As other “Twisted Childhood Universe” (TCU) a.k.a. “Poohniverse” movies sit in the shadows, eagerly awaiting their turn to come forth and ruin your precious childhood, Dan Allen unleashes the first bona fide creature feature in the series. Don’t expect a bipedal, humanoid and verbal take on the beloved Bambi here. Quite the opposite, the star of Bambi: The Reckoning stays on all fours, doesn’t speak, and maintains some semblance of a real buck as he tears through the English countryside and builds up an impressive body count.
Before its namesake can go wild on anyone who crosses his path, Bambi: The Reckoning gets a few preliminaries out of the way. First off, a crude yet succinct animated prologue lays out the reimagined origins of the titular character, leaving the remainder of the movie to focus on the monster mayhem rather than dwell on any element of inquiry. Then, and a bit more extensively, Bambi’s prospective victims are introduced. In true storybook fashion, a mother (Roxanne McKee) and her precocious young son (Tom Mulheron) are off to see grandmother (Nicola Wright) when they’re attacked by the brutal buck. They barely live to tell the tale to their relatives, who have conveniently gathered in one place.
The story’s human fodder ranges from a family matriarch whose elderliness comes with some mild foreknowledge about the looming threat, to the team of hunters tracking the savage stag. There’s hardly a moment where Bambi has no one to trample, gore, or even chew up. And it’s not only Bambi who poses a threat to human life in these woods; director Allen and screenwriter Rhys Warrington “honor” the Disney adaptation of Bambi, a Life in the Woods by having a certain thumping sidekick join in on the slaughter.
Simplicity helps set Bambi: The Reckoning apart from past TCU offerings. It’s silly yet serious. There’s obvious intention behind the nominal lead’s rebirth, but looking past both the opportunism and the connection to a cinematic universe, this movie offers an entertaining dose of ecological horror. Thematic commentary not directly related to Bambi’s rampage, and there is some, is eclipsed by the sheer carnage. Even so, the metaphorical relationship between the two-legged parents, namely a boy’s neglectful father, and that famously orphaned fawn and his troubled upbringing is deliberate. The story, however, doesn’t fixate on that contrast.
It’s safe to assume the movie’s biggest draw is the potential bloodbath carried out by one very displeased, hellish-looking hart. On that front, Bambi: The Reckoning should succeed and satisfy. The slaying begins shortly and, barring brief cool-down periods, lasts for almost the entirety of the movie. There’s also thought in how Bambi kills, despite his undiscriminating targeting. And as opposed to all the characters dying off screen, in a flash, or just too plainly, some perish in these more calculated scenes. One particular sequence looks to be referencing Scream (1996), of all movies; in the vein of Ghostface hot on Drew Barrymore’s tail, Bambi gains on his own prey as she runs in vain across a lawn.
Given the extent of Bambi’s appearances and activity, this movie is reliant on CGI. The shroud of darkness outdoors is beneficial in hiding defects in that artifice, yet as a whole, the visual effects exceed expectations. Especially if those expectations are determined by SYFY flicks and other similar schlock. The demonic deer here is not your average specimen from previous low-budget animal horror, and he’s an astonishing sight, flaws and all. Bambi’s nightmarish redesign is a highlight here.
The fourth-released TCU entry yields no huge narrative surprises, seeing as it follows through on that simple elevator pitch of “a vicious killing machine that lurks in the wilderness.” That said, Bambi: The Reckoning delivers other surprises that make it the best movie, at least so far, in the Twisted Childhood Universe. Maybe even the whole genre of public domain horror.
From Seismic Releasing and ITN Distribution, Bambi: The Reckoning plays in theaters starting on July 25.
Image: Poster courtesy of Seismic Releasing and ITN Distribution.