The character of the Wolf Man has been around for decades and has had multiple films made about him. One of the most tragic characters in the Universal Monsters lineup, the Wolf Man is someone who cannot control what happens to him and is cursed to transform under the full moon and hurts just about anyone in his way.
In 2021, Leigh Whannell made The Invisible Man for Blumhouse and it was a huge hit. Critics and audiences loved it. It was a great modern take that was well-acted, scary, and dealt with real issues of domestic abuse. It seemed like the idea of Leigh Whannell doing something similar with The Wolf Man would be an easy win. Not exactly.
The Story
Blake and his family are troubled. His wife and he haven’t been getting along as well and there seems to be a lack of connection between mother and daughter, Blake feels taking a trip to his dad’s old cabin where he spent a lot of time growing up would be a great idea for the family to bond.
Once there they are attacked by an unseen creature and Blake is scratched. They hide inside of a house but Blake is beginning to slowly change jeopardizing the fate of of his wife and daughter.
Unfortunately, the story here is very thin and so are the characters. This is a story that we have seen before and seen it done better. People are chased and have to survive the night. Rinse and repeat. Wolf Man tries to deliver more of a message but overall it is muddled and lacks focus.
The Acting and Character Issues
Christopher Abbot and Julia Garner do a fine job as Blake and Charlotte but I still can’t help but feel they were both wasted here because the script doesn’t give them anything interesting to say or do.
We see that they are having problems as husband and wife but we don’t understand what kind of problems and we aren’t given enough to care if they stay together or not. The movie is supposed to be talking about generational trauma and Blake is doing what he can to not end up like his father. There is a scene where he scolds his daughter for doing something dangerous and he later apologizes for it. It honestly doesn’t paint him as a bad father or show us he is like his own father.
The movie doesn’t do enough to convince us this man needs to change or he even has a problem. We don’t know enough about this family to care about anything that happens to them. When Blake starts going through changes, it isn’t sad or shocking. It’s gross and the effects are good but for a character that is supposed to be so tragic, there isn’t enough character development here to make us feel much of anything.
The effects here are very good. As much as the final transformation doesn’t scream Werewolf, the practical effects and makeup are excellent. There is nothing like seeing an effect that is really there. It is uncomfortable and unpleasant and easily the best part of the movie.
We also get to see the reaction to the change through the werewolf’s point of view. We see what he sees and how he is unable to communicate or understand people around him. This is a great addition but sadly not much is done with it and it isn’t used as much as it should be.
Overall
Wolf Man could have been a thrilling tragic modern tale dealing with relatable issues. Instead, we get a boring muddy predictable chase film that sadly isn’t scary. The werewolf effects are well done but they aren’t enough to hide the lazy script and forgettable characters. It is a shame because there is a good movie somewhere here, and Leigh Whannell has proven to be a fantastic director. It just seems like there were too many ideas that didn’t have focus here. Hopefully, Whannell’s next outing doesn’t bite.