The Wolfman (remake)
| release date | February 12 2010 |
| studio | Universal Pictures |
| director | Joe Johnston |
| writer | Andrew Kevin Walker |
| starring | Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Art Malik, Rob Dixon, Hugo Weaving, Nicholas Day, Michael Cronin, David Schofield, David Sterne, Roger Frost, Clive Russell, Geraldine Chaplin |
| rating | R |
| site | thewolfmanmovie.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
1 Comments
Just got back from the Midnight showing and all I have to say is this is quite possibly the worst movie I’ve EVER seen in theaters. Especially with all of the things it had going for it. All the actors looked like they were straight up reading off of a frickin’ Teleprompter or some shit haha ESPECIALLY Anthony Hopkins. I was seriously crying from laughter during the Mental Ward scene with him and Benicio. It was sooooooOOOOOOooooo bad. I can’t get over what I just saw. There was absolutely no character buildup or any strong relationships made. It felt like one big ass trailer. The only thing that I enjoyed about the entire movie was Emily Blunt. She was the only one who I felt didn’t do a wretched job. Well I guess Hugo Weaving was pretty good too, but still a cheesy character. Was this movie produced by Disney or Steven Spielberg or something? The entire film felt like it was shot for the Disney Channel for Halloween. If it didn’t have gore that is lol. The gore was actually really good. A few good laughs from the ridiculous kills. Also there was WAY to many phantom scares or whatever you would want to call it. So annoying! Only worked on me once during the entire movie. I fucking hate when movies use that shit and use it to death like The Wolfman did. I had high hopes for this film and it just flopped big time. Only go see this film if you want to see what a really bad movie looks like.
I expected more.
Terrible plot, dialogue, and surprisingly bad acting.
Although, there are some decent gore scenes that kept me entertained at times. I wont’ lie that I DID fall asleep a couple times for a period of 4 minutes at a time….I’m disappointed.
Dont belive the bullshit Reviews, BD hated the Film since it was anounced, its exactly what you want it to be:
Classic atmosphere (best Sets since Sleepy Hollow), classic Story (yeah, there are no surprises at all, but thats ok…at least for me), GREAT Wolfman and even greater Wolfman attacks (and thats what the film is about, right?).
I recomend this to everyone who wants to see REAL Horror again, instead of Movies by Videoclip and commercial Directors.
I would give it a good “8″, but i think i vote a “10″ here, because especially Mr. D
I completely agree with you GenitalGeneral!!! Horror is not all about scares and jumps!!! It’s about atmosphere since it is a branch of Gothic Literature!! So accept for what it is a piece of Gothic horror with dark atmosphere and not so many scares and boos jumping out at you!! Some people need to get that through their heads!!!
This movie was great! Im a huge fan of the original as well as all of the original universal moster movies and I loved this one. Bloody disgusting complains about the fact that they probably wont remake any of the other classics but when it finally happens they give it a shitty review for a bunch of stupid reasons. Ok so Lawrence wasnt in denial in the remake like he was in the original. Does he have to be? He got bit by a fuckin Werewolf for gods sake!! He saw it and knew something fucked up was coming. Honestly all of his complains were retarded knitpicking thats pretty typical of critics. It seems that he’s just mad that this wasnt a shot for shot remake of the original, which to me was great because thats exactly what I didnt want. My favorit part of this whole ordeal? They gave Halloween 2 a three out of five. This movie was a thousand times better than that garbage. That fact alone should tell you all you need to know. Maybe Mr.Disgusting would prefer Rob Zombie to take over and make Larry Talbot a hill billy. Overall go see this movie and judge for yourself. I loved it personally and so did everyone I went to see it with.
Despite a few professional lackluster reviews of this movie I still want to see it and hope to catch it either this weekend or next. My biggest concern was that Joe Johnston was directing it. I just thought it needed to be in the hands of someone more marquee who could really give the movie look and feel that it deserves. Despite that I still hope to see it soon.
cant make to see it
I really wanted to absolutely love this film, but I just couldn’t. To start off positively, the sets and make-up effects were fantastic, but that’s it. The movie itself felt so rushed, clunky, and completely uninspired. Even most of the actors seemed bored while performing, minus the grant Anthony Hopkins. The gore and violence was pretty good, but I felt it was also too rushed as I prefer movies of this caliber to have more of a suspenseful build up and a chase.
