Bambi: The Reckoning review
The fourth installment of The Twisted Childhood Universe continues to raise the bar for no one but itself.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Bambi: The Reckoning
Directed by Dan Allen
Screenplay by Rhys Warrington
Starring Roxanne McKee, Samira Mighty, Nicola Wright, Tom Mulheron, Russell Geoffrey Banks, Alex Cooke and Catherine Adams
Bambi: The Reckoning Review
It’s possible that the low expectations that Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey placed upon every movie that followed from this franchise are propping them up. That’s the first thought I had while leaving the theater for its direct sequel Blood and Honey 2. I know it wasn’t a good movie. But, compared to the original, it may as well be Citizen Kane (or whatever reference makes more sense in 2025). The so-called Twisted Childhood Universe (that we’re all going to call the Poohniverse) took a legitimate step forward from the first film to the second. It took another one with the release of Peter Pan: Neverland Nightmare. It used the characters in a far more interesting way than the Pooh movies have figured out. But it still didn’t quite belong in the “good” category.
A few lower-tier, unconnected films from the same studio have helped keep expectations low for these public domain horror movies. There’s no use discussing those any further than we already have in their respective reviews…even though it’s wild that ITN Studios has its own B-grade versions of their already B-grade mainline series. Hey…you already own the costumes, right? Bambi: The Reckoning is one of the mainline films. Which means that characters who survive this installment might pop up in the very real, not at all made up, Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble crossover movie. Consider it the Thor or Captain America: The First Avenger to the upcoming Marvel’s Avengers of public domain characters.
As far as I’m concerned, you can also consider it an unofficial sequel to Train to Busan. That sounds ridiculous, I’m sure…but think back to the opening scene of that 2016 masterpiece. That story begins with a deer who has gotten into the contaminated material resurrecting after being hit by a car. Its dead eyes blink at the camera…and we never follow up on its journey. As great as Train to Busan is it has always bothered me that there is a ZOMBIE DEER running around and we never heard about it again. Well…Bambi: The Reckoning isn’t technically about a zombie deer…but it may as well be. Its origin is rooted in the same toxic chemical background. It’s a seemingly unkillable animal rampaging around. In some ways…it’s the Train to Busan deer follow up I’ve been waiting nearly a decade for.
And that’s, essentially, the only aspect of Bambi: The Reckoning that really matters. It’s a giant mutated deer wreaking havoc and tearing people apart. Sometimes…you don’t need a deeper meaning. In fact, attempting to build a story around it ends up hampering Bambi: The Reckoning more than helping it. It’s not as rough as Blood and Honey…not much is…but the characters and stories in the Poohniverse fail to rise above “forgettable” more often than not.
Bambi: The Reckoning gives us a slew of characters to watch as they get mauled by the giant deer. There’s a group of hunters and a family going through a lot of drama that end up in the deer’s path. They’re connected in the story in a way that is strangely satisfying. Simon (Alex Cooke) is the cause of some of that family drama…and connected to the hunters attempting to clean up the damage toxic waste has done to the forest creatures. Consider him the father from Train to Busan without the genuine care for his child and even more complicit in the outbreak happening around him.
You may have noticed I mentioned creatures…plural. Yes, there are other mutated animals in Bambi: The Reckoning. A computer screen hints at versions of other Bambi characters like Flower existing in the universe…but they’ve already been handled by the hunters. What we do see is a bunch of bunny rabbits. Carnivorous, murdering bunny rabbits. Two of the best scenes in Bambi: The Reckoning involve its most hateable characters meeting their demise at the hands of an adorable fluffy bunny…or a dozen.
The story begins with the giant deer destroying the taxi carrying Xana (Roxanne McKee) and her son Benji (Tom Mulheron) to a family gathering. Benji’s grandmother Mary (Nicola Wright) has a weird connection to the deer…and spends most of the movie being both crazy and difficult to keep an eye on. There are a few other members of the family that simply exist to be killed. The hunters are largely the same. The leader is an easily hated bad guy. Other than that, they’re cannon fodder.
Plots…characters…whatever. The deer in Bambi: The Reckoning looks way better than you’re expecting it too. It’s a shockingly good antagonist whose CGI doesn’t pull you out of the action. This was, easily, the most important thing that the movie had to do and it’s the best aspect of the movie. The deer gores people in half…tears through walls like paper…runs down cars and slams them off the road. When Bambi: The Reckoning gives us some animal action…it delivers what you want better than you probably hoped.
If there is one thing I would like to see from these movies…it’s some comedy. Look, they’re going for a vibe with these movies and they’re getting it…the last three feel like they come from the same universe. That’s the point. But…come on. A giant mutated deer is killing people, and no one has a quip? Aside from one shot of the deer attempting to open a door by turning the knob with his hoof…there’s a lack of ridiculous humor that would fit in here. When the deer destroys that door and sticks his head into the hole like Jack Nicholson in The Shining…I was begging for someone to yell “Deer’s Johnny!”. I don’t know who would have said that…the deer doesn’t talk. But someone should. If you go see this in theaters…give it a shot.
Bambi: The Reckoning doesn’t take the big step forward Blood and Honey 2 did from Blood and Honey. It doesn’t take the step that Peter Pan: Neverland Nightmare took from Blood and Honey 2 either. It’s not a step backwards though. If anything, this is the most entertaining Poohniverse movie thus far. It’s still not something I’d call “good” but it’s firmly in the “not bad” category. Which is a giant leap from where we started.
Scare Value
After a rough start to the unlikely franchise…the Poohniverse has steadily improved with every subsequent release. I still wouldn’t go so far as to say that any of these movies are “good” in a traditional sense…but I won’t pretend that there isn’t enjoyment to be had here. There are still rough patches that need smoothing over in everything from characters to storytelling…but this one has a giant deer that mauls people to death. What more should a movie called Bambi: The Reckoning be expected to deliver?
2.5/5
Bambi: The Reckoning Link
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