My Review of Buddy (2026)

 

Written by Casper Kelly And Jamie King

Directed by Casper Kelly

Freddy: "I hate Buddy, yes I do. I hate, I hate, I hate you. Stab your heart and kick your knee. Buddy, you're my enemy. Get an axe, chop off your head. I wish you were fucking dead!"

How about a horror film in which a popular 90s children tv icon got changed enough so the makers of this movie wouldn't get sued? Seems reasonable enough, huh?

Instead of a purple dinosaur, let's look at orange unicorn Buddy (Keegan Michael-Key) and his popular TV show Its Buddy. It's a feel good kind of world, as long as you do everything that Buddy asks of you.

If you're a child who doesn't feel like dancing or you ask too many questions, then Buddy's got a not so friendly side to his colourful personality that's all too bloody. Also if you happen to be a parent of a child you forgot about, you're the closest to an adult threat to Buddy's perfect world.

This would be where Grace (Cristin Milioti) fitted into the story. She turned out to be the real mother of child protagonist Freddy (Delaney Quinn) and while her husband, Ben (Topher Grace) was quick to dismiss her concern, Grace ended up being reunited with her daughter in a very violent children's world.

Yes, the violence I think would be a tiny step above the average segment of an Itchy And Scratchy sketch. Buddy had a very gleeful disregard for those who even mildly annoyed him and his true form was anything but cute.

I wouldn't say he's the scariest baddie but he's an effective menace as Grace, Freddy and other characters did their best to stay alive and Buddy's reign of terror. The ending was more unexpected than I thought it would be as well.

- There's some strong supporting performances from Patton Oswalt, Michael Shannon and Eric Bauza.

- There are eighteen kills with over half of them being human ones.

- Standout music: Tiny Lyn's The Wrong Place In Town.

- Chronology: Freddy was missing for years and her existence wiped from Grace and Ben until Grace started to remember her.

Buddy (2026) could've simply been a lazy horror pastiche of a certain purple dinosaur but it decided to try and be a bit more than that. It's a surprisingly effecting movie with strong performances from everyone involved.

Rating: 7 out of 10