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spook-study · 9 months

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Can Nic Cage “Nic Cage” without being able to Nic Cage?

Hot on the heels of the return of the ‘killer robot’ movie, Willy’s Wonderland (2021) seized the moment in not one, not two, but three ways. First, they capitalized on the cult status return of their lead actor, second, they created a camp movie in the middle of horror’s current obsession with bleakness, and third, they did all this when "Five Night’s at Freddy’s" (FNAF) was truly reaching its zeitgeist.

Many people went out of their way to see this movie simply because Nicolas Cage starred. After reintroducing himself with a bang in Panos Cosmatos’ remarkably feverish Mandy (2018), he had reminded us that he was indeed a powerhouse performer, all without losing that manic intensity he became known for. So when Willy’s Wonderland came out, a movie about Nicolas Cage beating a bunch of possessed robots to death, suffice to say everyone went in expecting exactly that. But, to rephrase the first question: can Nicolas Cage perform in the style that he’s known for without (spoilers) having any lines?

As evidenced by the movie, we can confirm the Nic Cage Experience™ doesn't need to be accompanied by lines. He does just fine without.

The Janitor, the only name given to his character, manages to both walk his way through his insane night like it’s just another Tuesday, and go totally crazy when the situation calls for it. This balance makes for a captivating and enjoyable performance from Cage, both allowing him to play to his audience and play for the movie. There's a lot of realism in his performance, which for this movie seems almost antithetical. And yet, what is a good horror movie without the actors really living it? The Janitor was told to clean house, and clean house he did; going crazy is just part of the job.

The Janitor being left to his own devices, the plot and body fodder are provided by a competent group of young actors in classic horror movie roles. The sexually active girl and her boyfriend, the boy in love, the best buddies, the final girl. Peripheral adults flank the plot, but just because they’re grown and have struck a deal with the eponymous Willy, who is now possessing the body of a giant animatronic weasel, doesn’t mean they’re safe. These obvious tropes are played up not only by the actors, but by the script itself. Each word from final girl Liv is #inspirational, delivered with the melodrama of a daytime soap. The exaggerated performances and heightened reality of the script make this movie a total blast.

The downside of this is that there are many moments that feel redundant. They split up, kids have sex in the creepiest place, the lost puppy love interest is self sacrificing and over dramatic in his unrequited love, Liv pursues her ideals beyond the realm of reason. Despite knowing full well what has gone on, and is still going on in the arcade, each of the teens makes the stupidest decisions after entering the building. You'd think they'd be focused on getting out, or just not getting killed, but even that seems to be expecting too much of them. There's horror movie stupid, but the young characters in Willy's Wonderland are on a whole other stratosphere of idiotic.

The performances are passable for the most part, though there's barely any screen time spared for character development. Six teens, two sheriffs, one mechanic, and the latest owner of Willy's are all as flat as cardboard. The primary opposite of Cage, actress Emily Tosta's dogged nobility and bleeding heart final girl that she and director Kevin Lewis created rides the edge of a bad performance. While The Janitor has no lines, Liv picks up the slack; not always to great effect. Maybe five "hope speeches" is one or two too many, not only for the film but for Miss Tosta as well. There are only so many ways one can say "we have to do this!" Just ask Sarah Michelle Gellar.

It seems Willy’s Wonderland was founded on the back of its star. Rather than a movie in its own right, it mostly feels like a vehicle for Nic Cage. The plot feels built up around the idea of Cage's Janitor killing possessed animatronics rather than the thrust of the movie. There's precious little story to be had. This is where Willy’s falls flat. When watching a horror movie, you might eagerly anticipate the next kill, but everything else should be working in tandem to create a fully enjoyable experience from beginning to end. There’s being on the edge of your seat for the next robo-brawl, and looking at your watch waiting for it to come. It's unfortunate that the viewing experience contained much of the latter.

At 88 minutes long with eight animatronics to kill and a few dead teens (and adults) along the way, it’s amazing how Willy's managed to have dull moments at all. Averaging out, that's one kill, robot or otherwise, every six minutes or so, not including flashbacks. Yet, the thin plot and difficult-to-match performance of Cage left the screentime spent on the other cast feeling flat and boring. The other actors pushed for the melodrama, which was a smart choice when trying to share a movie with Cage, but the tone was off in comparison to The Janitor's.

