The Wolfman

The longer they postponed premiere, the more my concerns about the final product grew, but Joe Johnston handled it more than decently. This is not such a fundamental achievement as the first Wolfman, but, to be honest, who could expect it to be? The action is fast, brisk and (in the unrated version) good and bloody, the atmosphere is also good. Benicio Del Toro may be doing nothing more than usual, but Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving (Abberline is probably the best character and I'd love a spin-off or a part two if he was in it) steal the show at times. Elfman's music perfectly complements the plot, and the main theme seemed to me to be a jauntier version of Dracula, which is not a criticism, but a compliment, because it sounds truly superb. It is said there is no sin in killing a beast, only in killing a man. But where does one begin and the other end? (05/22/2010)

It's a yawn. Considering the movie is 102 minutes long and I watched it from 6pm to 12:30am, I think it's clear how much it held my attention, how much I was interested to see how it would turn out. A werewolf straight out of Planet of the Apes. Death right after, thanks, and such a – ugh, bleh, ah; finito. The very end of the film couldn't have been more stupid. But I'd forgive it if – as I say – it wasn't such a yawn. I don't understand why I wanted to see this movie; good thing it's over. (04/03/2010)

A film on the edge. I definitely count the graphic and at times perhaps a little explicit violence for effect among the pluses of the film. Also the fantastic production design and cinematography. However, The Wolfman falls down on the fact that Joe Johnston is not much of a director. He references classic Universal works with an almost irritating naivety and clichéd story, but then takes it out of context with scenes cut exactly in the vein of contemporary horror films, in particular the ubiquitous and (at least for me in this film) non-functioning jump scares really stink. Otherwise, the pretty good CGI effects don't offend, but watching it I kept thinking of the much better An American Werewolf in London, where the monster was also fantastic and yet it was just a matter of good masks. This way, for example, the fight between two werewolves reminded me quite a bit of Sommers' cockamamie Van Helsing. The last criticism belongs once again to the director and is most palpable at the beginning. The Wolfman has an awfully strong trio of actors at its disposal (Hopkins, del Toro, Weaving), but Johnson fails to lead them in any way. This is how, with del Toro in particular, we get theatrical overacting that is unlike anything he's done before, and it's clear that the problem won't be on his side. In conclusion, I have to admit that my cinematic experience was disrupted by a trio of misfit teenagers who just had to be super funny as usual, and while the scene was loud, their speeches were always flexibly adapted to ensure that no one in the theatre happened to hear them. Kill. (02/19/2010)

Horror was expected, an homage to the original was anticipated. But what wasn't expected was a complex drama that combines more genres than I could have ever hoped for. The script hints from the very beginning that we're going into the darkest waters, and the transformation into a monster is shown through advanced mental decay. At first glance, the "fake" scary moments may seem like clichéd flaws, but in the context of the whole film, these scenes serve as progressing traumas. Like a nightmare from which the main hero jerks awake, only to wake up to a real, creeping, and inevitable reality that is just as terrifying as the imagined horrors. Moreover, Johnston's direction amplifies all of this into a depressive second nature. And when Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins say it in the dialogue, there's nothing more to discuss. A very specific work has been created, which is certainly not for everyone, but those who can look at it differently than just a monster horror can take away more than they ever expected. (09/13/2011)

Epic period horror with a badass atmosphere, nice make-up and good actors in the main roles. That’s a pretty good calling card, but The Wolfman is unfortunately missing a few key elements. It’s unable to generate fear or tension, it isn’t entertaining, or disgusting, or shocking. It just quietly wanders about in the background in a way that you can barely register, let alone remember. It’s not bad, but it’s a shame that with the money spent on it, you could get quite a few young, unpretentious filmmakers who’d be able to make about dozen better movies. (02/18/2010)