The Banana Splits Movie (2019)

 

Harley Williams is a huge fan of "The Banana Splits", a successful children's television series featuring four animatronic characters —Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper, and Snorky— along with their human co-star Stevie. As a surprise birthday present, his mother Beth takes him, with his step-father Mitch, step-brother Austin and his classmate Zoe, to a live taping of the show.

Unknown to the family, or to any of the other fans queuing to get in, the studio's new vice president has decided that this will be the show's final ever episode: he considers the program an embarrassing throwback that's well past its use-by date.

However, when the animatronic denizens of the show get wind of this decision, they have different ideas, and are willing to go to any lengths to ensure the show does go on ...

This comedy horror film is ostensibly based on, and uses the characters from, the real life Banana Splits television series.  This show (which used people in costumes, of course, not implausibly sophisticated robots) ran for 2 seasons in the late 60s, but then enjoyed another 12 years of screening in syndication.  I watched them as a kid in the mid to late 70s.

I suspect the computer game Five Nights At Freddy's is probably the real inspiration, but the Banana Splits were existing designs that doubtless proved a lot cheaper to license.  Making a horror film based on the franchise did come with some other costs, though: the movie was the target of a review bombing campaign from fans of the real TV program, who were outraged at the 'desecration' of their childhood memories.  

I, on the other hand, am fully on board with the 'desecration', as long as then movie is any good.  And it is, in fact, a pretty good example of the kind of film it sets out to be.  It's not high art by any means, but overall it's an effective and entertaining little bit of gory horror-comedy.  Certainly a far more engaging watch than the similarly themed Willy's Wonderland.

Key to this film's entertainment value is Dani Kind's performance as Harley's mother Beth.  She channels great, manic "Mama Bear" energy as her character swings from appalled horror at the unfolding carnage to "nobody messes with my kids" avenging fury.

While Beth's arc is the most fun, and gives Kind plenty to do, I was happy with all the other performances as well.  All of the cast seem to be embracing the script's goofily macabre vibe and just going with it, which keeps things fun and rollicking even as the body count escalates

Speaking of escalation, I enjoyed the film's structuring of the Splits' rampage.  Their early murders are of pretty awful people, band you might even cheer the 'bad guys' on a bit for one or two of them, but once their homicidal impulses are unleashed, they rapidly become (almost) wholly indiscriminate.  The gore and the likeability of the victims pretty much rise in parallel.

Oh, and one other thing the film gets absolutely right, and which wins it huge points with my inner child: Snorky is BEST BANANA.

#TeamSnorkyForLife