Dueling Werewolves

Taking Liberties with Lycanthropy
Or
Like Father like Son
Oedipal twist tears the heart out of The Wolfman
by Morgan P Salvo

The Wolfman looked like it might be okay, beginning with a lone figure prowling the moors at night, segueing into the first beastly attack. But alas The Wolfman is far from okay. Resurrecting a horror icon should have some pizzazz. The only thing this Wolfman has down is the lavish sets depicting the 1891 Gothic atmosphere and Victorian period in which it takes place.
The plot revives the classic lycanthropic tale of a man who experiences an unsettling transformation after being attacked by a rampaging werewolf. Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) returns to his family estate to investigate his brother’s death, deal with his estranged father (Anthony Hopkins) and contend with a horrifying family legacy. Playing out like any Wolfman movie, the full moon looms and evil transformation is imminent. But this one made me miss even the abysmal Wolf with Jack Nicholson, not to mention Lon Chaney Jr’s sensitive portrayal in George Waggner's 1941 film of the same name.
From a check list of the things wrong it seems blame can be cast upon the delays in production: too much re-editing, re-shooting, re-writing, and rescheduling. Mark Romanek - who showed promise with One Hour Photo, left the project and director Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park 3, Honey I Shrunk the Kids) took the reigns.
The mixed bag of celluloid includes horror tricks like flashbacks, visions and premonitions, standard jolt scare tactics, time-lapse photography, double exposure, an implausible love story, overbearing gloom and doom horns or strings, Transylvania-type setting with gypsies, wild rampage with gore a-plenty, and an unexplained Grudge-like demon child. Alongside the raving lunatic theory, there’s even a short-lived surreal and psychedelic asylum interlude. The werewolf attacks consist of abrupt cuts to the snarling face of the beast, a deafening roar, slashing swipes by bloody claws and yes, eventually howling at the moon
Humorous yet painful, the cliché ridden dialogue feels like lines from other movies about love, horror and action put on pieces of paper and plucked out of a hat. “God help us”, “Ah, the prodigal son returns”. One decent quotable quote though: “The past is a wilderness of horrors.” Not a bad mantra.

The acting just felt awkward. Del Toro never seems remorseful. Giving way to brooding he misses the opportunity to exhibit Lon Chaney-like sadness and awareness of his dismal plight. Lawrence’s need for revenge overshadows his ability to convey the passion of humanity. Hopkins tries to swallow the screen whole with his ham-fisted combo of Hannibal Lecter and Col.Ludlow from Legends of the Fall. Gwen (Emily Blunt) ), the widow of the deceased brother, is either pensive or scared helping make this movie all the more ludicrous, though Hugo Weaving as the Scotland Yard inspector breathes some humor and life into the shenanigans

With special effects that have not progressed since The Howling this Wolfman actually resembles Curse of the Werewolf, featuring Oliver Reed in a torn man-blouse. But the real culprit is the absence of tragedy and pathos. The heart of the story is the pain and suffering about life’s cruel twists. Here the heart has been ripped out and replaced by a vacuous Oedipal twist-run-amok that serves no purpose but to deliver a werewolf smack-down for the grand finale.
With nothing to spur it on but lackluster performances and unbearable script, Wolfman feels redundant. The Wolfman might find an audience in the ranks of unintentional camp but I think with all its misgivings, uneven blend of Gothic horror, Victorian drama, and B-movie thrills it will rest in piece waiting for the next reliable full moon. Maybe we’ll get Del Toro back in top form as “Duke the Dog-Faced Boy” in a remake of Peewee’s Big Top. Now that would have some pizzazz.

The Wolfman
Starring Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving
Directed by Joe Johnston
2 stars