The Wolfman

The Wolfman
Director: Joe Johnston
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving, Emily Blunt
Runtime: 102 minutes
Rating: R

“The Wolfman” is a remake of the 1940’s original, starring Lon Chaney Jr. While I have seen the original, it has been too long ago and I was too young to remember the movie aside from the cheesy werewolf makeup. I said all of that to say that this will not be a review comparing the new to the old, simply a review of the film just released.
The movie begins with Gwen (Emily Blunt) writing to Lawrence (Benicio Del Toro) informing him that his brother and her fiancé, Ben, have been missing for several weeks. As Lawrence arrives he is informed that Ben’s body was discovered in a ditch the previous morning. After Lawrence sees the body (or what’s left of it) he goes to the local tavern where rumors of a foul beast are swirling. Well it isn’t long until Lawrence is attacked and bitten by this “foul beast” or werewolf and that is where the real blood and gore begin…as well as the story.
Now I’m sure you want to know if the movie is any good. I can tell you that it is a decent movie. The acting is good as well it should be with the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Benicio Del Toro, and Hugo Weaving taking up the majority of the screen time (Sorry Ms. Blunt you have yet to wow me). The special effects are on par, but it is noticeable when the film switches from practical to computer generated effects. The make-up is outstanding and I found myself just staring at Benicio Del Toro every time he was on screen in full werewolf makeup. (I can’t wait to watch the special features when this thing hits blu-ray)
My problem with the movie lies with the plot and the lack of character development. I think a little more time could have been spent on character development. As the movie came to a close I wasn’t as concerned about the characters I had been watching for almost two hours as I should have been. Overall, it just wasn’t that scary or frightening. Don’t get me wrong, the movie has its moments of suspense and fright, but it wasn’t enough to have me on the edge of my seat at any point during the movie.
“The Wolfman” is the type of movie that falls into the wait and rent category for me. It was good, but I don’t feel it was worth the ticket price. Save your money and go see Shutter Island, a movie that looks like it will be fantastic.



The  Buzz on The Wolfman is 2 1/2 stars out of 5