The film got better towards the second half, but I just felt like it could’ve been so much better.
I refused to see the original when I heard it was being remade, like 3 damn years ago. So I wanted to see this so I am not comparing it to the original the whole time so here it what I think. The start of the movie is slow, but once it picks up it feels as though you are watching two movies, the first being talk about what happend, and what is happening… If the movie had been 30% more action I’d be very happy with it. CGI, casting, score, the setting were all great.
I loved the movie, sure it was a bit rushed but stil a very good movie
Solid Werewolf movie. Not worthy of the bad reviews this has been getting.
Bark at The Moon This Wolfman Kicks Ass
Sometimes a story is great no matter how many times you tell it, no matter in how many different ways.
For those looking for a fast-paced, in-your-face modern horror flick, this isn’t it. It’s a Universal-1940′s-style movie, with TONS of atmosphere, which as a big childhood fan of the original, I can greatly appreciate. I also LOVED the look of this Wolf Man…it also doesn’t hurt that Del Toro plays him as an absolute beast, and when the violence does kick in, it kicks in hard and heavy. Plus Hugo Weaving can take any role and make it crackle.
It’s not a perfect film, but as far as pure entertainment goes, it’s pretty much hits it right on the money.
Well I have to say I was very surprised! With all the delays and early bad reviews I went in thinking I was probably going to be bored or just laughing at how dumb it was but still being a horror flick I was going to see it.AND IT ROCKED! Whats wrong with you lately BD? First Legion now this??? I was totally entertained from beginning to end! The acting was amazing especially Emily Blunt.She is one of the very best new actresses out there and to a point carried this movie. Benicio Del Toro was THE WOLFMAN! Also so was someone else I want give away, but this really delivered.Maybe it was because I had such low expectations but I thought it was scary at times, action packed, thrilling, and funny! Definitely go c it!
Much better than the insipid Mummy franchise or the worst movie ever committed to celluloid, Van Helsing, but still lacking yhe emotional punch of the original,The Wolfman disappoints, but is not entirely disappointing. It plays more like an early 1960′s Hammer update of the original Universal series than an outright remake of the 1941 Lon Chaney classic. Bloody good fun, but could have been so much better…
How unfortunate that Monster Movie reviewers forget that what they’re going to see is a Monster Movie. Too often critics and “fans” review fun monster romps almost as though they were intellectuals deconstructing different aspects of classical literature.
Lighten up, folks.
What a LOT of people don’t seem to get is that modern mainstream movies churned out by major studios are the film equivalent of fast food, “cinematic cheeseburgers”, if you will.
You wouldn’t walk into a McDonald’s and get pissed off that you got a McRib/Sprite combo and not a New York Porterhouse and a glass of Chardonnay, but it seems that is the case with many a modern filmgoer.
What you’re gonna get with major modern films are “cinematic cheeseburgers”. And “The Wolf Man” is a damn fine cinematic cheeseburger. One from Red Robin or Texas RoadHouse. A Triple-Decker Mushroom & Swiss with bacon on a sourdough roll, with seasoned steak fries and a whiskey-laced mint chocolate milkshake on the side.
I’m not here to defend “The Wolf Man”. I, and the 12 year old Monster Fan that still lives in my brain, am here to praise it. It’s everything he and I ever wanted and more in a classic/gothic horror film. Superb.
Monster Movies are made to appeal to the 12 year olds that all of us Horror fans are deep down inside. It’s a shame how many of us (Mr. Disgusting included) seem to forget that.
Great film! And yes, best setting and tone since Sleepy Hollow. The action was brutal and gory. The characters were good without being over developed to were the film would drag out. This is what I expected and I was very pleased with what we recieved.
It’s quite disappointing that there are some that must have A.D.D. to pick this film apart. This was what the Wolfman needed to be. I am very pleased and hope that some are not swayed by the douche bags that have given this horrible reviews whom must have the attention span of a gnat. Check it out. It is deffinately worth the money in seeing this legendary film being remade beautifully.
