Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey may be making waves at the box office – of gore, obviously – but it has also failed to connect on any level with critics. Even though the movie has found its audience in blood-loving gore hounds, there have been very few good things said about the movie from Rotten Tomatoes critics which has left it with a less than sweet 6% approval rating. So is it simply the desecration of childhood that has many of them slapping a rotten label on the movie, or something more about the film itself?

When attempting to turn any beloved children’s character into something that could hold its own in the arena of horror icons such as Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers, there is always a risk of getting on the wrong side of those who don’t feel it necessary to turn something cute and cuddly into a murderous psychopath. However, even with those complaints aside there are many other issues that have caused the slump in review ratings.

The film’s biggest downfall for many critics is the lack of…well anything in their opinion. Called into question is the acting, the plot, the lack of a real ending, and anything else you can possibly think of. The film is said to “lack imagination” in many reviews and rather than being against the idea of a killer Pooh stalking the Hundred-Acre Wood it seems that they would have been quite on board with it if the movie had actually pushed its imaginative boundaries as well as its gore ones.

MovieWeb's own Julian Roman’s review notes, “Pooh bear resenting Christopher Robin and turning into a homicidal man-eater sounded clever. Expectations weren't met here. The film may only appeal to a select audience.”

Related: Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey Sequel is Now in Development

So Is Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey Just a Cash Grab Movie?

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey movie 2023
Altitude Film Distribution

When Winnie the Pooh came into the public domain, it was as though Rhys Frake-Waterfield had been counting down the days, as the movie’s arrival happened very quickly after the original A.A. Milne story entered the public domain. That is not surprising, and is usual when big titles enter the public domain, but the question is whether the film is simply cashing in on the Winnie the Pooh name as some have suggested.

In the defense of the movie, the audience side of Rotten Tomatoes reviews has been quick to point out the biggest issue with the movie – it’s viral media coverage. The film is an exceptionally low-budget affair, and these are the kind of movies that have their audience, and will be loved by that audience for what it is. However, the large amount of media coverage seems to have led to many people going in with expectations of seeing a $100 million budget movie, which Blood and Honey isn’t.

While the movie is certainly not a masterpiece, and never sets out to be, the effort put into it has been appreciated by many audiences that have seen it, and with a sequel in the works, with a higher budget attached to it, it will be interesting to see how much better Pooh’s next rampage fares compared to his first for having a little extra money to spend on it.

For those wanting to check out Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey for themselves, it is in theaters now.