Review: The Wolfman
When I was a kid, every Saturday afternoon I loved watching classic horror films -- the Hammer Horror films of the late '50s and early '60s, including repertoire actors Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and Roger Corman and American International Pictures pulp flicks with Vincent Price. The predecessors that paved the way were the Universal Pictures horror films of the 1940s, most memorably The Wolf Man featuring Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney, Jr. Dark and suspenseful, full of beasts and gypsies, the original Wolf Man identified many concepts about werewolves that extended beyond traditional folklore.
Directed by Joe Johnston (Jumanji, The Rocketeer), the 2010 version of The Wolfman embraces many of these concepts -- silver bullets, power of the full moon -- in what I'd hoped would be a true homage to the classic. The script written by Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self contains threads of the 1941 screenplay, but with a few added twists for this modern large-scale version.
In this film version of The Wolfman, it's 1891 and actor Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) travels to the north of England to his family's estate Blackmoor after receiving a letter from his brother's fiancée Gwen (Emily Blunt). His brother is missing, and by the time Lawrence arrives his brother's brutally ravaged body has been discovered in a ditch. Lawrence is awkwardly reunited with his father Sir John (Anthony Hopkins), who prowls about his ill-kempt and dank country manor. Childhood memories creep in at night, including the most disturbing discovery of his mother's apparent suicide, and his subsequent institutionalization and exile to America.
Subsequently, Lawrence attempts to discover the truth about his brother's death, and during his investigation he bites off more than he can handle. While trying to save a potential victim, Lawrence is bitten by the beast. He must deal with primal urges too strong to control, with a Scotland Yard inspector Abberline (Hugo Weaving) and local villagers -- where are the pitchforks?! -- intent on killing the beast.
Where the original movie relied on bulding up dread and suspense, The Wolfman focuses on "boo" scares and grisly gore for most of the film. I'll admit to jumping out of my seat a few times, but what really evoked a reaction from filmgoers was the graphic display of beheadings and eviscerations, with body parts strewn about and entrails across the screen. The wolfmen themselves followed the film classic concept of more man than wolf and standing almost erect, and clothed. As acceptable as this representation may be, there's a jarring moment in a climactic scene when a wolfman rips his shirt that is laughable. I found the ensuing fight to be boring and anti-climactic. The production design and cinematography effectively creates a dark and sinister environment, with only a few bright moments when Lawrence is in the presence of Gwen.
As much as I tried to accept Benicio del Toro in the role of a tormented leading man, he's miscast and seems to have made a half-hearted attempt. Emily Blunt is as refined and understated as ever, but it's Anthony Hopkins who is the most interesting, partly due to a subplot that lends the most interesting twists in this film. Hopkins' role is reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter, delivering cryptic fatherly advice with hidden intentions thinly disguised. Hopkins' Sir John is a reminder that sometimes beasts are not the monsters we should fear, and a scene in an asylum affirms this concept.
More focus on The Wolfman subplots would have made for a better film. However, with Del Toro plodding through the scenes and the lack of suspense, this version of The Wolfman won't be remembered for long.