The Werewolf has been a staple of comics for a long time but I think our main focus here has been to see how director Joe Johnson fares on his last movie before tackling Captain America...and of course to hopefully see a damn fine horror movie while we're at it.
The story at first follows pretty much exactly the 1941 Lon Chaney classic. Laurence Talbot(Benicio Del Toro) returns home from America after his brother is found torn to pieces on the moors near his family estate. His eccentric father(Anthony Hopkins) welcomes him with something approaching fondness and he strikes up a rapport with his brothers widow(well, they hadn't been married yet but lets not split hairs..ooh, new i'd get one in somewhere!) played ny Emily Blunt. But things soon turn very nasty when Laurence is bitten by a Werewolf while investigating his brothers death at the local gypsy hang out. Soon enough he sprouts fangs fur and a fierce temper and begins to eviscerate the locals, so Inspector Aberline(Hugo Weaving) arrives to investigate.
Ok, the good stuff first. The movie looks fantastic. I'm too lazy to look up Johnson's cinematographer, but he does a great job. Everything looks suitably Gothic and grimy, with the early shots of the mist strewn moors evoking real menace. The special effects look a bit rubbery at times but overall the mix of cgi transformation and Rick baker make up effects work. Although I must say, they could have worked on making the Werewolf look a bit better. With his pug face and silly hairdo I found him about as menacing as a Fraggle with fangs. The gore is good though. The blood flows freely and inventively. The performances are also fine, although Del Toro seems miscast..or maybe he just didn't have much to work with. I usually find him to be a great actor but he's far too subdued here. Maybe that was what he was going for character wise, but I was half expecting him to nod off in some scenes. Hopkins and Weaving are pure ham, but thank God for them! They inject a bit of life into the proceedings. Blunt steals the show. She actually belongs in a different movie, one were the director cares whether you are in any way emotionally involved or not. Which brings me on to the bad.
We all know the veritable plague of problems this move has had since before a lens cap was even removed from a camera. Director changes, script re-write, special effects re-does..even score alterations. All of that may well have played a factor in
The Wolfman's failings, but nobody ever forked over hard earned cash to see an excuse, so I'm not going to make any for this movie. After early promise Johnson completely abandons any attempt at making a horror film and gives us an action movie with a ridiculous Van Helsing style monster mash up. Like I mentioned earlier, he also seems to have no interest in engaging an audience emotionally at all. His characters are just there..they could be anyone even after an hour and a half of screen time, despite the actors best efforts. He also throws the cliches at it. From a priest giving a sermon over Laurence's dawning realization to an eeeevil asylum doctor straight out of Austin Powers.
So, although it might be unfair to compare the work he may do on
Captain America to this, I will anyway! They are of course two completely different types of movie, but Cap will need an even more careful, subtle touch than this and a director that will think outside of the box. Johnson is not that director. Consider this CBM fan officially worried.
Anyway, Wolfman may be all style over substance, but what style! Despite its shortcomings its by no means a disaster, but just don't expect to give a shit about the hairy bastard.
3/5 Stars