The Wolfman (Universal Pictures)
This Ones A Real Howler
The Wolfman starring Benicio Del Toro has been on the shelf for a year or more now. When a film doesnt meet its release date something is usually wrong. In the case of The Wolfman there is. This one is a real howler of the worst kind. It is dark and dense and lacking any real entertainment value.
The story has Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) being summoned home to his fathers estate by his brother Bens fiance Gwen (Emily Blunt). Ben has been killed and his mutilated body found. Lawrence has been away from his family for many years but comes home because of a sense of guilt concerning his brother.
Once home he learns there is a creature terrorizing the neighborhood. During one of its attacks Lawrence is mauled and bitten. This results in his being turned into a werewolf each time the full moon rises. Gwen suspects something weird is occurring and wants to help him which puts her life in danger. His father (Anthony Hopkins) seems strangely unmoved by all this.
If you have ever seen another werewolf movie you have seen something better than this one. All the special effects of the transformation from man to creature were shown to better effect in the 1981 film An American Werewolf In London. In that movie David Naughton also played a tormented soul but with more depth.
In the 1957 movie I Was A Teenage Werewolf Michael Landon transformed into a hairy, fanged wolfman. In this new movie De Toro looks like Michael Landon did all those years ago. With the improvements in technology that have occurred you would think they could have come up with something better than a Michael Landon lookalike.
It is never explained in the film why Del Toros character looks Spanish and not like his British father. His American accent is also not satisfactorily explained. Del Toros acting is okay, it is just the role that is a loser. Hopkins has not been seen on the screen lately and this is not a good return for him. His performance and things that are required of him are just embarrassing.
Then there is Emily Blunt. Blunt has been outstanding in every role she has taken in the past few years. She is considered one of the most talented young actresses in Hollywood today. As Gwen in this film she is stiff and sexless. Her performance is a major disappointment.
The film is rated R for profanity and violence.
Throughout the film the werewolf bays at the moon. These howls are supposed to strike terror in the hearts of the village inhabitants. They only inspired laughter in the audience with whom I viewed the film. This film is a howler all right but for all the wrong reasons.
I scored The Wolfman a hairy 4 out of 10.
