Review by Jon Donnis
Bryan Fuller's Dust Bunny arrives as an oddity and a welcome one. This is a fantasy action film that looks like nothing else in the current studio landscape and feels deeply personal for a feature debut. Fuller leans into mood, fairytale logic and emotional instinct rather than tidy explanations, which gives the film a strange, haunting pull even when it stumbles.
The story centres on Resident 5B, a weary hit man played by Mads Mikkelsen, who is approached by eight-year-old Aurora (Sophie Sloan) after her family is brutally killed. She believes a monster under her bed ate them (A literal bunny made out of dust). He suspects something more human and far more dangerous. What follows is a collision between assassin thriller, childhood fantasy and horror, set largely inside a New York apartment building that feels both mundane and cursed.
Visually, the film is often striking. Fuller has a good eye for colour, shadow and offbeat imagery, and the early Chinatown sequence involving a dragon costume hiding armed gang members sets the tone beautifully. There is a confidence here in letting atmosphere do the heavy lifting. Scenes breathe. Silence is allowed. The film trusts the audience to keep up emotionally, even if the logic occasionally slips.
Mikkelsen is excellent. He brings his usual physical authority and sense of danger, but also a surprising gentleness. Watching him shift from bone crunching violence to quiet, protective warmth with Aurora is the film's emotional backbone. Sophie Sloan is equally impressive, carrying a role that asks her to balance vulnerability, conviction and something eerily knowing. Their relationship gives the film its heart. Sigourney Weaver's Laverne adds a sharper edge, and her presence lends weight to the film's darker turns.
Where Dust Bunny falters is in its pacing. Despite a runtime of around 100 minutes, the middle section drags as the narrative loops around similar beats. The escalation into larger action and mythic horror is effective in intent, but not always in execution. Some of the CGI, particularly involving the monster itself, is uneven and occasionally breaks the spell just when the film needs to hold it tight.
The horror elements are also more brutal than expected. There are moments that verge on savage, which firmly rule this out for younger viewers despite its child protagonist and fairytale framing. This tonal clash will work for some and alienate others, depending on tolerance for sudden violence.
Still, the ending lands with real power. Fuller closes on a note of hope rather than fear, suggesting that love and care are the only real defences against the monsters we create or inherit.
Dust Bunny is not a perfect film. It has a strong opening, a slower middle and a striking, confident finale. But originality counts for a great deal, and this is a wholly original piece of fantasy horror anchored by strong performances and a clear emotional core. For mid teens and adults willing to embrace its odd rhythms and rough edges, it is a memorable experience.
I enjoyed Dust Bunny and would give it a solid 8 out of 10. With tighter pacing and more polished effects, it could have been even better.
Out Now
