Disney+ Sci-Fi Action Thriller Takes Time Loops To A New Level
It’s time to reach a new level- and that one is Boss Level. Look, these days, it seems that time loop movies are popping up all over the place, with varying degrees of success. Some films utilize the narrative device as something of a deus ex machina, allowing filmmakers to explore multiple story avenues without making a firm commitment. But others use it in a new way.
Boss Level And Time Loops
They’ve found new and inventive ways to fold the concept of a time loop into the actual material.
One such project is 2020’s Boss Level, which inverts the trope of time loops and applies the logic to a video game setting, where time loops are par for the course.
Boss Level On Hulu
Boss Level is currently available to stream through the Hulu section of the Disney+ app. This newly released subsection exists due to the streamers’ split ownership of various intellectual property, including Hulu original content produced and distributed by 21st Century Fox, such as Boss Level.
The section requires a subscription to both Hulu and Disney+ to access, and it is still technically in beta. However, it offers an excellent array of movies and shows to reward subscribers for their trouble.
Frank Grillo Stars
The film was written and directed by The Grey filmmaker Joe Carnahan and stars Frank Grillo, Mel Gibson, Naomi Watts, Michelle Yeoh, Will Sasso, and Community star Ken Jeong.
Carnahan and Grillo had been trying to get the project off the ground for nearly a decade, using test footage shot as far back as 2012. After a lengthy production process that stalled numerous times, Boss Level was completed and premiered at the ArcLight Cinemas in Los Angeles in February 2020, with a streaming release on Hulu in March 2021.
Constant Time Loops
Boss Level centers on Roy Pulver, a retired soldier who is caught in the throes of a seemingly endless time loop.
The film begins in media res, with Roy having experienced the loop numerous times and memorizing the first several hours of the day’s events.
His day begins with the 7 am arrival of an armed assassin and a helicopter gunman, both of whom attempt to kill him as he wipes the sleep from his eyes.
Looping Over And Over
From there, Roy meets with his estranged wife, Jemma, who is raising their son, Joe, under the guise that Roy is just a family friend. Through a series of trial-and-error repeats, Roy tries to bond with his son and repair his family, all while facing the forces of attacking soldiers.
After several loops, it becomes clear that Roy has been placed in the time loop to prevent an evil dictator from taking over the Earth, essentially making a confrontation with the dictator a boss level in a video game.
Also Can Stream On Disney+
Roy enlists his son to help him understand the trial-and-error process in video games, which he then utilizes to defeat his foes, and correct the fabric of time.
The high-octane film takes a number of shocking twists and turns along the way, wowing audiences and pushing the time loop concept to the brink. Boss Level is currently available to stream in the Hulu section of Disney+ for those who have subscriptions to both services.
