Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey II Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 27, 2024

2023’s “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey” was a micro-budgeted production that managed to capture headlines due to its use of author A.A. Milne’s beloved characters, transferring gentle personalities into the realm of slasher cinema. The idea of the feature went viral, inspiring ticket-buyers to see what writer/director Rhys Frake-Waterfield was going to do with his button-pushing concept. And then viewers were confronted with the punishing reality of Frake-Waterfield’s amateur filmmaking skills and lack of imagination, turning “Blood and Honey” into one of the worst movies of the year. Alas, money was made, and Frake-Waterfield is right back with “Blood and Honey 2,” which does next to nothing to improve on the viewing experience. In reality, things are just as awful in the sequel, which should be boosted by the power of hindsight and newfound budgetary might, but it mostly remains an excruciatingly dull, dreadfully acted, and poorly written follow-up that’s really no different than what came before.

The town of Ashdown is trying to move past the events of the “Hundred Acre Massacre,” with Christopher Robin (Scott Chambers, who co-produces the film under the name Scott Jeffrey) taking the blame for the murders while avoiding legal punishment. He’s tried to rebuild his life, becoming a medical professional, but his reputation is toxic, and his therapeutic hypnosis visions are filled with memories of Winnie-the-Pooh’s (Ryan Oliva) rampage. While protective of his family, including little sister Bunny (Thea Evans), and supported by pal Lexy (Tallulah Evans), Christopher’s worst nightmare has returned to life, with Pooh and Owl (Marcus Massey) destroying anyone who enters their domain, soon making moves to go after Christopher. The Ashdown resident is terrified of additional violence, learning more about past trauma, including the day his brother was kidnapped at a birthday party.

The screenplay by Frake-Waterfield and Matt Leslie doesn’t make much sense from the very start, as Ashdown largely believes Christopher is the man responsible for the murders occurring in the Hundred Acre Wood. However, Pooh is a behemoth capable of tearing bodies apart with his bare hands, and Christopher has the physique of a high school freshmen, making it difficult to understand how anyone would actually believe he committed the crimes. Of course, logic isn’t the goal of “Blood and Honey 2,” with the sequel going right to bloodshed in the opening minutes, finding Pooh in a killing mood when strangers seek to invade his part of the world, joined by Owl, who’s capable of flight, offers quips, and vomits acid. “Blood and Honey 2” adds additional Milne characters, and there’s a new Pooh design, which is more monster-y and yet still looks like a bulky actor in a cheap Halloween mask, only with slightly wetter eyes.

Frake-Waterfield has some cash to spend on “Blood and Honey 2,” and he’s more interested in a dramatic arc for Christopher, who’s battling town suspicion, trying to explore his pain in therapy. Chambers (or is it Jeffrey?) isn’t the person to bring such trauma to life, keeping Christopher weepy and one-dimensional, unable to establish an interesting emotional arc for the movie. “Blood and Honey 2” has a larger plot than its predecessor, but it mostly erases events from “Blood and Honey,” generating a different type of connection between Christopher and Pooh. The sequel tries to go cheeky as well, establishing “Blood and Honey” as the film soulless industry producers made from Christopher’s real-life pain. There’s a little detective work in “Blood and Honey 2” as well, following Christopher as he tries to understand what happened to his brother, which leads to a subplot about surgical experimentation on innocent children. Once again, Frake-Waterfield is looking to mess with taboo topics for attention, but the idea doesn’t connect in the grand scheme of things, especially when subpar makeup work largely eliminates intended horror.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.40:1 aspect ratio) presentation finds the world of "Blood and Honey 2" much more attentive to lighting, offering a more defined attempt at style. Warmer domestic views are intact, and vivid holiday lights and rave experiences are sharper, delivering brighter primaries. Skin tones are natural, and costuming is varied. Blood red remains defined. Greenery is appreciable. Detail is strong, with a rougher sense of monster makeup and outfits. Interiors are dimensional, and interiors preserve decorative additions. Delineation is acceptable, but cinematography favors flatter blacks, which obscure some visual effects. This is likely intentional.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA secures crisp dialogue exchanges, managing heavier accents and balancing heightened states of panic. Scoring supports with a defined synth sound, and musical moods work the surrounds for a more immersive understanding of suspense. Electropop moments and soundtrack selections are equally sharp. The track plays with movement at times, finding attack sequences employing panning and separation effects. Atmospherics are appreciable, along with squishy sound effects. Low-end is acceptable with moments of violence and heavier rave beats.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Image Gallery (6:16) collects film stills.

• And Theatrical Trailer #1 (2:01, HD) and Theatrical Trailer #2 (1:57, HD) are included.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Blood and Honey 2" doesn't take Manhattan or include dream warriors. It remains in the same Hundred Acre Wood as before, supplying similar bodily damage as the first film. Gratuitous violence is periodic, but cinematographer Vince Knight creates murky imagery, possibly to hide production limitations. And Frake-Waterfield is addicted to CGI gore, which never looks convincing, reaching cartoonishness at times. There's a big finale set at a rave to bring mayhem to the sequel, with a very un-bouncy Tigger (Lewis Santer) using slashing claws and Freddy Krueger-style lines to add some humor to a one-note, grim feature. More Milne-branded creations are the way forward for the series, with Frake-Waterfield planning to keep this profitable venture going for the next two years (Pinocchio, Peter Pan, and Bambi are eventually joining the "Poohniverse"). However, even with more money and a bigger cast of crazies, he still can't master something as simple as suspense or a clearly defined moment of aggression. Instead of "oh, bother," it's really a "why bother?" at this point.