What’s It About
Blake and his family are attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves San Francisco man Blake inherits his childhood home in the remote Oregon wilderness following the presumed death of his estranged father. With his marriage to Charlotte fraying, he convinces her to visit the property with their daughter, Ginger. At night, the family is attacked by a werewolf and takes refuge inside the farmhouse, where Blake begins to undergo a monstrous transformation.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
“Wolf Man” is another attempt to breathe life into the werewolf genre that ultimately falls flat, proving that not every classic monster deserves a modern remake. The film kicks off with a promising prologue that introduces us to young Blake on a hunting trip with his intimidating father, hinting at a complex family dynamic that could have been much more interesting than what follows. Fast forward 30 years, and we meet adult Blake (Christopher Abbott), a struggling writer who’s currently a stay-at-home dad. He lives in San Francisco with his journalist wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). When Blake receives news of his father’s death, he suggests the family take a trip to the inherited Oregon farm – a decision that quickly turns into a nightmare. The movie’s first major problem is its painfully slow pacing. It takes nearly an hour before anything remotely exciting happens, and even then, the action feels more like a reluctant shuffle than a heart-pounding transformation. After a mysterious roadside incident, Blake begins to change, and the film attempts to explore his gradual descent into something not quite human. Body horror takes center stage as Blake’s transformation unfolds through a series of increasingly gruesome details. Fingernails chip away to reveal emerging claws, his jaw starts to shift, and hair falls out while new, more animalistic hair grows in. While these practical effects are impressive – a refreshing choice in an era of overused CGI – they can’t save the movie from its fundamental storytelling issues. The performances try to salvage what they can. Julia Garner brings genuine emotional depth to Charlotte, portraying a wife and mother fighting to understand and protect her family. Christopher Abbott is impressive, especially with tons of prosthetic makeup all over him. Perhaps the strongest part of the film is when he can express emotions with just the use of his eyes. But the more interesting thing is to note that the screenplay continues to undermine these great performances. Blake is rather inconsistent in terms of transformation. One moment, he’s trying to save his family, the next he’s hunting them. The script can’t seem to decide whether he still recognizes his loved ones or has completely lost his humanity. His wolf-like vision and sudden inability to understand English feel more like plot conveniences than genuine character development. The movie also leans heavily on tired horror movie tropes. We’ve got the isolated cabin setting, the inability to contact the outside world, and predictable character archetypes – including the obligatory writer protagonist and the child who simply says, “I want to go home” after narrowly escaping danger. Some moments show glimpses of potential. The POV shots of Blake’s infected perspective offer an intriguing look into his changing perception. Adding to the richness of the mysteries plaguing Indigenous characters is the reference to the transformation as “the face of the wolf,” which evokes more of a cultural mystique upon which Lawrence has not dived deep enough. But it is too few and far between. “Wolf Man” is a missed chance. The film disappoints as a wise examination of humanity and goes into the well-traveled path of a warning in a horror. Those attempts at looking awfully ominous reek of juvenile folly compared to what passes today for a mild fever. It may be a bit disappointing to some werewolf fans: no genuine scares, a very basic plot, and a crafty incorporation engineered to act as dim memories for the genre. Not bad performances and some fun practical work, but “Wolf Man” proves, again, not every classic beast needs a fresh telling.
OUR RATING – A GENUINE 2