It's the return of the classic monster movie! Universal Pictures has
gone back to their old Hollywood roots and delivered an awesome werewolf
tale that channels the vibe of Lon Chaney Jr.'s 1941 masterpiece The
Wolf Man. It's done so well that it's hard for me not to be giddy
over The Wolfman, the same way I was when I watched the original
for the first time.
Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) left his
family home in Blackmoor, England when he was a young boy and never
looked back. Currently working as a theatre actor in America, Lawrence
is summoned back to Blackmoor by his brother's fiancee, Gwen (Emily
Blunt), after his brother, Ben (Simon Merrells), has gone missing. Upon
his return home, Lawrence learns that Ben's body was found in a ditch
and appeared to have been killed by a large animal. Some locals suspect
the caravan of gypsies that recently arrived in town are responsible,
while others fear it's a creature controlled by the moon. Lawrence's
father, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins), doesn't seem to be phased by
the horrendous murder and is more surprised to see "the prodigal son"
back home.
While investigating Ben's murder, Lawrence visits the
gypsies when the beast appears and mauls, kills, and tears several
people apart in a horrificly bloody scene. Lawrence is attacked by the
creature and bitten badly but is not killed. Weeks pass and his wounds
are fully healed, making his doctor believe he's been cursed. Sure
enough, he has been. On the first full moon after his attack, he changes
into a werewolf and goes on a wild hunt, ripping off heads and
dismembering many people. Inspector Abberline (Hugo Weaving) has
Lawrence locked up in an asylum the next day. Can they keep him locked
up or will he break free and cause havoc?
Del Toro does an
excellent job as both human Lawrence and wolf Lawrence (although the
howl is mostly provided by Gene Simmons). One scene in particular, where
he's being brutally treated in the asylum, really shows his versatility
as an actor (as if his portrayal of Che Guevara in Che wasn't
enough). I also found Hopkins a good fit even though the top complaint
I'm hearing from other critics is that them being father and son is
unrealistic (Lawrence's mother is shown to be of Spanish descent). I
bought it and thought the pair worked well together. Blunt and Weaving
could have been better used onscreen, but both do a fantastic job in
their smaller roles.
What I was most impressed with was the look
and sound of the film. This is a typical 1950s style Hammer Horror
production. Rich contrast, lots of fog and night scenes, and creaky
floorboards and animal noises around every corner. The make-up effects,
courtesy of Rick Baker, were also great and referenced a lot of Baker's
older werewolf work (namely An American Werewolf in London and The
Howling), while being true to the look of the 1941 version. Danny
Elfman's gothic sounding score was also a perfect match.
In the
same way Guy Ritchie blew me away with his cool adaptation of Sherlock
Holmes last year, director Joe Johnston (along with writers Andrew Kevin
Walker and David Self) knew not to take The Wolfman so seriously
and had a lot of fun with it. Unlike the slew of stiff, boring monster
films we saw in the early 1990s (Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mary
Shelley's Frankenstein, and Wolf), The Wolfman excited
me and I hope Universal will go back and give this treatment next to
Frankenstein and Dracula.
**** out of 5 stars
Rated R
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Anthony Hopkins
Directed
by: Joe Johnston
Official
Site IMDb
brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com
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image: A scene from The Wolfman. Courtesy Universal Pictures.