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6.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Blood and Thunder remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a soft spot for the Our Gang style of chaos, then yes, this is a fun twenty minutes. If you need a tight, logical plot or hate children yelling at the top of their lungs, skip it and watch Battleship Potemkin instead. This isn't high art, but it’s got that specific, dusty energy of early talkie shorts.
The whole thing hinges on Mickey Daniels being, well, Mickey. He overhears the gang practicing their lines and immediately jumps to the worst conclusion. It is honestly relatable—how many times have we misread a situation because we only caught the tail end of a conversation? Except, here, it involves prop guns and dramatic shouting.
There is a sequence about halfway through where the timing feels just a little bit off. It drags. You can almost see the actors waiting for their cue to start swinging at each other. It’s not smooth, but there’s something endearing about how clunky it feels compared to modern, polished-to-death editing.
It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in The Saleslady, where everyone is just trying to make the premise stick before the reel runs out. There is no time for character development, and honestly, why would you want that here? You just want to see the kids run in circles.
Mickey’s face when he realizes he has absolutely no idea what’s going on? Priceless. It’s not subtle acting, but it doesn't need to be. Sometimes simple is just better. 🎬
I wouldn't call this essential viewing, but it’s a nice palate cleanser. It’s short, it’s loud, and it doesn't try to teach you a lesson about the human condition. Thank goodness for that.