Based on his reputation as the undisputed king of the cinematic freakout, audiences are always expecting a certain level of mania from every Nicolas Cage performance. While he initially rose to the top of the A-list as an acclaimed dramatic actor willing to go the extra mile when it came to every role, before reinventing himself as one of the industry’s premiere action stars, fans now just want to see some classic Cage Rage.
The Academy Award winner’s latest effort, Willy’s Wonderland, definitely delivers on that front, even if Cage doesn’t utter a single word throughout the brief but hugely enjoyable 88 minutes. Only an actor with such effortless magnetism could make the concept work without a shred of dialogue, as a silent janitor spends the night in a haunted amusement park where the animatronic residents are out for blood.
The critical reception has been warm, with Willy’s Wonderland holding a 64% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and the general consensus is that if you want to see a demented Nicolas Cage in a gonzo B-level horror comedy, then it’s definitely worth checking out. The movie opened in thirteenth place at the domestic box office last weekend with a haul of just over $97,000, but that’s not too bad all things considered when it only played on 123 screens nationwide and the theatrical industry is still on its knees.
Willy’s Wonderland is available to rent at every major VOD retailer (including Apple, Amazon, Fandango, Vudu, Microsoft, Redbox and DirecTV) for $19.99 as well, but viewers in the United Kingdom can get it for anywhere up to a quarter of that price and it’s available on Amazon UK for as little as £5.99, which is the equivalent of just over $8. A must-see for diehard Nicolas Cage fans, it’s got instant cult classic written all over it, and to learn more about the movie, make sure to read our exclusive interview with director Kevin Lewis.