Willy’s Wonderland movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Willy’s Wonderland [Blu-ray]

Premieres on February 12, 2021

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 28 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: C for Cult

IN A NUTSHELL:

We all think the Country Bear Jamboree at Disneyland is charming and creepy at the same time, right? Willy’s Wonderland [Blu-ray] is the Country Bear Jamboree on evil steroids. If you’re a cult fan of “Cage Rage”, you’ll get a laugh out of this comedy/horror movie where Nicolas Cage kicks animatronic butt with a mop and dances, all without ever saying a single word. If that sounds like a terrible way to spend your time, skip this one.

Screen Media launches this quirky horror film directed by Kevin Lewis. It’s about a quiet loner (Nicolas Cage) who finds himself stranded in a remote town when his car breaks down. Unable to pay for the repairs he needs, he agrees to spend the night cleaning Willy’s Wonderland, an abandoned family fun center. But this wonderland has a dark secret that this “Janitor” is about to discover. He soon finds himself locked in an epic battle with possessed animatronic mascots that roam the halls. To survive, he must fight his way through each of them.

The first-time screenwriter, G. O. Parsons, liked the idea of a simple story. In a press release, he stated, “I didn’t plan on it being a major motion picture.” He was a struggling actor and a friend urged him to write a screenplay. He admits he has a love of watching breaking robots. When the screenplay wasn’t immediately picked up, he utilized an Indiegogo campaign and as soon as it was announced that Nicolas Cage would star in the film, the money flowed. Well, it’s still a low-budget movie at $5 million dollars, but enough to bring this wacky concept to the Big Screen….or your small TV screen in the case of this Video On Demand release.

THINGS I LIKED:

The director stated that Nicolas cage is his own genre. Agreed! I’ve always liked Nicolas Cage, even though my kids make fun of him. He definitely has a cult following and that’s who this film is for. About the script for this movie, he said, “I thought it was original and absurd and I like things that are absurd. I found it hilarious and potentially terrifying. I don’t get opportunities to act with giant stuffed ostriches or alligators or turtles or weasels. So I thought that would be a lot of fun.” His character never says a word during the entire film. He said he got his inspiration from other actors who never spoke in movies, like Harpo Max and Buster Keaton. This Nicolas Cage’s 8th horror movie.
The film was shot in only 20 days and finished right before the pandemic hit the United States.
The animatronic suits were designed by Ken Hall. The movie had to be shot chronologically because the suits couldn’t be used again after Nicolas Cage had his way with them.
With so much crazy in front of the lens, sometimes director Lewis would be tempted to set up a vertiginous canted-angle camera shot, a so-called Dutch angle. “And we’d think, Gosh, is it too much?” he recalls. “And then I’d think: You know what? This is Nic Cage beating up an animatronic weasel. No. Nothing’s too much.”
The cast includes Emily Tosta, Caylee Cowan, Terayle Hill, Grant Cramer, David Sheftell, Ric Reitz, and a lot of voice talent to bring the creepy animatronics to life.
I thought Beth Grant did a great job as a psycho sheriff.
Thankfully, the film doesn’t take itself seriously. For example, there’s a King Kong moment where an alligator gets its jaw cracked open by none other than good ‘ole Nic Cage. If you go into the movie knowing it’s going to be a classic B-level horror film from the ’80s, you might have fun. Remember, this movie isn’t for everyone’s taste.
Watching the trashed facility get cleaned by a persistent Nicolas Cage was somehow therapeutic.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

There’s a LOT of exposition at the 40-minute mark that tries to make sense of the ridiculous plot. Fifteen minutes later, there’s another long exposition scene.
The director loves to aim the camera at the actors’ boots.
Cliched, one-dimensional characters.
I was disappointed that the fight scenes weren’t very creative. It’s pretty straight-forward brute violence.
The teens are supposed to be terrified by the location, but then two of them decide to “go at it” amongst the horror. Dumbest horror movie characters ever.
Some of the acting is really bad.