Willy's Wonderland


 

Plot Synopsis: 

When his car breaks down, a mysterious man (known only as the Janitor throughout the movie) is hired to spend the night cleaning out a run-down Chuck E. Cheese style establishment. As the night goes, he learns that the restaurant harbors a dark secret, and he has to fight to survive. Meanwhile, a group of local teens spend the night with a mission of their own, destroy Willy's Wonderland once and for all. 

Positives: 

The first thing about this movie that I appreciate is the sense of mystery that surround the first act. You always know something is wrong with Willy's Wonderland, but you don't know exactly what that something is until about the 20 minute mark. Furthermore, the main character of the janitor has a whole air of mystery around him as well. This movie has a pretty low budget. I bring this up because the animatronics look pretty damn good for a movie made for 5 million dollars. It should also come as no surprise that I really enjoy Nicolas Cage in this movie. He only relies on his physical acting and facial expressions. He gives a pretty damn solid performance despite never saying a word. This adds to the mystery around the character that I already mentioned. The teens are an element I will touch on in different segment. That said, the main teen is actually I character I kind of liked. Unlike her friends, she is actually relatively fleshed out. 

Mixed Aspects: 

The first thing I have mixed feelings on is Kevin Lewis's directing. For the most part, I think it's fine. Every now and then, however, there are moments where I sit back and think "that could have been directed a little better," especially with some of the fight scenes. I also think the gore can be a bit of a mixed bag. Sometimes, it looks really good. Other times, I think it looks a little too cheap. 

Negatives: 

I mentioned in my positives section that I wanted to talk about the teenage characters in another section. Well, these characters are literally just here to add to the body count. Compared the one teen you kind of know is going to survive, the rest of them have no real dimension to them. They aren't really worth caring about one way or the other. Also, once you get into Willy's Wonderland, there is a pretty noticeable sense of rinse and repeat going on. I should also note that there is something of a plot point and reveal in the movie that doesn't make sense by the end. I won't give anything away, but it is a bit of head-scratcher to me.    

Final Thoughts: 

I can't say it's a masterpiece of the genre by any means. But, I thought Willy's Wonderland was a bit of a fun ride. If you're a fan of the horror genre (or a fan of Nicolas Cage), then go ahead and check this movie out. You might find you like it. 

🩸🩸🩸🩸 

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