Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II
Starring Scott Chambers, Tallulah Evans, Ryan Oliva, Teresa Banham
Directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield

Do you remember when the first live-action "Sonic the Hedgehog" trailer came out, and everyone despised the Sonic design so much that the company spent millions of dollars to make it more appropriate, resulting in a colossal cinematic hit? That's a sign that sometimes companies really want to put out quality content not to get money but because they care about the audience and their product. Last year, "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey" was released due to the original rights of Winnie and company (sans Tigger) became public domain, so of course these beloved children's icons would be turned into ravenous killers. The result is nothing short of terrible: the film was boring, Pooh and Piglet looked like people wearing cheap plastic masks from the Halloween store, the story didn't make a lick of sense, and it seemed that the filmmakers only set out to make a buck off a beloved franchise-turned-evil. It (rightfully) earned several Razzies including Worst Picture, Worst Rip-Off or Sequel, Worst Couple (Winnie and Piglet), Worst Screenplay and Worst Director. Although it was terrible, however, it did turn a profit so the sequel was greenlit almost immediately, and to say expectations were low would be an understatement - but in a twist of fate, not only did the sequel far exceed all expectations, but director Rhys Frake-Waterfield seemed to listen to the audience and eliminated everything that made the original terrible and in turn resulted in a film that, while still flawed, was actually a great time.

One year after the massacre in the Hundred Acre Woods, Christopher Robin (Scott Chambers) is seen by many in the town of Ashdown as the killer despite him claiming it was Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet. Ostracized by the town, he now sees a shrink while trying to uncover the mystery of his brother Billy who was kidnapped when they were both kids, along with other children in the town. Meanwhile, Pooh (Ryan Oliva) and Piglet (Eddy MacKenzie) are recuperating and are joined by their friends Owl (Marcus Massey) and Tigger (Lewis Santer) as they plan their next attack: take the fight to Ashdown, leaving a blood-soaked carnage in their wake.

Since "Blood and Honey 2" was a Fandango event, there weren't trailers before the movie, but instead there was a message from director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and Christopher Robin star Scott Chambers, announcing the upcoming Twisted Childhood Universe, where they'll bring together the likes of Winnie and his friends, Bambi, Peter Pan, Pinocchio and more into a villainous team-up culminating in 2025's "Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble." While it may seem silly (and, let's be honest, it will be), seeing the passion and determination in these young filmmakers' eyes and words really spoke to me as a critic, and made me re-evaluate this laughably bad franchise. Not every movie has billions at their disposal, or Oscar-winning writing talent, but something they do have is a vision. Wakefield and company shared their mutual love for all things horror and how they wanted to express that in their films, and showed to me that I was completely wrong about them: they didn't want to take a childhood IP and make a quick buck, but they wanted to create their own unique art form and see their vision brought to life. While the first film is still terrible, their passion for their work shines through and especially in its sequel, we see that passion and determination, where each successful outing doesn't just put money in their pockets, but allows them to keep creating this cinematic universe of their own making - and I'm all in for it.

As for this film, it seems Wakefield took the "Sonic" approach and listened to the audience's criticisms and fixed the problems of the first. While Pooh and Piglet had cheap dime-store masks, these new costumes move and feel more realistic, thanks in no small part to a bigger budget. In the original neither Pooh nor Piglet spoke, but here they speak, as also the welcomed additions of Owl and Tigger. Their dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny, as Pooh's determination to get revenge on Christopher Robin remains front and center, but Owl waxes Shakespearean with a hint of aristocratic evil, and Tigger is the star of the show. He comes off as a Freddy Krueger-like villain with quips (many of which had me in stitches) and using his claws as knives, offering a not-so-subtle nod to the red-and-green shirted villain. Adding voices to the villains was the film's saving grace, as if they were silent again it would've spiraled the entire film into mediocrity.

The story, as is with the first, is the film's true weakness, but you don't really care. It steals ideas from last year's "Five Nights at Freddy's" - while somehow making it make more sense than that film. We find out how Pooh and his friends came to be, and while it goes completely against A.A. Milne's (side note: there's a hilarious moment where Christopher Robin is looking up stuff online and instead of Google the search engine is called "Milne," and the links all look like they came from Google but they just replaced the Google icon with Milne) vision, it creates its own path and for that I can appreciate the film for it. The story also delves more into Christopher's story, and how the town pretty much hates him and thinks he's a cold-blooded murderer. Scott Chambers takes the role of Christopher Robin from Nikolai Leon, and although he isn't the best actor, he does a better job at the role due to his innocent appearance. None of the actors in the film are going to win any Oscars, but again that's not the point - the point is blood and carnage (although one loose end in the end getting tied up the way it did was a bit infuriating).

And blood and carnage they deliver. The practical effects here are impressive (for the budget), fun, and grotesque. While the film was shot with a darker tone to hide some of its flaws, what it does show is pure drive-in enjoyment. Decapitations, burnings, acid spit, dismemberments and slashings occur frequently, with a giddy appeal that will satisfy the horror hound youth in us all. Wakefield and his friends know how to deliver the goods in this respect, and they go all out here, culminating in an exciting climax at a raver that inducts Pooh and friends into the ultimate slasher hall of fame. Speaking of that, the film offers numerous nods to iconic slashers: be it Tigger's overall demeanor of Freddy Krueger, Christopher's friend Lexy babysits a child ("Halloween") who's name is Freddy and dons Freddy's glove and Jason's hockey mask, and Pooh even wields a chainsaw ("The Texas Chain Saw Massacre") with one exciting addition - it's on fire! The kills illicited laughter and cheers from the audience and myself as well, doing what the film wanted to do - give us some mindless enjoyment showcasing budding talent that might not be awards-worthy, but you clearly see the passion and love behind it.

Improving upon itself in every way from its predecessor, "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey II" is one of those rare sequels that far exceed the original, offering gleefully exciting kills, impressive gore, and giving voice to the childhood classics-turned-villains in a way that serves as the perfect icing on this blood-soaked cake.

The Score: C