The Wolfman: Review By Vamp

Well, you all know me as the man of vampires. And true to that word, I am. However, when I heard that they'd be remaking the 1941 classic, "The Wolfman," I was immediately interested. I must say, though, that when I heard Benecio Del Toro was cast as Lawrence Talbot, I was a little disappointed. Del Toro isn't a bad actor, that's not what I'm getting at here. He's just really not a favorite of mine. However, upon seeing trailers, I was a little at ease. He really does play the part well. Especially in this movie. Now, I'm not really a know-all when it comes to werewolf lore. True, the only movies I've seen are the ones everyone knows: "Skinwalkers," "The Howling," "Silver Bullet," etc. However, I do know a few things about the original "Wolfman," which I saw a long time ago. I'm a huge fan of the older Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., and Vincent Price horror films. In fact, as you'd guess, "Dracula," with Bela Lugosi is still my favorite adaptation of this character. So I was interested in seeing how this movie would be handled with the technology we have today. To say the least, I was vastly impressed. Only one minor thing got to me a little with this movie, and I'll come to that later. Overall, this is definitely one of the better werewolf movies out there, and probably my favorite straight-up werewolf film at the moment.

Joe Johnston directs this remake. Johnston is known for his hand in other movies, like "Jurassic Park III" and "Jumanji," which are both two of my favorite movies. So knowing that Johnston has impressed me before, I'm not surprised to say that he does so again with "The Wolfman." His directing takes the cameras to interesting, creepy angles that really add to the movie. And I really think that a lot of the filters that were used for the cameras really gave the film that kind of "old horror movie" kind of feel. That was an incredibly interesting effect because it felt like you were watching one of the old black-and-whites, but in reality, you're watching a brand new movie. It was definitely a feeling that I greatly enjoyed. The screenwriters of the movie are Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self, who do an intense remake of screenwriter Curt Siodmak's original 1941 remake. They write very well, creating dialogue that works for the characters, as well as moods for the film that, overall, really help everything feel eerie and creepy, which, I assume, is precisely what they WANT you to feel. So overally, the direction/writing department of this movie was definitely well at work making this remake possible, and making it very good at that.

The visuals of this movie are where we see a lot of intensity and awesomeness, as well as the one thing about the movie that kind of irked me. First of all, I must say that the wolfman scenes are absolutely awesome. The reinvention of the original werewolf is absolutely stunning, and not to mention more than a little creepy. Definitely one of the best things that they did with the visuals. Also the amount of gore and guts that were shown in this movie were both ridiculous and awesome. Ridiculous just because of the way things were done, and awesome just because it was gratuitous violence, and as long as that's what the movie isn't trying to base it's scare-factor on, I love gratuitous violence. I also enjoyed all of the costumes throughout the movie, as they really bring back that air of creepiness that comes with a movie that is set in a time without all of the high-tech weaponry and what have you. However, with all of these great visuals, there was one thing that really bugged me. That thing would have to be the two animals that they used in separate parts of the movie. In one part, a camp of gypsies has a bear. The bear looks completely animated. I mean, you can animate a bear, but geez, at least try a little. The second animal is a deer that the villagers use to bait the wolfman. It's also done the same way as the bear, and it just looks kind of ridiculous prancing around. So overall the visuals were done well, but a couple parts were kind of shaky. Also, look out for one incredibly kick ass werewolf fight. That's all I will say, as I do not want to spoil TOO much for you.

The storyline of the movie is definitely one of awesomeness, as lame as that saying might sound to you. It's the old story, bringing us back to THE werewolf. The biggest and the baddest of all that were ever to come around. Not to mention the first movie werewolf that I know of. A man returns to his ancestral home, only to be brought into a nightmare of monster (and I do mean MONSTER) proportions, as he finds himself the target of a curse that, by the light of the full moon, turns him into the most horrifying beast to roam the country side. Basically, the movie is one man's struggle to do what is right, despite the fact that he is impeded at every turn by monsters and idiots. It's an age-old story, but one that I welcome watching. Especially since it's a remake of one of my favorite old movies. So to say that they really f*cked up on this remake would be a lie, since it definitely turned out very well despite a couple of setbacks. Do I think the new writers of the movie did a good job? Indeed I do... and then some. They did fantastic with this movie, and I definitely am glad that they didn't completely butch one of the best, and oldest, movies out there.