I would say it just scrapes in as entertaining, I thought it was well made and looked pretty and had very impressive make-up effects but in the end it lacked suspense. The story had elements of romance, horror, and some action but ultimately had no genuine emotion behind it. In other words I could care-less, lastly I thought the score sounded really familiar to Mr Coppola Draculas.??
This movie was amazing.
I don’t know why people are nit-picking.
But hey, I guess I’m not a “professional” movie critic. I’m just an average girl who loves horror movies.
Sure the story line was a bit simple, but you know what? So was the original. In fact, it was *more* simple considering it was only about 80 minutes long. I thought it was pretty entertaining, and the moments where there was no werewolf-killing where still pretty entertaining.
So if you want a truely entertaining movie that doesn’t require much thinking while watching (not that that’s a bad thing) go see this movie.
there were only two thinks i liked about this movie and that was the atomosphere and the work that Rick Baker did on the gore and the wolfman makeup other then that it was a boring movie. To me it seems that Anthony Hopkins has lost his edge he had no emotion the entire film. I am all for remakes (if there good) but this one in my opinion was an atrocity to the orignal.
So I saw this last night and while I didn’t love it I thought it was pretty good. Del Toro was great and Hopkins was pretty good although the script didn’t do his character justice. The effects were great. I LOVED the gore but I did feel the action was few and far between. The characters were just interesting enough to bridge the gap between the werewolf sequences so bottom line this is definitely something to check out.
i think the majority of the positive reviews about this movie came from people who are too stubborn to admit that the movie they wanted so badly to be good turns out to be garbage. I was so disappointed in this movie. Del toro gave me no reason to feel for his character (unlike Lon Chaney’s wolfman) I didnt care about anyone in the movie and wanted them all to die. the art direction was beautiful, the special effects were great, but i will probably never watch this movie again.
ok… i guess… if your looking for a movie with pop scares and not much else, this is the movie for you.
I am not so crazy about this movie.. I did like the atmosphere of it.. but the acting.. and the story itself..VERY VERY UNEVEN..the screenplay writer needs to be shot..they could of made it 10-15 Min. longer and developed the cherecters..you are not even vested in them and you do not care about the outcome..THe music in the movie sounds like reject music from BATMAN..not to mention..the actors accents change throughout the movie..OK..we are british..ok..now American..VERY UNEVEN…GOOD MOVIE..BUT THEY RUINED IT.. IC OULD OF BEEN SO MUCH MORE!
I think this is a good movie,with some good scares,but too bad that the ending was just too simple.
Look, I’ll freely admit that I’m just a fan of werewolf movies and it takes something as bad as THE HOWLING 7 for me to give up and say “it sucks.”
THE WOLFMAN didn’t suck.
There were definitely some issues, as to be expected with the behind-the-scenes shenanigans and hearing about the ‘character stuff’ studios hate so much being cut out – Hey! Studios! Everytime you do that all the reviews complain about lack of character development! Think there’s a connection there?
Overall the film was good, the wolfman looked great when it wasn’t a CGI cartoon and Anthony Hopkins rocks.
Anyway, maybe not a “cinematic masterpiece”, especially with two plus years of expectation behind it, but at least a solidly entertaining three-and-a-half skull werewolf movie. Which puts it easily three skulls over any major werewolf horror movie since DOG SOLDIERS. Worth a matinee to see it for yourself.
This was very good.Hopkins and Del Toro were Awesome.The Gore was good and bloody.I love the old school look of The Wolfman.The scenery was cool and creepy.The Cgi was way better than expected.A great addition to Werewolve genere.
Great wolf man movie!, thought the CGI heavy battle at the end was a little corny, but the Gothic scenery and fog soaked forest scenes were exactly what I was wanting! I do look forward to the longer DVD cut and hope it adds more breathing room to the film.
