Nicolas Cage has grown to be a wild entertainer taking on various and zany roles that bring in audiences given how likeable he is as a star. In Kevin Lewis’ film Cage stars as a silent drifter named “The Janitor” who is a nameless character stuck in the middle of nowhere and is tricked into a janitorial job at an abandoned Chuck E-Cheese like family restaurant named Willy’s Wonderland. Cage’s janitorial job turns into a fight for survival as Liv, Emily Tosta and her friends try to burn down Willy’s Wonderland as the night is full of demonic and killer animatronics.
Screen Media Films
It’s midnight madness as Willy the Weasel and his animatronic pals come to life and are out for a thirst of blood! To watch these terrifying killer puppets is the best quality of the film which was meant to scare audiences; it feels silly and absurd. The film tries to be a comedy, but many of the comedic moments and elements do not work at all. The horror elements that are meant to be twisted and shocking aren’t at all and are flat. The film feels similar to the wildly popular horror video game series Five Nights at Freddy’s or a throwback B-horror film.
Cage doesn’t say a single word of dialogue as the quiet hero has a mysterious element. He shows no reaction and does not seem to put much effort into his performance or seem to care what’s going on as he is unfazed with these evil monsters. If Cage doesn’t care, then why should the audience? His character doesn’t have much depth, but the other characters feel one dimensional as Tosta and the young teens have no purpose to the story. The teens were there to add more killings and gore to keep the audience surprised and full of suspense.
It is similar to what audiences have seen already and is predictable in every aspect as the film which had a fun and imaginative concept. There is for sure an audience who is going to love this including many Cage fans. To add this film to a growing collection of weird and ambitious Cage films is a stretch. Not Recommended.