A decade later, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Gremlins pushed the boundaries of a PG-rating so far that we now have the PG-13 rating.
Decades later, meaning now, Hannibal showrunner Bryan Fuller makes his feature debut with Dust Bunny, a "family horror film" that happens to be rated R. I'm not making any of this up. Let me tell you about it.
Fuller brings along his Hannibal, Mads Mikkelsen, as protagonist Aurora's (Sophie Sloan) "Intriguing Neighbor." Mostly referred to by his apartment number, 5B, he's an assassin employed by the shady Laverne (Sigourney Weaver). Aurora, meanwhile, is his intrigued neighbor in 5A, who catches him slaying a dragon (gangsters disguised as dragon dancers). Back home, Aurora thinks that there's a monster under her bed that eats anyone who walks around at night. Her parents don't believe her up until it eats them offscreen.
It turns out this was Aurora's third set of parents; all of them became monster food. So, she hires 5B to kill the monster. He thinks that her parents were killed by his enemies, so he accepts the gig. He realizes the monstrous truth just as several hired guns - the most significant being Laverne and a guy played by David Dastmalchian - come after Aurora. These hired guns are in for a giant, fluffy, and dusty surprise.
So, why is this family film rated R? If I had to guess, having 5B dispatch a goon with an electric toothbrush to the eye sealed the deal. Or maybe 5B preparing to cut up a bad guy's body (but not the actual act). We do see him shoot a few goons. It also has the Dust Bunny gobble its victims whole and bloodless, sometimes offscreen. We still hear the brutal details. Yeah, Gremlins tested its rating, but its most brutal violence was done to the little monsters. That's how Predator: Badlands got its PG-13 rating. I just want to let you know what to expect.
Everyone lives in what is evidently New York. I say evidently, because not only was it filmed in Budapest, but it's aesthetically unreal. You would think it's all on soundstages, but there was actual location filming there! As visualized by Jeremy Reed, this city is illuminated and decorated in only the brightest pastels, much like in Dick Tracy. The city glows orange at night, particularly when the "Conspicuously Inconspicuous Man" and his gang approach Aurora's apartment. The dragon fight is illuminated on a nearby building as a gigantic shadow play. One of the assassins blends into the wallpaper with his suit. And finally, Laverne is armed with high-heel shoes that double as pistols! All of this makes for a wonderfully surreal destination.
It stumbles a bit on the writing side. I could've done with one less round of Aurora and 5B arguing on his mispronouncing her name. It got a bit old really fast, much like that similar running gag on Family Guy. More annoying, however, is Aurora repeatedly warning 5B, whom she hired to kill her monster, to get off the floor or else he'll attract the monster. How's he supposed to kill it if he can't see it?! What eventually passes for the monster's origin, as well as its thematic implications, is quite confounding. Still, 5B and Aurora have pretty decent chemistry, so there's that.
Who else do we have? As Laverne, Weaver revels in her wickedness, even when she's supposed to be dead-serious. A good example is when she finally meets the Dust Bunny. Mr. Inconspicuous and his gang try to be threatening, until they meet the same monster bunny; after that, they're pretty funny. As Brenda, an FBI agent investigating Aurora's backstory, Sheila Atim is having a blast. It's quite funny when she and 5B see through each other's fake identities simultaneously. That's pretty much it for the cast.
What else do we have? Its opening oner, in which the dust bunny forms, fits right in with a Tim Burton film. It's a great appetizer for not only its wonderful surreality, but Lisa Summer's perfectly moody score. It's quite impressive to watch the Dust Bunny break through the floorboards, then reset the floor as it retreats. The impressive sound work sells us on its threat before we see it in full. It's surprisingly cuddly, like the world's biggest bunny puppy. You'll just have to see it for yourself.
If you've got no problems with your kids seeing R-Rated movies, then check out Dust Bunny. It's got a few writing issues, but they're compensated by its visual design. I can't fault it for its visual imperfections due to its deliberate unreality. I can just sit back and watch the craziness unfold. I think I said enough.
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