The Wolfman (2010) movie review

Not only am I a huge horror buff, I have a special love for the werewolf monster. Some of my favorite films include the hairy monsters, but surprisingly the original The Wolf Man made by Universal Pictures in 1941 is not my favorite of the Universal Horror line. I consider Frankenstein (1931) and Dracula (1931) to be better movies.

So when the remake was announced (back in 2006) my werewolf fan boy enthusiasm was dulled by Hollywood’s vapid fascination with making remakes of films that didn’t need to be remade. Remaking The Wolfman, no matter how enthusiastic those in its production were, seemed like a step backwards for me. The film was also delayed several times for almost two years, so when it finally came out in theatres any interest I had in the film was shallow at best (Although, I have to admit, when I learnt Hugo Weaving was in it my interest was piqued a little, but not enough to pay for a theatre ticket).

The remake uses the same character names and basic plot of the original movie (man visits estranged rich father, gets bitten by werewolf, turns into werewolf, kills people, gets killed with silver implement, the end), but it deviates significantly by introducing sub-plots in an attempt to make the story deeper. Some of these sub-plots help the story somewhat, but others are just put in for useless time filler. In the end it seems like the film is trying to be deeper than it really is. I found this disappointing because it definitely had the talent to make it a deeper, more significant film.

The strongest subplot concerns the main character, Lawrence Talbot (portrayed by Benicio del Toro) and his turbulent history concerning the mysterious death of his mother which left him emotionally scared when he was young and made his father, Sir John Talbot (portrayed by Anthony Hopkins), send Lawrence away to an insane asylum. Although this is the strongest plot line in the story, it gets bogged down at times in way too long scenes of moody dialogue and silent breaks.

The subplot concerning Gwen Conliffe (portrayed by Emily Blunt), widow of Lawrence’s murdered brother and love interest, trying to find a cure for lycanthropy is just an excuse to fill time, show a bunch of old pictures of werewolves, and tell us what we (and the character) already knew: the only way to cure the werewolf is to kill him with something silver (oh, and love him when you’re shooting him). Perhaps it would have been more significant if the character discovered a way to save Lawrence, a twist from the original movie, but alas the whole subplot is just a waste of time.

The strongest element of the film is the cast. The film has some high caliber actors with Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, and Hugo Weaving. The performances are solid and they would have been better if the actors had more to do with their roles. Benicio del Toro fills the role of Lawrence Talbot to a T, but really his role has two modes: moping depression and frantic alarm, and hardly anything in between. Anthony Hopkins steals the whole freaking show with his portrayal of the insanely distant Sir John Lawrence. Hopkins truly did as much as he could to do with so little he was given. Sadly, Hugo Weaving, who portrays Inspector Francis Aberline, is really just relegated to the role of the persistent-detective-who-must-get-his man. The only time his character really shines is when he is first introduced and has a frank discussion with Lawrence. Aberline shows his intelligence by deducing that Lawrence has something to do with the recent murders because of his turbulent history- of course he is proven wrong, but it was a good guess and it was the only time we are shown the intelligence of the character.

Another strong point of the film is the atmosphere. The story is set in Blackmoor (UK) in 1891; making the film a period piece (the original was not). There is plenty of Gothic imagery, including a wonderful scene in a stone circle (similar to Stone Henge) in the dead of night with thick fog whirling in between the monolithic stones. Talbot Manor is a interesting setting, a large manor that is falling into disrepair. It has the right balance of decay and spender, a place that is on the verge of becoming decrepit but still has some nobility left in it.

In a werewolf movie the obvious strong point of the film should be the werewolf itself, and the intricate transformation scenes which have pretty much become a requirement for any werewolf in any film. I have no complaints about the look of the wolf man in the movie. It is definitely inspired by the original hairy-human-with-fangs-and-black-nose look that Lon Chaney Jr. used. This wolf man has more of a muzzle (as much a latex can give) and fur, as well as digitigrade paw-like feet. (Fun fact: Lon Chaney Jr., in the original Wolf Man, walked on his tippy toes to get a wolf-like gait- in this film they used a simple apparatus and CGI to get the effect). The wolf man is a decent mix of practical makeup and CGI effects- too bad we hardly ever get to look at it. The wolf man only makes three appearances in the 1 hour and 42 minute film, and of those scenes are very fast and rapid compared to the long, almost dredging scenes when Lawrence is human. Apparently the original idea for the remake was to use as much practical effects (make-up, stunt suits, etc.) as possible, but the director (Joe Johnston) felt rushed and used CGI for the transformation scenes, full body shots, and sprinting scenes (which makes little sense to me because he had over a year to tinker with the film). The CGI is decent, but sometimes really obvious, especially with close ups of the Wolf Man while he is sprinting and jumping. The use of CGI is regrettable because del Toro was obviously putting a lot of effort into portraying the monster, only to be replaced by a CGI doppelganger.

Interestingly the film is gory, but not as bloody. There are plenty of guts being ripped out, rib cages torn open, and slashes across the face and belly, but I was surprised by the lack of huge gouts of blood that have become a ridiculous cliché these days in horror and action movies. It deserved its R rating no doubt, and there was a decent amount of blood, just not the huge gouts inspired by Kill Bill.

The story does have somewhat of a twist, but by the last half of the first act you have figured it out. It is not a complete surprise when it is revealed, and (total freaking spoiler alert) does result in a fast paced brawl between two werewolves, which I would have enjoyed more if it was not so one sided and predictable.

This movie had something, but somewhere along the line it lost it. In the end it comes out average, which is really too bad considering the dedication of the talent that went into it. It is a definite rental for a casual night and maybe a cheap purchase for werewolf fanatics like me.

Sometimes werewolves just need a hug from someone they love, not a silver bullet in the gut.