------------------------------------- The movie feels like a darker take of Bridge to Terabithia set around Halloween night. We have two friends who when children played an adventure game of fantasy and horror. Where they would try and scare each other with tales after crossing a bridge on their trek home only they grow up and separate. they happen to find each other on Halloween night to play one last time. I very much liked this terabithia-esque game where they tell tales to scare each other. And although the ending was somewhat obvious it was very entertaining getting to it. They told the story well enough for me to forget my prediction and enjoy the story as it was, but when the ending came I was still left the way the writer intended me to feel.

• Boys in the Trees: Unexpectedly good

  Platypuschow2019-02-15

  A random pick and a mix movie I had no knowledge of the film going in I happily went in with no expectations and walked away remarkably pleased. Boys in the Trees is an Australian feature movie that is quite frankly genre breaking. Horror? Drama? Thriller? It's so hard to pin it down to one, though I will say the cover art will have you making incorrect assumptions. It's a coming of age movie about a young man who is part of the "Cool kids". One day on the skate park he witnesses his best friend bullying another boy not knowing that single event would change everything. For a fair chunk of the movie I'll be honest I thought I wasn't going to like it. I didn't like many of the characters, I couldn't get behind the protagonist and deemed the plot a bit of a jumbled mess. Now by the end they'd turned much of that around, though the plot is still very jumbled. Thankfully it does make up for that for the most part and when the credits rolled I was hit with a wave of emotions and very thankful that I had come across this film. It only ended moments ago but I'm left feeling it's going to stay with me for a while. It's thought provoking, powerful and not even remotely shallow alike most films these days. With an awesome soundtrack, competent performances and some great writing I can confidently recommend Boys in the Trees to anyone seeking something that little bit different. The Good: Awesome soundtrack Very good visuals Some great writing Powerful stuff The Bad: Some character flaws Certainly won't appeal to everyone