Monsters are making a comeback!
This weekend, Leigh Whannell’s “Wolf Man” claws at the silver screen. Christopher Abbott (“Game of Thrones,” “Possessor”) and Julia Garner (“Ozark,” “The Assistant”) travel from NYC to the mountainsides of Oregon after Blake (Abbott) learns his estranged father is dead. Once there, they encounter a werewolf. You know the story, I’m sure.
Instead of boring you with a long review, here are my five takeaways from the movie.
1. Transform, Dang it!
Why do we go to monster movies? Why do we watch werewolf movies? Big transformations, right! If you’ve seen any werewolf movie, you know how important it is to have an excellent transformation scene. They are what people remember when the lights come up. So, why does “Wolf Man” forgo the transformation scene? My only explanation is Whannell has opted for grounding his story in reality, leaving no no time for flesh splitting and hairy creatures emerging from the blood and bone.
2. Don’t Blame the Actors.
Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner are really good here. They are convincing. But I really want to shout out Sam Jaeger (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), who’s performance as Blake’s survivalist father is the movie’s best. We only get him in the movie’s opening sequence, and it is a highlight.
3. Are Monsters Really Back?
“Nosferatu” plagued the box office at Christmas. Guillermo del Toro and Maggie Gyllenhaal are both unleashing “Frankenstein” films later this year. It’s clear Hollywood believes monsters are back. I can’t explain it. Perhaps it has to do with the next occupant in the White House. The world has a lot of monsters right now, both foreign and domestic. It’s not hard to see the appeal.
4. Why So Serious?
Even though they are meant to be scary, monster movies are also meant to be . . . fun? Watch Lon Chaney Jr. in 1941’s “The Wolf Man” and tell me the scenes involving the gypsy curse are boring. Unfortunately this “Wolf Man” teases fun, but never makes good on the promise.
5. A Few Recommendations . . .
If you like werewolf movies, check out these three on a streaming service near you.
Ginger Snaps (2000): Sisters Ginger and Brigette are outcasts for their oddball behavior. Things get real after Ginger is savaged by a beast. This is as much about sisterly love as it is about teen transformations. Streaming on Peacock.
Werewolf by Night (2022): Based on Marvel’s 70s horror comic, this one pays tribute to the classic Universal monsters. Jack Russell is a werewolf superhero fighting with an evil cabal searching for a powerful artifact. The black-and-white cinematography makes the most of long shadows. Streaming on Disney+.
An American Werewolf in London (1981): Accept no substitutes. An all-time, bona fide classic. Best friends David and Jack tour the Yorkshire moors and are attacked by a beast. Jack is killed, David horribly wounded. When David wakes up, he finds his world will never be the same. Streaming on Tubi.
