PHOTO COURTESY ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

The gleefully violent action comedy “Boy Kills World” succeeds by refracting the “Hunger Games” formula through a funhouse mirror. The trappings of that series and its imitators — the greedy, totalitarian regime, the desperate resistance, the gamified public executions — are all here. Somehow, though, they’re funny while also being almost stunningly violent.

Should it work? Probably not. Does it? Absolutely.

As a child, Boy’s (Bill Skarsgård) family was publicly executed by the despotic Hilda van der Koy (Famke Janssen) as part of an annual celebration dubbed the Culling. Left for dead, Boy was whisked into a secret forest hideout by the Shaman (Yayan Ruhian), a martial-arts expert with a penchant for mind-altering substances. After years of brutal training, Boy is ready to pursue vengeance; he’s just a little shaky on separating fantasy from reality, a result of the Shaman’s psychoactive supplements.

To get anywhere near his nemesis, he’ll have to fight his way through a litany of van der Koy family members (Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman and Sharlto Copley) and hundreds of nameless goons — including several dressed as breakfast-cereal mascots, as the Culling goes corporate.

The magic element that brings it all together is H. Jon Benjamin, the hilarious voice actor best known for his work on the animated series “Bob’s Burgers” and “Archer.” Benjamin provides Boy’s internal monologue (having lost his speech and hearing in the Culling, he never knew his adult voice and assigned himself a dramatic one), adding comedy and intensity to each scene — and elevating “Boy Kills World” beyond the level of many revenge epics.

Rothe, too, adds intensity and even a dash of pathos to the proceedings; she’s an underrated performer. She’s another strength in a movie full of surprising merits; it may be too heavy on the mayhem for some, but “Boy Kills World” decidedly achieves its goals.

My Rating: 8/10

“Boy Kills World” is now playing in theaters.