2.5 out of 5 werewolves (decent)
Wolf Man is a prime reminder that great ideas alone don’t make a great movie. A modern reboot of the classic Wolfman monster, the film attempts to be a metaphor for losing a loved one but trips up by underserving its characters, downplaying its initial themes, and relying instead on the performances and gore to chide us along. I’m not against gross body horror (The Fly remake is one of my favorite movies), but if that grossness isn’t matched by characters or a story I can invest in, then it’s just gross for gross’s sake.
Wolf Man | Official Trailer – YouTube
City dwellers Blake (Christopher Abbott) and Charlotte (Julia Garner, Ozark) are having vaguely-defined marriage problems while raising their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). Ginger’s closer with Blake, who’s trying to be a better father than his own was to him, while Charlotte desires a stronger relationship with her. When Blake’s dad kicks the bucket, he packs the family up to clear out dad’s isolated shed in woodsy Oregon, only for them to be attacked by an animal. Blake was unfortunately bitten by the creature and, to his family’s helpless horror, starts transforming into a beast throughout the night.
Wolf Man has all the pieces to be the emotionally hard-hitting horror film it wants to be, but fumbles the ball in putting them together. The characterization is lacking from the jump and the potentially interesting elements (Ginger increasingly having to rely on her mom, Blake trying not to follow in his father’s footsteps, and the horror of watching a family member lose their identity) are either pushed aside the moment the horror kicks in or stated in blunt dialogue without depth. It’s also a mistake to compress the time frame for the intended theme to work as we don’t know or care enough about this family to feel what they’re losing.
That said, Julia Garner carries most of Wolf Man solidly and there are some tender moments early on. She’s game for leading roles and Abbott does well as the loving father. However, jump scares and admittedly effective gross-out stuff are the main course here and the largely practical creature effects get the gory job done. If you want some good gnarly imagery and further proof of Garner’s skill, it’s an okay film, but I wish it was bolstered with stronger characterization and commitment to exploring its themes. It’s fine, but forgettable. Wolf Man serves up solid gore and good performances, but its basic story and underused ideas aren’t worth howling about. Rent it.
Rated R for Bloody Violent Content, Grisly Images, and Some Language