Willy's Wonderland (2021) - Review

Theatrical Poster

The premise for Willy's Wonderland is apparent less than 10 minutes from the start and is about as much as you are going to get out of the movie. Nicolas Cage plays a Drifter character, a "Man with no Name", and indeed no dialogue. His task is to clean an abandoned arcade/party center in order to pay for the repairs of his otherwise well maintained sports car. The Janitor, as he is referred to in the credits, does not know what awaits him lurking in the shadows of the decrepit building but is prepared nonetheless. Nothing will stand in his way to put his elbow grease into the task at hand, not even a handful of malevolent animatronics will deter him to again feel the joy of being out on the open road. The B plot, which eventually catches up with The Janitor, focuses on a group of teenagers, some of whom are more determined to burn Willy's Wonderland to the ground than others. This group of characters drives the narrative portion of the movie, and serves as the only source of exposition in stark contrast to The Janitor's simple expression of either stoicism or annoyance.

As of 2021, Cage has been a professional actor for almost 40 years - and those 40 years were chock full of the full range of his acting. But there is something in the portrayal of The Janitor that brings fresh air with the familiarity of Cage's acting - his motivation is clear without him having to remove his sunglass. The setting of Willy's Wonderland brings a tinge of nostalgia for those who were blessed with the wonderment of wandering a fully packed arcade with the occasional performance by a menagerie of musically talented animals, but also hopes to bring the dread of other experiences in media and art into one night instead of five. 

Willy's Wonderland is an example of the ethos "Less is More". Despite having a paper thin story and being filled with clichés attempting to parody traditional horror stories, nothing in this movie hits harder than The Janitor move with calculated precision to dispatch the antagonists, especially while acting out his indifference to all other elements of the movie. The moments where characters were filling their world with a rich tapestry of context seemed the least interesting and did little to motivate me to press on.

The movie is a fun romp into camp, and is all that should be expected. Following Nicolas Cage and his acting endeavors for almost 15 years, I am glad that he is able to still choose smaller projects, embrace his zaniness, and have fun in the midst.