The Banana Splits Movie (2019) Review

"This show is not what I expected."
-Harley Williams



It's Harley Williams' (Finlay Wojtak-Hissong) birthday and his family is taking him to a live taping of his favorite show, The Banana Splits.  Unfortunately, the robotic characters have learned that their show is going to be canceled.  They are willing to do anything to keep the show going and will kill anyone who tries to stop them.


What Works:

This movie has an absolutely bonkers concept and I love that it was actually made.  Having a bunch of characters from an actual kids' show come to life and murder people is amazing and I love it.

The Banana Splits themselves are all voiced by Eric Bauza and he does an excellent job.  The Splits have distinct personality and Bauza brings these robotic characters to life with some amazing voice work.

The best character in the movie is Harley's friend, Zoe (Maria Nash).  Good kid actors are hard to find (see Harley's actor) and Nash does a great job.  She's really funny and has some great zingers.  She's hands down the best actor in the movie.  I only wish she had more to do.

The gore is pretty fantastic and we get some absolutely gnarly kills.  You can tell they used a lot of practical effects, which I appreciate, especially for a straight-to-video movie.

Finally, the 3rd act is a lot of fun.  We get a demented version of the TV show with a bunch of kids chained up and forced to watch as people are ripped apart and bodies are set ablaze.  It's wonderfully horrific and the best part of the movie.


What Sucks:

Apart from Bauza and Nash, none of the performances are very good.  The acting just isn't what it should be.  I wasn't feeling it from anyone, which is disappointing because the rest of the movie is so strong.

Finally, the pacing is a bit off.  The middle of the movie is just people wandering around the soundstage and getting picked off by the Splits.  It's pretty standard slasher movie stuff, which is why I have a problem with it.  I wish the characters knew what was going on for a longer period of time.  It really doesn't ramp up until the 3rd act.  It would have been fun to have these characters combating the Splits for a longer portion of the movie.


Verdict:

The Banana Splits Movie has an absolutely insane concept, but imperfect execution.  The 3rd act is wonderful, the gore is spectacular, and both Maria Nash and Eric Bauza do a great job.  It's just the rest of the actors and the pacing that hold the movie back from being great.

 7/10: Good 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Argylle (2024) Review

Image
 "The human skull is shockingly brittle." -Aidan Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a very successful spy novelist.  She draws attention from the espionage community when plot points in her books come true.  When Elly is attacked on a train by a group of spies, she is rescued by another spy, Aidan (Sam Rockwell), who needs her help with his mission and to do that, she needs to write another chapter of her latest book. Spoilers Below.  Go ahead and read on because I don't recommend this movie, but either way, you've been warned. What Works: Argylle has a really fun premise that really works in the first half of the movie.  It's a fish-out-of-water, buddy-cop, spy movie, and it's a blast.  Watching Ellie predict where to go based on what the characters in her books would do is a lot of fun.  It's what the whole movie should have been. The opening sequence follows Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) on another dangerous mission as he pursues the villainous LaGrang
Read more

Top 10 Movies of 2023

Image
2023 is finally over and it's time for me to put my Top 10 list together.  2023 was definitely a weaker year for movies.  There were definitely some great movies, but there were also plenty of disappointing and bad movies as well.  I still managed to put together a great Top 10 with a couple of worthy contenders that just missed the cut.  Let's take a look! #10. They Cloned Tyrone They Cloned Tyrone is a wild and fun sci-fi tale that takes place in the hood.  A drug dealer, a pimp, and a prostitute discover a cloning conspiracy and the results are intelligent and hilarious.  This is a really smart and funny movie with some amazing performances across the board.  This was a movie that kept me guessing the whole way through.  What an absolute blast. #9. Renfield I'm guessing Renfield will be the most controversial entry on my list as I feel like I'm the only person who liked this movie.  I love the old Universal monster movies and the fact that we get a direct sequel, whi
Read more

Madame Web (2024) Review

Image
 "When you take on the responsibility, great power will come." -Santiago Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson), a New York paramedic, hits her head in an accident, which unlocks the ability to see glimpses of the future.  When she sees Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) attempting to murder three teenage girls, Cassie intervenes to save them.  As Cassie learns to understand her power, she also discovers the connection between her, the girls, and Ezekiel. What Works: I think the core idea at the center of this movie is a good one and has the potential to be interesting.  Cassie's superpowers are kinda lame.  It's not like they're going to help in a combat situation.  Ezekiel is basically evil Spider-Man.  He has legitimate powers and is a massive threat.  That's an interesting conflict.  How does someone with lackluster superpowers take on a supervillain.  It's a fun idea that I would like to see tried again with greater success.  What Sucks: This movie was embarrassing to
Read more