REVIEW: Dust Bunny (2025 Film) - Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan, Sheila Atim, David Dastmalchian, and Sigourney Weaver

 

Bryan Fuller’s Dust Bunny arrives as something of an oddity, though in a good way. It is a fantasy action film that feels unlike most current studio releases and carries a strong sense of personal vision for a debut feature. Fuller relies more on atmosphere, fairytale logic and emotional instinct than on neat explanations. That choice gives the film a strange, lingering quality that keeps it engaging even when parts of the story falter.

The film follows Resident 5B, a worn down hit man played by Mads Mikkelsen, who is approached by eight year old Aurora after her family is brutally murdered. Aurora, played by Sophie Sloan, believes a monster under her bed was responsible. In her mind it was a literal bunny made of dust. The assassin suspects a far more human and dangerous explanation. The story that unfolds blends elements of an assassin thriller with childhood fantasy and horror. Much of the action takes place inside a New York apartment building that somehow feels both ordinary and quietly cursed.

Visually the film is often impressive. Fuller shows a confident sense of style, making strong use of colour, shadow and unusual imagery. An early sequence in Chinatown, where armed gang members hide beneath a dragon costume, immediately sets the tone and hints at the film’s strange blend of the fantastical and the grounded. Fuller allows scenes to breathe and is comfortable letting silence carry emotional weight. The film often trusts viewers to follow the feeling of a moment, even if the narrative logic occasionally slips.

Mads Mikkelsen delivers a strong performance. He brings his familiar physical presence and quiet threat, yet also reveals an unexpected softness. The way he moves between sudden violence and a calm, protective bond with Aurora becomes the emotional centre of the film. Sophie Sloan holds her own remarkably well, balancing fear, determination and an unsettling sense of certainty. Their connection gives the story its warmth. Sigourney Weaver also makes an impression as Laverne, adding an edge that strengthens the film’s darker elements.

The film does run into problems with pacing. Despite a running time of roughly one hundred minutes, the middle section begins to feel stretched as the story circles similar ideas. The shift towards larger scale action and mythic horror works in concept, though not every moment lands as intended. Some of the computer generated effects, particularly those involving the creature itself, are uneven and occasionally pull the viewer out of the experience.

The horror side of the story is also more intense than the premise might suggest. A few scenes are unexpectedly brutal, which places the film firmly outside the range of younger viewers despite its child centred perspective and fairytale tone. For some audiences this clash of innocence and violence will be intriguing, while others may find it jarring.

Even so, the ending is where the film truly finds its strength. Fuller closes the story on a note of hope rather than dread, suggesting that compassion and care are the only real protection against the monsters people create or inherit.

Dust Bunny is not without flaws. It begins strongly, slows during the middle, and finishes with confidence. What it offers above all is originality. This is a distinctive piece of fantasy horror supported by strong performances and a clear emotional core. For older teenagers and adults willing to embrace its unusual rhythm and rough edges, it leaves a lasting impression.

I enjoyed Dust Bunny and would give it a solid 8 out of 10. With tighter pacing and more refined visual effects, it might have reached an even higher mark.

Out now.

https://apple.co/4t7TwAK

REVIEW: The Long Walk (2025 film) - Starring Cooper Hoffman

By Jon Donnis

Francis Lawrence’s 2025 take on Stephen King’s novel arrives with a premise as harsh as it is simple. Fifty boys are forced to walk until only one is left standing, watched by soldiers and a hungry crowd. That single idea drives the entire film, giving it a mood that is bleak and unrelenting.

The acting is where it shines. Cooper Hoffman carries the story as Ray Garraty, bringing a mix of grit, exhaustion and quiet decency that feels completely real. When the focus narrows to small exchanges between the walkers, those moments land because Hoffman gives them a weary sincerity. The rest of the cast are fine, and the rare flashes of camaraderie among the boys provide the only real warmth.

Beyond that the positives thin out quickly. Once you grasp the rules of the Walk there is little left to uncover. The film stretches the concept to nearly two hours, and the pattern becomes predictable. A death, a burst of grief, a bit of talk, then more marching. The cycle repeats until the sense of tension gives way to a dull rhythm.

The lack of surprise is another drag. Key events unfold exactly as expected, draining the big moments of impact. The bleak tone, effective at first, slides into monotony. Even strong performances cannot disguise how thin the material feels. Scenes often play like filler rather than character study, and the story cries out for a tighter format that could deliver the same punch in half the time.

There is a grim honesty to the film that may appeal to anyone who prefers their dystopia stripped of polish. But it misses chances to explore its own premise or build a deeper emotional arc. What might have worked as a sharp forty-minute piece feels stretched and weary as a feature.

The Long Walk boasts a superb lead turn and commits fully to its grim vision, but it drags far too long and offers little that surprises. I left impressed by Hoffman and frustrated by how little else it achieved. My score is 4 out of 10.

In cinemas now.

On Digital Soon

https://apple.co/4nLCOE2