DUST BUNNY
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan, Sigourney Weaver, Sheila Atim, and David Dastmalchian
Director: Bryan Fuller
AMARÚ
Dust Bunny is a fun and imaginative action romp that grows on you after a slow start. Director Bryan Fuller mixes colorful visuals and dynamic cinematography with a playful score to highlight the fantastical (dis)agreement between the monster-plagued eight year-old Aurora (Sophie Sloan) and her contract-killing Intriguing Neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen). At first, the playfulness is over-exaggerated, erroneously hoping its poorly edited, over-stylized action will bolster a limited-dialogue first act. But once they let the skillfully playful cast (including a movie-anchoring Sigourney Weaver) verbally interact, the story finds a campy, macabre groove that delivers on a deliciously wicked time.
QUENTIN
Stylish as it may be, featuring a production design that blends the fantastical sensibilities of Tim Burton with Wes Anderson’s whimsy, director Bryan Fuller is seemingly confused about who Dust Bunny is for. Although R-rated, it’s as safe for pre-teens as the PG-rated Gremlins and Ghostbusters, which means those coming for the hardened scares and violence advertised will walk away disappointed given how tame and cutesy it all is. The slow, virtually dialogue-free first act and extremely shoddy special effects won’t help win those people over, either. That said, if allowed to see it, younger audiences and fans of Goosebumps will eat this thing up.
KATIE
Dust Bunny wasn't for me. I liked the child-friendly, dark fairytale, horror approach, and the young Sophie Sloan is fantastic as Aurora, especially considering she’s opposite Mads Mikkelsen. However, it doesn’t work, overall. The story has too many unnecessary elements, and I found it tonally confusing; it's too gruesome and violent for younger viewers, but it felt like a kids' film through the style and characters. The physical setting and costuming are vibrant and interesting, but the CGI-heavy visual effects make some scenes look murky, nullifying the effect of any potential scares.
BODE
Bryan Fuller has created some of my favourite shows, from the boldly re-inventive Hannibal to the one-season gem Wonderfalls, so I had fairly high expectations for his feature debut. I can’t quite say Dust Bunny met them, but there are things to appreciate about it – from its gorgeous production design (reminiscent of Jean-Pierre Jeunet) to the fact that it's practically tame enough to work as a gateway horror flick for kids. It’s just a bit too simplistic and shockingly sluggish at times to fully standout. Still, it’s weird and tender enough to be an overall interesting watch.
