There are werewolf films in which you get a full transformation into a hairy beast … and then there are werewolf films in which the transforming character looks like he lost a battle with decoupage. Wolf Man is more of the “decoupage” variety. I noted this immediately after realizing I am, in parts, hairier than the wolfman in Wolf Man. :blush:
I don’t know where the aggression of werewolves comes from. No other creature on Earth (besides possibly a zombie) seems as Hell-bent on destruction as a werewolf. Yes, I suppose there are nicer werewolves, like the one the Twilight franchise. Yet far more often than not, some hapless jerk gets bitten and suddenly it’s smorgasbord night with every human on the menu.
Can’t we just have a kinder, gentler werewolf? Aren’t dogs man’s best friend?
Blake Lovell (Zac Chandler young, Christopher Abbott as father/husband) grew up in the Oregon wilderness and had a werewolf encounter once upon a time. We don’t see the werewolf, but we get a good idea of how scary the situation is when dad, an armed experienced hunter, hides with son in the deer blind for dear (deer) life. Dude, you’re giving a bad name to MAGA.
Thirty years later, Blake has an overworked wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), and an adorable child, Ginger (Miranda Firth). Getting a letter that his father has passed and the Oregon property is now his, Blake decides, “let’s all go to Oregon” even though his wife is the only one currently working. Ummm, ok.
There has been an estrangement between father and son (probably over the werewolf incident), so Blake needs directions to the rural home he now owns, worth upwards of $15 or $16. They pick up a local to help them with directions. The stranger, Derek, seems ready for the Qanon battle a comin’, but immediately dies when a werewolf attacks. Dude, you’re giving a bad name to MAGA.
During the attack, the U-Haul is trashed and Blake is scratched by a werewolf, beginning a long transformati
on process in which Blake starts as a B-level actor, and ends resembling Guy Pearce on a bender. Will the wife and child survive? Well, gosh, how can two female San Franciscans fend off a big scary testament to male virility?
Wolf Man has some good tension going on in the second half of film. The over-aggression of the creature(s) doesn’t sit well with me, nor the idea that one would flee in terror from Guy Pearce on a bender. I like Julia Garner, and she’s probably the best thing about this film, yet after this film she still remains one big break away from being a recognized face in most households. Writer/director Leigh Whannell knows what good horror is, so I’m not sure how he came up with this.
An unhappy husband named Jake
Won a lot and decided to pull up stake
But the woods were infected
With monster undetected
If you’re smart, you won’t go, for God’s sake
Rated R, 103 Minutes
Director: Leigh Whannell
Writer: Leigh Whannell, Corbett Tuck
Genre: Another dog movie?
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Werewolves
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Rustic Oregonians
