Movie Review: DUST BUNNY

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: December 12th, 2025 / 09:43 PM

DUST BUNNY movie poster | ©2025 Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate

Rating: R
Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan, Sigourney Weaver, Sheila Atim, David Dastmalchian, Rebecca Henderson
Writer: Bryan Fuller
Director: Bryan Fuller
Distributor: Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate

Release Date: December 12, 2025

Written and directed by Bryan Fuller in his feature directorial debut, DUST BUNNY has the magical aesthetic of a Disney fantasy, or perhaps the Fuller-created TV series PUSHING DAISIES. The environments are richly and whimsically decorated; a child uses a wheeled metal hippopotamus like a gondola around the apartment where she lives.

But this isn’t one of those projects where we come away “humming the sets,” to borrow a Broadway expression. The production design by Jeremy Reed simply serves as the mood-setting backdrop for a charming creature feature with some scares (“horror movie” would be pushing it).

At the outset, we see a clump of dust floating through the night sky. It drifts into the toy-filled bedroom of eight-year-old Aurora (Sophie Sloan), where it teams up with some other dust balls to form a dust bunny under Aurora’s bed.

Aurora is curious about the mysterious man, billed in the credits simply as “Intriguing Neighbor,” who lives across the hall. Played by Mads Mikkelsen (who starred for three years in another Fuller TV creation, HANNIBAL), the neighbor turns out to be a gentleman of formidable fighting skills.

Aurora observes her neighbor in action when she surreptitiously follows him to Chinatown, where a New Year’s Eve celebration in underway. The neighbor uses a katana sword to do battle against a horde of foes who come out from under a vast Chinese parade dragon.

Because she is eight, Aurora processes this as seeing her neighbor slay an actual dragon. Aurora is certain there is a monster under her bed. She warns her parents to stay off the floor, but they don’t listen. After Aurora hears a commotion and finds her parents’ bedroom in shambles with no sign of the couple, she is certain the monster ate them.

Since, so far as she is concerned, she has already seen her intriguing neighbor prevail over one monster, Aurora decides to ask him to kill the one in her apartment.

The neighbor concludes that the little girl’s parents were taken out by assassins, for reasons that make sense, and opts to help her and himself by confronting these people.

Likewise, the neighbor tries to convince Aurora that he is correct in his assertion that what has occurred is due to human “monsters.” Aurora tries to convince the neighbor that there really is a creature under the floorboards. But who is right?

In the universe that Fuller gives us here, we’re primed to accept almost any explanation. The one we eventually get is exquisitely wacky.

We meet Laverne (Sigourney Weaver), an amoral crime boss who nevertheless wants to help the Neighbor, and some other people in their orbit, all of whom have a certain smooth elegance that makes them fit and function seamlessly within the environment.

Sloan is perfect as the lonely but determined Aurora, Mikkelsen gracefully tightrope-walks the line between being unflappable and astonished, and Weaver is splendid as the mistress of her domain. Other cast members contributing deftly to the proceedings include Sheila Atim, David Dastmalchian, and Rebecca Henderson.

Why the heck the MPA decided to slap the preteen-friendly DUST BUNNY with an R rating is an excellent question. It has less blood and overall violence than, say, FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 2 (which is PG-13), no more gunplay (if that’s the issue) than some of the more trigger-happy broadcast procedurals and nothing resembling sexual activity.

All of this is to say that children who are old enough for somewhat dark fairytales and/or PG-13 fare should be just fine with DUST BUNNY. Their parents and, for that matter, lone grownups who love contemporary “once upon a time” fare with a spooky undertone, a glorious look and plenty of heart will be swept away. (The reviewer apologizes, but the pun felt compulsory.)

Follow us on Twitter at ASSIGNMENT X
Like us on Facebook at ASSIGNMENT X

Latest Buzz

Movie Review: DUST BUNNY

Delightfully whimsical dark comedy/fantasy

Article Source: Assignment X
Article: Movie Review: DUST BUNNY

Related

Related Posts:

Leave a Comment

Assignment X Poll

Newsletter subscription status

Latest Buzz

Movie Review: DUST BUNNY

Delightfully whimsical dark comedy/fantasy

Article Source: Assignment X Article: Movie Review: DUST BUNNY

Related

Related Posts:

Leave a Comment

Assignment X Poll

Article Source: Assignment X
Article: Movie Review: DUST BUNNY