Release Date: 12 Feb 2021
Run Time: 88 minutes
Origin: USA
Mimi's Rating: 3 pinball games out of 5
"He's not trapped in there with them. They're trapped in here with him."
Willy's Wonderland is a movie that will leave you feeling like you've eaten too much candy. It's an incredibly watchable, mindless good time that doesn't skimp on the good stuff.
In this flick, Cage plays 'the Janitor' an apparent drifter duped into cleaning the titular Willy's Wonderland when his car breaks down. They take the "strong silent type" to the extreme in this one; Cage's character doesn't have a single line of dialogue. We've seen him play this type of character before (I'm looking at you, Drive Angry), so we know the drill. And the movie doesn't bother giving the character any backstory. He's just a dude willing to throw down against these killer animatronics, and boy, does he kick their butts.
Our other protagonist is Liv Hawthorne (Emily Tosta), who I would consider the true protagonist (since she has an actual character). We meet Liv as she is attempting to burn down Willy's. Her attempted arson is stopped by Sheriff Eloise Lund (who is also Liv's legal guardian). Sheriff Lund attempts to confine her to their shared home, but her gang of friends manages to release her and head out to bring down Willy's Wonderland.
Meanwhile, the Janitor is doing a bang-up job cleaning up Willy's. Still, he soon discovers that the restaurant's eight animatronic mascots, Willy Weasel, Arty Alligator, Cammy Chameleon, Ozzie Ostrich, Knighty Knight, Tito Turtle, Gus Gorilla and Siren Sara are alive and lethal. Luckily, the Janitor seems well-versed in ass-kicking and quickly takes care of the first animatronic that attacks him, Ozzie Ostrich.
I love the running gag of the Janitor always taking his breaks no matter what might be happening. Later in the movie, it leads to a hilarious moment between him and Liv.
While the Janitor is busy cleaning toilets and smashing heads, Liv and her friends arrive to finish what she started earlier in the film. They get the building ready to burn, but Liv is determined to save the Janitor first and enters Willy's Wonderland. At first, her friends wait outside, but thanks to some mishaps, they also end up in Willy's. Now, the murderous animatronics are picking off Liv's friends, who have quickly morphed into slasher movie tropes, and it's up to the Janitor to save them. But only when he's on the clock.
"Put your balls on Evan. We're going to Willy's!"
This movie probably wouldn't work as well as it does with anyone who is not Nicolas Cage. He manages to bring humour to his performance without saying anything. And this movie leans more toward the comedic than the horrific, so I truly appreciate him here. The way he revels in the violence he doles out to these animatronics is a pleasure to watch.
Beth Grant's performance as Sheriff Lund is my second favourite in the film. She has some hilarious lines and even manages to make you feel a tiny bit sympathetic with how she genuinely cares for Liv.
Willy's Wonderland utilizes its small budget well (although I do wonder how much they spent on licensing the song 'Free Bird'). I liked the use of colour and the camera work was lively during the action with some unique shots. The synth score really complemented the Cage ass-whoppings. I also enjoyed that the animatronics were puppeteer actors in suits. It kept the action feeling 'real' and the stunt performers really brought the characters to life. The gore was okay, but I would have liked some more creative death scenes. Liv's friends are forgettable except for one or two characters, so I would have liked to see more inventiveness there.
Still, regarding recent killer animatronic flicks, Willy's Wonderland is my pick of the litter.
See my Killer Animatronic Round-Up to see how Willy's Wonderland measures up to other recent animatronic-themed horror films.
Bonus: I want to know what soap the Janitor used to remove graffiti from the walls.
Why you should watch:
It ends with the song "Freebird".
You want to watch Nic Cage trash a bunch of mascots.
Fun action and unique monster design.
Why you shouldn't watch:
You want that zany Nic Cage line delivery.
You don't like campy films.