Welcome one and all to part 37 of my weekly blog, The 52 In 52. The concept is simple, each week I take one of my many DVDs or Blu Ray that have been gathering dust on my shelf and review it. Last week I reviewed the criminally under rated The Exorcist 3.
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This week I will be writing about The Banana Splits Movie. Released earlier this year The Banana Splits Movie was directed by Danishka Esterhazy and is based on the popular Hanna-Barbera franchise, only the film retools the characters and story as a horror film. The story follows Harley Williams, the biggest fan of The Banana Splits, who gets to visit a live taping with his family along with other fans on the day that the show gets cancelled. As they learn about the cancellation, The Banana Splits go haywire and go on a murderous rampage.
I was honestly surprised how much I loved The Banana Splits Movie but, it wasn't without it's flaws. The story itself is entertaining, original and moves along at a great pace without having to rely on nostalgia too much. I loved most of the character arcs including the over the top influencer couple and the coming together of a family unit under strain. The only issue I had was the strange sub plot of the cheating husband that ran through the film. I understand why the film makers put it in, as a way of fleshing out the story, but it just felt forced. The dad character was almost pantomime sleazy and felt like a little on the sociopath side and really didn't deserve his family.
I loved that The Banana Splits were robots gone wrong rather than people inside the suit, it allowed for a creepy dehumanised feel to the characters. The gore and practical effects were well done and were incredibly realistic at points during the film. I loved the juxtaposition between the violent death scenes that take place in the fantastical, child like set pieces.
I loved the soundtrack, playing with classic horror sounds and mixing them with the child like Banana Splits sound. Patrick Stump did a great job making an atmospheric score that really sets itself apart from the usual loud crashing tone based horror score.
Overall I loved The Banana Splits Movie a lot more than I expected. The story is a great mix of dark comedy and genuine horror. Whilst some of the characters verge on the ridiculous the child actors really drive the story in a great direction. The set pieces and effects are brilliant and the score really ramps up the twisted tone.
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