The Wolfman
There has been a long reign of wolves and werewolves in cult movies. The particularly furry kind of beast have roamed the forests of films and avoiding as many beams of the moon as they can get. Lycanthropes have been mystical monsters since the Romans (of course, because their entire city of Rome was birthed from two wolves,) and they have appeared in nearly every fantastical cinema series including An American Werewolf in various cities, Harry Potter and of course, Underworld. With the transformation being crucial as well as the humanity of the victim who takes the mantle of the beast, werewolves need to be done right.
If wrong, they could end up like The Wolfman.
A remake of a 1941 film of the same name, The Wolfman tells the story of a rabid beast that is terrorizing actor Shakespearean actor Lawrence Talbot after his brother is ravaged by the beast. As his father and his brother’s widow are overcome by grief, there is something more sinister stirring for Lawrence. As a gypsy settlement nearby tells woes of a mythical beast and Lawrence is snared into a trap that means he is bitten. Ruh-oh! Obviously, no one believes him that he is changing into a werewolf meaning that he is alone and abandoned. And worse than that, it’s a full moon. Double ruh-oh.
Why Is The Bad?
It’s a lot more than Talbot that is cursed. The movie unwillingly changed hands from the intense genius of Mark Romanek (the wonder behind One Hour Photo and Never Let Me Go,) to Joe Johnston because studio heads have no nerve to follow the creative decisions of their directors. Though placing blame entirely on Johnston’s shoulders is a cheap stab at the wrong people, The Wolfman fails from the change. The mess of the swap meant that the film feels rushed, unfinished and unrealised. There is little pacing here and it is filled with weird romping silliness that is never complete. If you watch it, it’s slow and drivelling rather than scary when werewolves are one of the creatures that are wholly terrifying.
Why Is The Good?
It looks so beautiful though, a lot can be forgiven because it is a highly gorgeous Victorian horror romp (which are high on a list of taglines that will get me watching your film). The Wolfman has exquisite and eloquent costumes classic buildings adorned with Gothic aesthetics and a trembling beauty to it that is akin to Dracula and Frankenstein mystical grandeur films. Then there is the Oscar Winning make up effects by Dave Elsey (more well known for X-Men First Class which is why the werewolf here looks like The Beasts uncle,) add a level of brilliance to Talbots transformation and levels this up from a lot of horror movies. Add, finally, the dash of a stirring score from Danny Elfman, who levels the atmosphere into lunar heights and captures the essence of Victorian chillers so delightfully.
It’s predictable and offers no urgency to watch it. However, if you take a bit out of Johnston’s Wolfman and allow the gory poignant graphics to drip down your throat, you’ll be lost in a world of Victorian period dread.