Director & writer Leigh Whanell returns to the Universal Monsters ensemble in "Wolf Man" from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions. The reimagining of the 1941 classic film focuses on Blake (Christopher Abbott), a family man who relocates from San Francisco to Oregon with his work-oriented wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), and their daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth). This move occurs after Blake inherits his childhood home, which has remained vacant following the mysterious disappearance and presumed death of his estranged father.
On their journey to the farmhouse, a full moon is in the sky. However, after a car accident, the family is attacked by a werewolf that injures Blake's arm. They secure themselves inside the residence when something begins to chase them. However, Blake subsequently starts to undergo a horrifying transformation, thereby endangering the safety of his wife and daughter.
Whannell opens the film with wolf lore set in 1995, introducing a young Blake and his alpha male father during a hunting trip. We soon learn that Blake's father is part of a secret organization hunting werewolves. We then go to the present, where Blake lives in the city with his wife and daughter.
Abbott portrays Blake as a gamma male, exploring how generational trauma can suppress the "beast" within him. This notion is further highlighted by the contrasting parenting styles of Blake and Julia, with Garner playing a young, carefree, yet driven mother. Both actors do what they can with the material.
The main issue with the film is that it's a jumble of ideas that don't cohesively come together. It has elements reminiscent of the 1994 film "Wolf," with elevated horror, body horror, and illness drama, all trying to fill the ninety-five-minute runtime. It's evident that studio involvement impacted the final cut, as the pacing feels tepid at best.
However, I want to credit the special effects team; the prosthetic designs were top-notch. Some great scenes depict Blake adapting to becoming a wolf, such as his changing vision and heightened hearing. If more focus had been on these aspects, I might have enjoyed the final product more.
"Wolf Man" marks Universal's second attempt to bring the iconic character back to the screen, following the poorly received 2010 version starring Oscar winners Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins. After the successful release of "The Invisible Man" in 2020, there was a renewed interest in Universal's classic monster lineup.
The studio initially embraced a proposal from the ever-charismatic Ryan Gosling, who expressed his desire to star in the film and collaborate with director Derek Cianfrance for the third time. However, in early 2023, Gosling and Cianfrance left the project, prompting Universal to bring back Leigh Whannell.
Sadly, the promise Whannell showed with "The Invisible Man" is absent from his latest film.
Final Grade: C-
"Wolf Man" opens in theaters tomorrow.
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