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Review - The Wolfman (2010)

Having not seen the original Wolfman, but several others of the "Classic Universal horror" line, I can say that clearly everyone on the production side was a huge fan. The film is lavished upon with homages and references, and old mainstays of the genre. My theater was packed, but no one was particularly rowdy, watching with rapt attention - well, most of the time.

Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) is an actor who is estranged from his family, touring with a theater company. He's doing "Hamlet" when the film opens, in fact, and would go to America to continue the tour, but for a letter. The letter is from Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), his brother's fiancee, and she implores him to return to his family home, on the news that his brother has gone missing.

Upon arrival to the rather spooky Talbut Hall, his father, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins), informs him that his brother's body was found. When Lawrence goes into town to view the body and get some answers, all he gets are more questions; the body is ripped open, and the villagers have extraordinary theories about who did it, and how, and why. Gypsies, raving lunatics, or perhaps werewolves are suspected.

Lawrence goes to the main suspicion for some answers - the gypsies, who have a camp just outside of town. Typically cryptic, he doesn't get very many before the camp is suddenly under attack by a creature who seems nearly unstoppable. While trying to protect a little boy, Lawrence is nearly killed himself, but is saved by the gypsies, who chase off his attacker. He bears the beast's mark, and the gypsies entertain the possibility of killing him, but the elder Maleva (Geraldine Chaplin) ultimately decides not to.

Scotland Yard then becomes involved, and they send Detective Abberline (Hugo Weaving) to crack the case and protect the village. He at first tells Lawrence of what a fan he is of the actor, and then informs him that he is a prime suspect in the case, and Lawrence bids him good day.

From then on, it's a cat and mouse tale. At first the Talbot family seems indecently wrought with a curse - Lawrence's mother (Cristina Contes) killed herself with a razor blade, and he ran outside to nearly witness it; Sir John's extreme eccentricity and emotional distancing; Ben's horrific death; and now Lawrence's contracting of lycanthropy. But we soon discover that the curse is altogether earned.

Most of the cast, unfortunately, seems to sleep through their performances, but they're adequate. Benicio Del Toro is no stranger to playing a tormented man, although he can't seem to decide what accent his character has. Emily Blunt is a strong woman, equally tormented as Lawrence in some ways, but at times she seems mostly vacant. Anthony Hopkins, of course, chews the scenery and provides a brilliant performance. In fact, any actor in a scene with him seems infinitely better. Hugo Weaving is fine as the police detective caught in the middle, conflicted between the beliefs of the past and the present.

It's the cinematography and music, ultimately, that make the film. Both are darkly lush and gorgeous, in the tradition of the classic horror films, and they sweep you along. As a period piece, it may not be exact, but it more than works. The tension is palpable just through the air itself, especially in the scenes that are shot in the woods. Danny Elfman, who provides the score, has everything down pat as a seasoned horror veteran, but he provides the quiet moments with just as much care. (Interestingly, the cinematographer, Shelly Johnson, seems to be working on the upcoming Captain America movie.)

Unfortunately, the lush music and visuals are undercut severely by the movie's main focus, the wolfman himself. His appearance and transformation are incredible - I'm happy they went with the original appearance of him - but his rampages take away from the rest of the movie. Why, you ask? Well... in two words, the gore. Gore factor is to be expected, but it's treated with a joking hand. Literally, the wolfman rips off a man's hand and it flies several feet upward and then discharges the gun it's holding. The gore is cheesy and overdone. It's as if there are two movies here - one, the gothic period piece, and two, the "monster movie madness."

Another poor factor is the scares. All of them are predictable, and most of them are the very cheap "jump scares." The movie has some creepy parts, looking into Lawrence's mind and the past, but that's the extent of the scariness. I'm an extremely easy person to scare, when it comes to movies, and nothing got me; even more, I slept like a baby that night.

In short, I don't mean to scare people away from the movie. I can name a dozen worse movies that have already come out this year. It's an entertaining ride, and it's worth the viewing if you're a fan of horror. As a werewolf movie, it's adequate, though it does nothing special for the genre. See it for Anthony Hopkins' scenery chewing, at the very least, but if you're squeamish, this is not a recommended movie.

Overall: 3/5