On top of that difficulty, the tension was severely diminished by the large cast of animatronics, which forced the action sequences back to back. Make no mistake, the thrill and fun of Willy's lies in those sequences. But as a movie, this ultra-fast pacing did no favors to the other characters that were charged with attempting to build out a plot when the premise of Willy's amounts to "and then he kills the robots." Don’t expect the dread and fear that is foundational to FNAF, there is little time for anticipation. What could have been a hair-raising movie full of dark corners and jump scares ends up being an exciting romp with little fright to be found, despite its best efforts. There was just too little to build on and too much to do.

Even with these shortcomings, Willy’s Wonderland feels like it did exactly what it set out to do. The movie is fun and violent. Did it do anything wild and amazing? Not really. Will it be your favorite horror movie? A hard maybe. Will you put it on in the background of your Halloween party? Probably!

Without a doubt, the movie made good on its promises of silliness and Nic Cage doing what he does best. It’s a casual watch that one might enjoy seeing alongside their good friend Mary Jane, or with a couple of beers in their system. While not the first to cash in on the evil animatronic craze, check out The Banana Splits Movie (2019) for another round of beloved childhood characters gone wrong, Willy’s Wonderland certainly earned its keep.

It’s exciting to see the return of the killer robot and how it’s being interpreted in the modern day. From Metropolis (1927) to Gog (1951) to The Terminator (1984), and now Willy’s Wonderland, the deadly robot will always hold a special place in the horror canon. Whether possessed by the souls of serial killers or an AI turned rogue, humanity prevailing over machine will be a story told from here to kingdom come. The triumph of the will is twofold. There’s is the triumph of humanity over technology, a story that ensures and reinforces the idea that the best and most powerful form of life is organic, and there’s the success over a being that is supposedly, and in most cases is canonically, smarter than you.

With the way of the world as it is, and the all too dangerous territory the entertainment industry is headed into, it’s no wonder movies like Willy’s pop to mind. Perhaps there is nothing more satisfying right now than seeing The Janitor, a man just trying to do his job, literally demolish the machines that would take his life. The advent of the AI movie is certainly nothing new, though it is distinctly having a moment. While in most instances the solution to the AI problem is a bit more cerebral, there’s no outwitting to be done here. There are no guns or programmers involved in this mess. No one to hack into a system or rewire a relay. This is a killer robot movie for the Everyman. The Janitor hacks, smashes, kicks, punches, and rips these things to pieces. Who would have thought tearing a robot apart with your bare hands would be a relatable fantasy only two years after the movie’s release?

It’s a good enough looking movie, the design sometimes outpacing the execution, and there’s clearly a bunch of love put into it. Anyone who’s ever had a nightmare after visiting Chuck-E-Cheese’s will certainly feel vindicated. The colors move well between the 70s retro look of the Willy’s Wonderland arcade fun zone design and the more neon and vibrant tones used to signify the modern day, the contrast making it visually interesting. The job taking place overnight, the darkness is certainly used to cover some of the movie's visual blunders, and the shaky camera fight sequences can cover a multitude of shortcomings. Still, clever camera work aside, Willy's was obviously filmed on a low budget. Some of the effects will undoubtedly leave you wanting and probably wishing there were fewer evil animatronics. It wouldn’t have hurt the movie to cut out one or two, if only to increase the amount of time and care that could have been spent on the others.

The animatronic cast of characters are all strong, design-wise, and feel just adjacent enough to reality. No one would use a weasel as a children’s restaurant-arcade. Kids get called ‘weasel’ on the playground before they get pushed down. The other characters also feel not-quite-right in the same way. An alligator, a chameleon, an ostrich, a turtle, a gorilla, and the completely off-themed knight and siren. There’s little time to get to know each one of them, which in theory one could do seeing as each is possessed by the soul of a killer. There definitely could have been a bit more about the dead inhabitants, but with so many of them there simply wasn’t time. Is it enough to say they were all horrible child killers? Yes. Could there have been more said? Also yes. Does it really matter when Nic Cage is going buck wild on eight killer robots? That’s up to you to decide.

While it certainly won’t be the best entry in this niche, this movie has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. It's a silly, straight-forward movie with few frills and plenty of robo-killing action. Whether or not it's your birthday, Willy's Wonderland (2021) wants you to have fun! And you absolutely will.

3/5*

#Willy's Wonderland #2021 #horror #spook study #movie review #review #long posts about horror #movies #film #my writing #3/5

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