Reviewed by Marcey Papandrea, MoreHorror.com
Going into a film called Axe Giant: The Wrath Of Paul Bunyan it really is hard to know what to expect or what sort of film it is. As I went in without knowing anything, I was surprised to find a fun and watchable film. I kind of know a little about Paul Bunyan, a lumberjack legend and I’ve seen pictures so I had that kind of image in mind. This film however takes that legend and adds a spin to it, a pretty good idea to make this its own thing.
Storywise, sure this isn’t wholly original; a group of young adults (first time offenders in boot camp) go off camping as part of a program. Things aren’t what they expected as something is lurking in the woods … I think you know the rest.
What makes this work is the legend itself, it’s not something we’ve seen, it’s not a killer with a knife in the woods, it’s not Jason, it’s not an evil entity, it’s something based on Paul Bunyan. It’s a lot of fun having that at play, it sort of gets the excitement up, especially when you get to see what it is exactly.
The characters are nothing new; we know them well in horror. The actors here aimed to provide something a bit different and they come off decent enough. It is 50/50 with you wanting them to get away or fall victim to what’s out there. I sort of had this weird grin on my face through the film; it’s fun and silly on a no budget.
I think the lack of budget actually plays in the films favour, the CG effects look less than convincing but it adds such an entertaining factor. The practical effects are really decent, so it is this odd blend them manages to work in some very strange way. The ‘thing’ itself (I am being vague as to not spoil what it is) looks pretty neat, I really liked the design and I think they did a good job there.
Director and co-writer Gary Jones really knew what he wanted from this film, and I think he had a lot of fun delivering it. For a film that has been on the SyFy channel it really stands out a lot, it’s nicely set out and the pacing actually really works. It is a stronger film when comparing it to SyFy Originals, and I’d easily be able to sit through and enjoy this again.
If you are a fan of schlock creature features, this is a really good modern addition and it should do the trick. Enjoy the film for what it is, don’t take it seriously and just have fun, sometimes that’s what a person needs.
3 out of 5 Bloody Hatchets