The movie starts off with a man, Ben Talbot (played by Simon Merrells of "Invisible Eyes"), who is running through the forest trying to escape some sort of beast, when the beast catches, and mutilates him. After that we hear from a woman, Gwen Conliffe (played by Emily Blunt of "The Devil Wears Prada") who writes a letter to a man named Lawrence Talbot (played by Benecio Del Toro of "Sin City"), asking that he return to his ancestral home in Englad to help locate his brother, whom has gone missing. Even though, as the letter goes on to say, Lawrence has not been in contact with his family for some time. Lawrence responds, and returns to the manor in order to help the search parties locate his brother. But upon returning to his home, he meets with his father, Sir John Talbot (played by Anthony Hopkins of "The Silence of the Lambs"), and we can immediately tell that there is a certain amount of tension between the two of them. However, Lawrence learns from his father that his brother's body had been found mutilated in a ditch somewhere in the country. Now Lawrence's mission becomes finding out what happened to his brother, and stopping the madman or beast that brutally killed his little brother. The night after his return, Lawrence pays his respects to Gwen, the woman who was engaged to marry his brother, as well as the woman whose letter summoned him back to his old home. He gives what possessions his brother had on him to her, knowing that he would have wanted her to have them, despite the fact that he hadn't seen his brother in years. They talk for a while, and Gwen expreses her gratitude. Lawrence learns that his brother was an ambassador to the gypsies, and he goes to the gypsy camp to find out what they knew of his brothers. While in this camp, the villagers show up to slaughter the bear that they think is responsible for killing not only Lawrence's brother, but other mutilated friends of theirs. However, as they are about to slaughter this bear, another beast shows up, and begins to kill all of the villagers and gypsies. Lawrence decides to take it into his own power to bring the beast down, but as he tries to kill it, the beast bites into his shoulder, before being driven off by other hunters. The gypsies patch him up and return him to his father, despite the fact that they know he'll be a threat to everyone around him. After Lawrence is back on his feet, a detective named Abberline (played by Hugo Weaving of "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King") shows up and questions Lawrence about his past history as a mental patient. While politely, but not sincerely, seeing the detective out the door, Lawrence begins to wonder what's going on in his mind, as he keeps having disturbing visions. When the next full moon rises, Lawrence learns that his father was the wolfbeast that had attacked him. The wolfman that the villagers had been gossipping about. However, something begins to change in Lawrence when the moonlight hits him, and after he changes, he goes on a rampage and kills everyone he comes across, while his father, knowing what goes on, locks himself up. But his father isn't all good, as he purposfully let his son run rampant in the village. The next morning, Sir John finds his son in a tree, and allows the police to come and take him away to the sanitarium, as they are all completely sure that he is delusional about becoming a beast by the light of the full moon. But after a month, when the next moon rises, the doctors bring him into a room to prove to him that he's not a werewolf. But, as we knew it would, the moon changes Lawrence, and he goes on a rampage and escapes the assylum. He goes to Gwen, whom he has fallen in love with, and tells all, but when the police come, he must escape. Now Gwen and Detective Abberline are both looking for a beast to kill, but they're not the only ones, as Lawrence intends to end everything by finally facing his father. All of the actors and actresses who had hands in this movie do a great job at their respective character. Benecio Del Toro shines through as the newest Lawrence Talbot. He plays a man who is conflicted by his curse and his will to do what is right, and he does so very well. Emily Blunt lends her talents as the woman whom Talbot loves, but cannot be near since he is a monster. She gives the movie romanticism and drive, and she does so very well. Anthony Hopkins does a fantastic job as the villain of the film. He offers an eerie, mostly-silent role, but it's one that you'll never forget. That is completely unsurprising, though, as Anthony Hopkins is one of those actors that delivers performances that absolutely leave you breathless. Finally we have Hugo Weaving as the man who tries to do what is right and stop the madness. He's sort of the bumbling idiot, I guess, but he does so very well as in the end he offers quite a bit of help. Weaving is another great actor, and once again he delivers a fantastic performance. So the casting of this movie was DEFINITELY very well done.

All in all, was this movie really worth the watch? Hell f*cking yes it was worth the watch! If you were still teetering on the edge of watching this, then let me be the one to push you onto the "I'm going!" side because it's definitely one that you should see in theaters before it hits the DVD shelves. I'm very glad that I got the chance to go and see it because it really is worth the watch. The directing and writing was incredibly well done. Despite the fact that some of it was shaky, the visuals were fantastic. The storyline is one that's old, but very well loved. And finally the acting is impeccable. So overall the movie gets a solid A from me, and I'm sure that many of you will enjoy the movie quite a bit. If you're one who enjoys supernatural movies, creature flicks, werewolves, or any of that, then I don't know what you've been waiting for because this is definitely the movie for you. Everyone else should also give this a shot because it truly is a very good movie. So give it a shot sometime. I am almost POSITIVE that you will not get disappointed with this movie in the SLIGHTEST. I know I didn't!!!!!