May 13, 2021
It's hard to dive into a detailed review of a film like Willy's Wonderland. It's the kind of film that's trying to do one thing and one thing alone; Entertain people. If I don't end up praising the film for anything else, that's okay. Willy's Wonderland is a straight-up B-Movie and uses a heavy grindhouse feel to tell its story. Am I going to recommend this one to mainstream audiences? Absolutely not, but if you know what to expect, I think you'll have a blast watching it as I did. There's nothing here but the novelty, but here's why it works.
Right off the bat, something felt off about this film. It opens with a very drab look and Nicolas Cage is revealed as the stoic cool guy (which is done incredibly over the top). Willy's Wonderland is an old arcade/birthday party place that has been closed down, due to the fact that the mechanical robots inside all come to life and murder people. Nicolas Cage's character's car breaks down and the mechanic tells him he can get it fixed for free if he cleans this building and makes it ready to reopen. Spending a night in Willy's Wonderland as his car is being fixed, this movie is strictly a film about a Janitor cleaning rooms and killing robots. When you look at it like that, it really works, but if you're looking for something note-worthy, you need to look elsewhere.
It's no denying that Nicolas Cage likes to have fun with the roles he chooses. He used to be a very solid dramatic actor, but the craziness of his performances has been there since the beginning as well. This is why I found the choice to make his character mute to be very surprising. Not having one single line throughout the entire film was a bold move, but it made it that much more enjoyable honestly. His facial expressions and the fact that he just really loves soda is enough to know that he means business and has no fear. If that sounds dumb and ridiculous, that's because it is, but it also works.
As I said, if you go into this film looking for anything else other than Nicolas Cage fighting robots, you're going to be let down. With that said, the film also gets very repetitive along the way. Once you realize just how many of these robots there are, I found myself counting until he was done. This took away from the little tension (or lack thereof) there was. It's an enjoyable movie that begins to feel its length on multiple occasions.
In the end, Willy's Wonderland promises Cage fighting robots and it delivers. This is also G.O. Parsons' very first feature film as a writer and this might sound crazy, but I hope he gets the chance to write another film. I think his wacky ideas could lead to something great one day. Now available on-demand, Willy's Wonderland realistically will likely be hated by many viewers, but I had quite a bit of fun watching it. Take that statement however you like, but if you know, you know. That's about the highest praise I can give this film.
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