Okay, I saw the Facebook ad for the Banana Splits movie, and I instantly set the DVR. I wasn’t sure I wanted to watch this, but I eventually braved it.
It was…better than I expected. Of course, my expectations were low, so that’s faint praise. The family’s story was actually pretty decent. Not overly deep but clearly some writers spent a bit of time crafting the tale. A few of the supporting characters devolved into caricatures. I will say that the two kids they cast in the lead roles did a really good job considering their ages. The casting was a good call.
Honestly, when the horror started, I found it a bit pedestrian. It was a step up from a Troma film. There’s the trope of the person running away from danger in a straight line, which was, of course, completely avoidable.
Turning the Banana Splits into animatronic robots was amusing. I’ve seen accusations that they couldn’t get the rights to Five Nights at Freddy’s, and I could certainly see it. Honestly, does it matter which intellectual property they use? Freddy’s, Showbiz, Disney’s Hall of Presidents? The movie probably would’ve stayed the same. The big difference is attracting the audience. Having Freddy’s name would’ve brought in some audience members, but so does having the Banana Splits’ name. At least it worked for me in that morbid curiosity sort of way.
The important thing here is: Simpsons did it.
The movie does allow for a sequel. I hope they don’t try it, but it’s not up to me.
In all, I enjoyed the movie. There was zero groundbreaking going on here. It was your typical slasher fare with the bonus of having a story that doesn’t suck. Was my enjoyment enhanced by the inclusion of the Hannah-Barbera content? Maybe. I would’ve certainly only had a passing interest in this movie if it was about some generic animatronic band. Attaching the Banana Splits caught my attention. While I liked Five Nights at Freddy’s, even if they did release a movie based on that, I’d probably shrug it off. This is likely a cash grab, and it worked on me (assuming I bought anything as a result of their commercials).