The Banana Splits Movie
3/4
Starring: Dani Kind, Finlay Wojtak-Hissong, Romeo Carere, Naledi Majola, Steve Lund, Maria Nash, Celina Martin, Kiroshan Naidoo
Rated R for Horror Violence and Gore
There's something creepy about those animatronic mannequins you see at theme parks and Chuck E Cheese. They have those happy faces and sing those corny songs, but their movements are creaky, jittery and repetitive. Their eyes are locked into one dead expression. So while kids may love them, everyone else is unsettled. Especially when they are turned off.
Since 1968, the Banana Splits have been a mainstay of children's programming. One of their biggest fans is a little kid named Harley (Wojtak-Hissong), and for his birthday, his mother Beth (Kind) has gotten tickets for a live show. Her older son Austin (Carere) is okay with the idea, but her second husband Mitch (Lund) is less enthused. Also tagging along is Harley's schoolmate Zoe (Nash). Unbeknownst to them, there is drama going on behind the scenes. The show has just been cancelled, and this is the last taping. When the Banana Splits learn of this, they take it personally.
This is a very silly movie. The idea of beloved characters from a children's show going berzerk and killing people is ludicrous. Fortunately, director Danishka Esterhazy realizes this. Nothing in this movie is to be taken seriously on any level. It's all played tongue-in-cheek, resulting in lots of nasty laughs. The key is that the film pretends not to know that its a comedy, if you know what I mean.
By design, the acting is flat. No one distinguishes themselves by being especially good or bad. Or even particularly intelligent, since they're making the same stupid mistakes that characters make in horror movies. Like splitting up, going where they aren't supposed to, and being willfully ignorant to danger. They're a varied lot, at least. I mean, you have the loving mom, the kid who is way too cute, and the lecherous husband. But you've also got the stage hand, the producer and the network executive. There is also a stage dad who will do anything to jumpstart his daughter's career in front of the cameras. And then there's Thadd (Naidoo) and Poppy (Martin), whose fan obsession brings to mind those who stalk the halls of ComicCon.
If there is a flaw with this movie, it's that it doesn't go far enough. I don't mean that it's not gory enough. Blood and body parts are constantly flying in all directions. I'm talking on a technical level. The script needed to be sharper, the direction should have been crisper, and the acting could use some work. Of course, since Esterhazy is going for a campy, b-movie vibe, maybe she needed less of all these things. In truth, the film is too good to be bad, and too bad to be good, if you catch my drift. It would have been more successful if the director had pushed it farther in one direction or the other. It also needed to take more chances. Once you get past the premise, the film's plot is horror-comedy 101. There was a moment when I thought it would go in a truly daring direction, but Esterhazy played it safe.
This movie is not for kids. Let's be clear on that. It's violent, gruesome and mean-spirited. That's also what makes it so funny. I'm actually surprised that Hanna-Barbera actually allowed this movie to be made. Maybe if companies that allow films based on their products to take more chances, they'd be less forgettable. I mean, there's a reason why everyone remembers "The Lego Movie" and "21 Jump Street" but has forgotten about that wretched film version of "Doom."
Starring: Dani Kind, Finlay Wojtak-Hissong, Romeo Carere, Naledi Majola, Steve Lund, Maria Nash, Celina Martin, Kiroshan Naidoo
Rated R for Horror Violence and Gore
There's something creepy about those animatronic mannequins you see at theme parks and Chuck E Cheese. They have those happy faces and sing those corny songs, but their movements are creaky, jittery and repetitive. Their eyes are locked into one dead expression. So while kids may love them, everyone else is unsettled. Especially when they are turned off.
Since 1968, the Banana Splits have been a mainstay of children's programming. One of their biggest fans is a little kid named Harley (Wojtak-Hissong), and for his birthday, his mother Beth (Kind) has gotten tickets for a live show. Her older son Austin (Carere) is okay with the idea, but her second husband Mitch (Lund) is less enthused. Also tagging along is Harley's schoolmate Zoe (Nash). Unbeknownst to them, there is drama going on behind the scenes. The show has just been cancelled, and this is the last taping. When the Banana Splits learn of this, they take it personally.
This is a very silly movie. The idea of beloved characters from a children's show going berzerk and killing people is ludicrous. Fortunately, director Danishka Esterhazy realizes this. Nothing in this movie is to be taken seriously on any level. It's all played tongue-in-cheek, resulting in lots of nasty laughs. The key is that the film pretends not to know that its a comedy, if you know what I mean.
By design, the acting is flat. No one distinguishes themselves by being especially good or bad. Or even particularly intelligent, since they're making the same stupid mistakes that characters make in horror movies. Like splitting up, going where they aren't supposed to, and being willfully ignorant to danger. They're a varied lot, at least. I mean, you have the loving mom, the kid who is way too cute, and the lecherous husband. But you've also got the stage hand, the producer and the network executive. There is also a stage dad who will do anything to jumpstart his daughter's career in front of the cameras. And then there's Thadd (Naidoo) and Poppy (Martin), whose fan obsession brings to mind those who stalk the halls of ComicCon.
If there is a flaw with this movie, it's that it doesn't go far enough. I don't mean that it's not gory enough. Blood and body parts are constantly flying in all directions. I'm talking on a technical level. The script needed to be sharper, the direction should have been crisper, and the acting could use some work. Of course, since Esterhazy is going for a campy, b-movie vibe, maybe she needed less of all these things. In truth, the film is too good to be bad, and too bad to be good, if you catch my drift. It would have been more successful if the director had pushed it farther in one direction or the other. It also needed to take more chances. Once you get past the premise, the film's plot is horror-comedy 101. There was a moment when I thought it would go in a truly daring direction, but Esterhazy played it safe.
This movie is not for kids. Let's be clear on that. It's violent, gruesome and mean-spirited. That's also what makes it so funny. I'm actually surprised that Hanna-Barbera actually allowed this movie to be made. Maybe if companies that allow films based on their products to take more chances, they'd be less forgettable. I mean, there's a reason why everyone remembers "The Lego Movie" and "21 Jump Street" but has forgotten about that wretched film version of "Doom."
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