Wolf Man is a good movie, but I’m not impressed by how it turned out and that’s why I went for three stars.
I think director Leigh Whannell perfectly executed his vision, and the film is carried by some powerful performances. The story is interesting, but it might leave you with some questions. The score is amazing and it had me shivering a few times. I really loved the special effects and makeup.
The film borders on body horror and drama, it’s not exactly what you’d expect from a monster horror movie. It dives into themes about humanity, paternal relationships and I guess fighting the beast within. So let me break it all down for you.
Acting – Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner deliver stellar performances. Matilda Firth as wonderful as their daughter. The family dynamic is great and exploring both Christopher and Julia’s characters’ points of view adds to the story. Christopher Abbott’s transition from family man to wolf man is fantastic, he really went full beast. While Julia Garner’s character had cool redeeming arc.
I love Leigh Whannell’s directing choices. He balances the themes well, but the tone of the movie is a little inconsistent, but that can be blamed on the story. His choice to show different perspectives of the humans and the wolf man deserves to be praised. He makes excellent use of some camera drinks to help the audience get into the mind of a transforming werewolf.
Talking about transforming, the transition from man to werewolf is kind of disgusting. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but it’s definitely not for sensitive viewers. I love the special effects and makeup, but I’m not fully sold on the Wolf Man’s design. I wish they went full werewolf.
And the story, I think the story is good but there are some choices the characters make that just left me scratching my head. I can’t spoil any scenes, but you’ll understand what I’m talking about when you watch it. I always feel like the story owes us a few explanations, but maybe there will be some if a sequel gets made.
So while I’m criticizing some aspects of the movie, I do think Wolf Man is good watch. It might not be the best horror movie of the year, but it is entertaining – and this coming from someone who doesn’t really watch horrors. I do love that were making werewolves scary again, even if this movie isn’t that scary.
