Dust Bunny Disappointingly Fumbles Its Horror Potential (Review)

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Bryan Fuller is a highly acclaimed television creator known for his distinctive style in shows like Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me, and especially Hannibal. He’s skilled at blending magic with everyday life, often using imaginative sets and bright colors to create modern fairy tales. That’s what made his feature film directorial debut, the dark fantasy Dust Bunny, so promising. However, some strange visual decisions and a weak script ultimately hold the film back from fully realizing its potential.

Dust Bunny centers around Aurora (Sophie Sloan), a very imaginative young girl who thinks a monster under her floorboards caused her parents’ deaths. Fortunately, her enigmatic neighbor, Resident 5B (Mads Mikkelsen), is a skilled assassin—similar to the character in John Wick—whom she once witnessed killing what she believed were monsters, but were actually other people. Aurora, being practical, saves up money and attempts to hire Resident 5B to eliminate the creature. He accepts the job, suspecting that Aurora’s parents may have been unintended victims in a failed attempt on his own life.

Rating: 2.5/5

PROS CONS
Strong core concept Scattered and disjointed script
Stellar chemistry between Sophie Sloan and Mads Mikkelsen Over-reliance on digital special effects and CGI backgrounds
Effective practical sets Lacks proper direction for action choreography

Despite a promising summary and a talented cast including Sigourney Weaver and David Dastmalchian, the movie Dust Bunny doesn’t quite live up to expectations. While director Fuller is known for his strong visual style, this film suffers from awkward computer-generated imagery and feels rushed, as if it couldn’t find the right rhythm for a full-length movie.

Dust Bunny‘s Script Needed Another Pass

It’s a familiar idea – children using their imaginations to cope with difficult realities, as we’ve seen in films like Pan’s Labyrinth and Tigers Are Not Afraid. These stories are compelling because they offer a fresh viewpoint, where imagination blurs the line between what’s real and scary, highlighting how fantasy helps us deal with life’s hardships. The uncertainty of whether the fantastical dangers are genuine is often what makes the story so engaging.

Unlike many similar films, Dust Bunny quickly reveals whether Aurora’s monster is real or a product of her imagination. However, instead of exploring other story elements, the script repeatedly has characters question what Aurora actually saw. While some of these conversations are meant to be funny, they happen so often that they disrupt the flow of the movie. This insistence on revisiting the central idea is a key problem with the plot.

The movie has some interesting ideas, but they don’t come together to form a strong story. It jumps between scenes as it attempts to expand on the assassins’ world and the creature’s background, and often doesn’t quite succeed. The film doesn’t spend enough time developing its core concept, leaving it feeling disjointed and unfocused.

It’s fun to watch Weaver use inventive weapons against her opponents, and Dastmalchian is captivating even with limited screen time. Mikkelsen continues to prove he’s a phenomenal actor, and this role – a character similar to the one he played in Léon: The Professional – is a new direction for him. His connection with young Sloan is fantastic, and the film largely succeeds thanks to their performances. However, while certain scenes are enjoyable, particularly for fans of the series, the movie as a whole feels fragmented and doesn’t quite come together.

Dust Bunny Is Plagued By Bad CGI

Jeff Fuller is known for visually stunning television, with carefully crafted sets and rich details. However, his new film, Dust Bunny, feels different. While it has a creative story, budget limitations seem to have led to a mix of practical sets and computer-generated backgrounds that don’t quite blend well. There are still moments where Fuller’s signature style shines – like in the detailed rooms of certain characters or the upscale restaurants they visit. But too often, the film relies on digital effects for entire scenes and transitions, losing the warm, handmade quality that usually defines his work and making it feel somewhat artificial.

The movie Dust Bunny struggles with its action sequences, making the fight scenes feel unrealistic. It tries to deliver the exciting, large-scale action audiences now expect from assassin films like John Wick, but the stunts aren’t polished enough. The editing feels clumsy, and obvious use of digital doubles—including a strangely artificial shot of Mikkelsen jumping—pulls viewers out of the moment. Dust Bunny aims for the same thrilling experience as other modern action movies, but it lacks the skill and practical effects needed to create a truly convincing spectacle.

Despite some truly brilliant moments thanks to a dedicated cast and the director’s distinctive style, Dust Bunny doesn’t quite live up to its potential. A complicated story and some technical issues hold it back, leaving viewers with a sense of what could have been a truly great film.

Dust Bunny comes to theaters on December 12th.

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2025-12-09 17:16