I am not against remakes. They’re hit and miss, most of them simply bubble just above average since they are typically working with a scenario that worked once already so why wouldn’t it work again? It’s not as if Hollywood remakes films that were previously misses and turns them into hits. Instead we get the same story over again, simply adjusted for the modern era, which is really what makes Universal’s The Wolfman such a sad commentary on the state of movies today.
In a world where movies are aimed at 13-14-year-olds (even the R-rated ones) and the fate of the film’s finale is decided by 300-500 member test audiences we get the CG-driven blood bath devoid of story that is The Wolfman. Plot twists and turns are decided before you’re given time to even consider the alternative and only the monster effects are left to applaud. A quality cast is laid to waste as The Wolfman‘s been in production since 2006, when Benicio Del Toro first signed on to star as the title character. It’s had its share of production issues, which is all quite obvious in a final product that does nothing more than howl at the moon with a story left in hibernation.
The Wolfman is a remake of the classic 1941 monster feature that starred Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains and Bela Lugosi. However, this film, directed by Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III), only resembles its predecessor in name and a couple of characters, beginning with Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro), returning home after many years away. He’s just learned of his brother’s murder in a letter written by his brother’s fiancée (Emily Blunt). Once home he must deal with issues with his daddy (Anthony Hopkins), the long-ago death of his mother and begin the investigation into his brother’s death as all signs point to the cause being some sort of savage beast. One thing leads to another, Talbot turns into a werewolf, people scream, blood flies and the secret of the wolfman is revealed, which really isn’t all that much of a secret to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention.
Del Toro is excellent casting and the creature effects — a combination of practical and visual effects (more for the transformation sequences) — are superbly designed by the Oscar-winning creature effects designer Rick Baker. However, making sure you have a film that looks good compared to a film that is good are two different things. For the most part I wouldn’t say The Wolfman is a bad movie, it just isn’t a good one. It’s a film where all you are really looking forward to are the creature transformations and once that’s happened the rest is just noise and growling.
Emily Blunt is wasted in a role that simply exists so she can write the letter bringing Lawrence home as well as offer something pretty to look at. Anthony Hopkins, playing Lawrence’s father, is channeling any number of creepy roles we’ve seen him in prior to this one. Hopkins, for the most part, has become inconsequential. His casting in a movie no longer brings excitement as much as it means his name will be second or third in the film’s billing.
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the film is its dedication to cheap thrills. Jump scares are the order of the day here. There is no sense of dread as much as there is just the hope you won’t jump too high when whatever is hiding in the darkness pops out at you. Even worse, Johnston employs double jump scares in multitude. Oh, did something frighten you in the mirror? Well don’t get too comfortable because it’s going to … do it… again… right…. NOW! Gimme a break. Okay, you scared me. I jumped, but at what cost and what does the film gain? Nothing, I’m still watching the same boring story and pissed off because the scare wasn’t genuine or lasting.
If you like creature effects and a bit of gore (but not overly so) you won’t be sorely upset you caught The Wolfman in theaters, but I don’t expect many will be rushing home telling their friends they must see it. Like I said, this is a film that is neither good nor bad, it just is.
