‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2’ Review
Stars: Marcus Massey, Ryan Oliva, Eddy MacKenzie, Scott Chambers, Tallulah Evans, Lewis Santer, Simon Callow | Written by Rhys Frake-Waterfield, Matt Leslie | Directed by Rhys Frake-Waterfield
The original Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was easily one of the worst films of last year, but based on its outrageous premise and low budget, it managed to turn a profit. That of course means a sequel, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, with all the usual claims of a bigger budget, more kills and better effects. Conspicuously absent were promises of a decent script or acting, however.
Taking place a year after the original, Blood and Honey 2 opens with the introduction of Owl (Marcus Massey; Fried, Shockwaves 2), who looks more like a vulture than anything. He joins Pooh (Ryan Oliva; Ghost Stories, Rise of the Footsoldier: Part II) and Piglet (Eddy MacKenzie; The Ballad of Dusty Beaumont, Reflections of a Private Eye) in their fun and games, starting with the torture and killing of three scantily clad campers.
Elsewhere, Christopher Robin, now played by Scott Chambers, aka producer Scott Jeffrey, is undergoing therapy after the events of the first film. Everyone except for Lexy (Tallulah Evans; Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism, Son of Rambow) and his parents blame him for the massacre, but rather than do the smart thing and leave, he works as a nurse in the local hospital and endures the abuse.
That, however, is one of the story’s less problematic plot points. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 manages to contradict one of the original’s foundations, that the animals of the 100 Acre Wood only became evil after they were left to starve. Christopher’s therapy induces flashbacks showing Pooh was always evil, and may be responsible for the disappearance of his younger brother.
Also, this time out the creatures can talk, not that they have much to say. Apparently, director Rhys Frake-Waterfield (Sky Monster, The Killing Tree) and co-writer Matt Leslie (IF, Summer of 84) found the idea of Tigger (Lewis Santer; The South Jersey Horror Podcast) screaming “BITCH!” at women after slicing them up with his claws hysterical considering how often he does it once he finally shows up.
There’s also an explanation for the creature’s origin this time, delivered in a long-winded information dump by Simon Callow (Shakespeare in Love, A Room With a View) who must have had a couple of unexpected bills he needed to pay off. It all has to do with a mad doctor and experiments on children. It’s part of the set-up for the filmmaker’s planned Poohniverse, featuring films about Bambi, Pinocchio, etc. A universe of poo indeed.
Much was made of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2’s bigger budget, and it does look like they had more to work with here. The masks look better than the dollar store leftovers of the first film, but they still can’t make Pooh and company look like anything but men in masks. There are indeed more kills and more gore on display, some of it fairly convincing. Unfortunately, much of it still involves poor CGI, something that also applies to the shots of Owl in flight. Other kills are filmed in such low light you can barely make them out, most likely to hide their poor quality.
By the time the film stages a mass slaughter at a rave and a ludicrous confrontation between Christopher and Pooh, most of the audience won’t care. And even if they did, the film’s epilogue drains it of any impact, sacrificing it to set up the inevitable Blood and Honey 3.
If you liked the first movie then you’ll probably like this one as well, but if you were hoping for any kind of improvement you’re going to be disappointed. And the fact it runs twenty minutes longer than the original is a good argument for saying it’s actually worse.
* 1/5
ITN and Fathom Events have given Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 a limited theatrical release, if you missed it consider yourself lucky. For those who don’t believe me, it will be available on Digital sometime this summer.
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