Following the critical success of his fantastic Invisible Man film in 2020, Australian director Leigh Whannell was handed the reigns to another of Universals classic monster properties, The Wolf Man.
Christopher Abbott stars as Blake, a married father who, looking to repair his fractured relationship with his wife, takes his family away to a woodland farmhouse bequeathed to him by his deceased father. Attacked en-route by an unseen animal, the family are forced to seek refuge in the remote cabin for the night, but things take a turn for the worse when Blake falls ill and starts exhibiting strange behaviour. As the night stretches on, it becomes clear that an otherworldly transformation is taking place to the once caring husband and father.
Preceded by a tense and thoroughly engaging prologue, which shows a young Blake hunting in the woods with his domineering dad, the film’s set up has potential, and given Whannell’s previous success at updating a monster classic, you’d be excused for anticipating another thrilling ride. However, what follows is altogether limp and rather uninspired.
Julia Garner is miscast as wife Charlotte, in a role that is so thinly written, she has almost nothing to do. Likewise Young Matilda Firth, in the role of daughter Ginger, who’s character name is a knowing but unfortunate reminder of a far superior werewolf flick (2000’s Ginger Snaps).
Whannell, who wrote the script alongside his wife Corbett Tuck, compresses events into a single night and looks to emulate David Cronenberg classic The Fly, gradually revealing the drawn-out transformation over the course of the film.
This works to a degree as we see Blake battle desperately to hold onto his humanity, but visually the end result falls flat and doesn’t lay a glove on the wonderful metamorphosis scene from 1981’s American Werewolf in London. Still the benchmark for all Werewolf films.
Wolf Man is at its best when it’s trying something different, like the disorienting changes in POV which allow the viewer to see and hear things from the terrified Blake’s perspective. However, Whannell never uses this neat trick anywhere near enough. Ultimately, the film all feels a bit truncated, like it’s been taken apart in the editing suite, as the studio looks in vain for a cut that works.
The final act rushes to a conclusion and fails to deliver a satisfying pay-off, which leaves Wolf Man feeling like a big opportunity missed and a real misfire for Whannell.
Unfortunately, a disappointing beginning to the cinematic year.
⭐️⭐️
Paul Steward
26/01/25
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