Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan’

Written by Scott Edwards

Getting into trouble when you are a kid is nothing new. We have all done it, whether it was just stealing a couple bucks from our parent’s sock drawer or getting into a fight with someone at school. It is part of growing up, but for the most part, we grow out of it and try to make sure that our kids do not carry on with our past life sins.  

A group of teens are slowly arriving at the ‘First Offenders Boot Camp’ run by Sergeant Hoke. Hoke does not have any love for these teens and will do everything to make sure that they understand what will happen to them later in life if they keep up their juvenile ways. Taking them up to the mountains and forcing them to fend for themselves has done well in the past for Hoke, but on this trip, he has a new person along for the ride, Ms. K, who is the kid’s therapist.  

Ms. K believes that the two adults will get better results from the kids if they use her gift, rather than Hoke’s tough approach. Hoke is none too impressed with the doctor and makes sure that she understands that he is running the show, no matter how much she thinks she has a say. Making it up to the camp site, Hoke tosses out sleeping bags for everyone while he gets to sleep in his cabin, away from the elements. Ms. K holds a little therapy session for the kids around the camp fire to see what is troubling them and finds out there is more to their situations than what has been told to her.

---

​Thinking that she is making breakthroughs with the kids, she allows them to go for a day hike further up the mountain, but the teens do not know the history of the area. They are lurking around Paul Bunyan’s old stomping ground and when they find one of Babe’s horns lying on the ground, they take it as a prize, not knowing how protective the supposed gentile giant really is of his friend. Pulling Bunyan from his cave, the group has to find a way to get off of the mountain before he takes his revenge on them all. Without Hoke to help them, Ms. K and the kids have to find a way to communicate with the outside world for some help to defeat the old killer.

Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan tells the story behind how Paul Bunyan became an old hermit in the mountains. With all of the locals leaving him alone and a crazy old man trying to be his father figure, Bunyan is content with his surroundings and happy with nobody around. When a group of teens find the resting place of his best friend Babe and desecrate his remains, the evil side of Bunyan comes out and is focused on everyone involved. Without knowing what or who they are up against, they need to find a way to apologize to Bunyan before he takes out his wrath on them. 

Just a different way to look at the old Paul Bunyan lore from a completely different perspective. Having Bunyan being more of a bad guy than a living legend is what makes this movie a little special. Although the effects leave a little to be desired, it is the silliness of them that keeps you entertained. I have found that different interpretations of classic stories are sometimes the only way to make up your mind about what really happened, and for all we know, Paul Bunyan could have been a giant with an axe that liked to use it on people along with trees. You just never know, but now you can try to formulate your own decision. Stay Scared!

---