After years in the world of TV, Bryan Fuller has decided to make a feature film called Dust Bunny. Over his career, fans have loved Fuller’s creative visual instincts and storytelling.
However, in the world of TV, you have a lot of time to develop a story, so it’s a big transition. Dust Bunny is about a hitman played by Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen, who is tasked by a little girl named Aurora (Sophie Sloan) to kill the monster under her bed.
Mikkelsen quickly finds out that there is more to this girl than meets the eye, and gets wrapped up in her life. The cast also includes legendary actress Sigourney Weaver and genre darling David Dastmalchian.
As a massive fan of Hannibal, Dust Bunny quickly became one of my most anticipated films of the year, but was it able to live up to the hype?
Dust Bunny Is Wildly Creative, but Feels a Bit Hollow
Dust Bunny starts off really fun. There’s a mystery regarding the Aurora’s monster and some really good tension. The sets and costumes in the film are fantastic.
It’s very colorful, which is what you’d expect from Fuller. That’s where my first issue comes into play. There are so many great sets, but there are also a lot of scenes that were clearly done in front of green screens that just don’t look good.
There’s an early action sequence with Mikkelsen that looks like a video game cut scene. I think Fuller is going for a more cartoony aesthetic because Dust Bunny is kind of a movie for younger people, but that doesn’t work for me, especially when there are so many other great visuals in the film.
Luckily, the heart of the story is really sweet, and it’s almost like a fairy tale version of Léon: The Professional. Mikkelsen and Sloan have great chemistry, and it’s easy to root for them. Weaver is hamming it up, which is always fun to see.
What disappointed me most is that it first feels like you’re getting a Guillermo del Toro-type movie, but then it turns into an Edgar Wright movie. If Fuller had leaned more into the former’s style, Dust Bunny would’ve worked better.
That said, it’s a really creative and fun story. The performances are all great, and I love all the sets and costumes. Fuller is such an amazing creative mind, so here’s hoping he’ll be making a lot more movies going forward.
Dust Bunny is in theaters on December 12.
Rating: 7/10
Related: Hannibal Creator Reveals Ideas for Silence of the Lambs Adaptation