Audiences might already be sick to death of the “Disney but dark” trope, and we’ve only just seen the first entry. Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey has now seen its debut, and the reaction is split right down the middle.
Much like a child responding to Bob the Builder’s “can we fix it” with “no we can’t”, Blood and Honey is being described as edgy, but most definitely not particularly smart or original. The intensely violent Winnie the Pooh story is almost exactly what you’d think it would be, for better or worse.
Some thoroughly enjoyed the obvious B-movie value of it, but the overwhelming sense is it’s not great. ‘So bad it’s good’ as a line has been uttered across many reactions, but most troubling is comparisons to Tommy Wiseau’s The Room, as well as being about as competent as a high school student film. Fittingly, with one viewer believing it’ll be an absolute hit with college students.
There are still big fans of the film, with almost every positive review using the words fun or entertaining. Often also in conjunction with “bad”. Blood and Honey really doesn’t need to be much more than fun with such a ridiculous premise and low budget, but even B-movies should aspire to be more than just dumb fun.
Should the punter reviews not do anything to sway you to one way, the Rotten Tomatoes critics score is a fairly depressing 20 percent approval. Good news Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: you’re not the worst movie releasing this weekend in February.
There’s already plans afoot for far more dark Disney movies from Rhys Frake-Waterfield, although given the negative reception the trope might have already run its course. Blood and Honey is already greenlit for a sequel, but a lot can change after a poor reception.