The Wolfman has its share of problems, but there is enough good to make the afore mentioned problems seem minimal. No need to get into the story details, everybody knows what the deal is. Man gets bit by beast, man turns into beast when moon is full. What I want to address are some complaints I have been reading from other reviews and comments that are putting a negative shadow over the film. First up is the use of CGI. Honestly, with the exception of one scene, it’s not bad. The transformation scenes look smooth and defined. When the beast is running along the rooftops in London, I never thought twice about the use of CG. “Boredom is all you have to fear from The Wolfman”. This was the headline from my local paper’s review of the film and brings me to the second complaint I hear most associated with this film, “It’s boring”. Even Mr. Disgusting claims this. Yes, there are some slow burning parts to this film. I personally never found any of the slow scenes to come off as “boring” though, and the action scenes are so good that they make for an even balance. A director change, rewrites, re-edits, and re-shoots may be this films biggest pitfall as it does have some pacing and continuity issues. (Example) At one point we see Lawrence, (Del Toro) at Gwen’s (Emily Blunt) antique shop in London. Soon after their encounter with each other, Lawrence heads back to Blackmore, England. Gwen then shows up in Blackmore within a few scenes to try and help Lawrence. How long has it been? How far away is Blackmore from Gwen’s shop? These are things that are not explained and left me wondering.
Del Toro is great as Lawrence, a mentally and physically tortured, perhaps one-dimensional, character. The extremely likeable Emily Blunt seems capable of bringing vulnerability to every role she plays, and demands the camera. Anthony Hopkins is a nice addition to the cast, but sleepwalks through the film. Never really shows any emotion, even while speaking lines that should be heartfelt. Hugo Weaving was good as well, but a bit underused. The sets, lights, and cinematography create an eerie atmosphere that is spot on for this take of late England. For the gore lovers the film has plenty of it. Decapitations, arms and legs being torn off, razor sharp claw swipes to the face, and inner body parts being tossed about under the full moon sky. It has been reported that there was seventeen minutes cut from the film for its theatrical release. These seventeen minutes are supposed to get added back in for the films home video release. Hopefully the extra footage will correct some of the pacing issues the film suffers from and make for a better viewing experience. Also worth mentioning without spoiling it, there is a twist in the story that revolves around a main character that I did not care for and felt it to be unnecessary. Despite some scratches on the surface, deep down The Wolfman is a great new take on one of Universals most classic monster films that I enjoyed greatly and I look forward to adding to my collection.
Wolfman rocked! it was exactly what it was supposed to be… a fun movie.
This film is great the only problem is the warewolf fight towards the end. Overall thought is that this film is awesome and that I can’t wait for it to come out on blu ray to add to my collection.
I don’t know what movie BD saw, but this movie was frickin great! The movie had atmosphere, gore, action and great CGI. Yeah it kind of skip over some of the character developement in order to keep the movie moving, but at no time was I bored. Unlike Legion and Daybreakers which bore me to no end, this movie kept me interested.
This movie was excellent!!! Top notch!!! I dont know y people r giving this bad reviews this movie is a flat-out fantastic movie!!! A must see movie for 2010! y did BD give this such a low score and why did other critics this was amazing!?
Though the movie has horrible edition, it stills carries action-packed scenes with both gore and blood enough to please the crow.
Benicio del Toro is very correct and so is Emily Blunt, but unfortunately Sir Hopkins lacks the emotion of his role.
Way to go Joe Johnston! Now go film Captain America and give us Jurassic Park IV already!
The Wolfman was actually a good film. Aside from some choppy CG work and some bad acting,The Wolfman was good. When the Wolfman was chopping off heads and mutilating people, that’s when it was the most intersting cause the gore effects were great. All in All, The Wolfman was a good movie with a few flaws. I recommend it.
shitty acting
I thought this move had some balls, I was actually surprised by the gore and graphic kills, the gore and blood were the major points that saved this film for me. I wouldn’t buy this movie but it wasn’t bad.
Pretty fucking amazing movie. Not going to lie. Yeah the acting was shit, but whatever, I don’t see these kinds of movies for acting. If I want good acting I’ll turn to a good indie flick. Anyways the gore was pretty brutal at points, and the makeup was kick ass. And the CGI transformation was much better then I had expect. So happy they went in the R direction instead of the whimppy PG-13 and I am pretty stoked it was long too. Instead of 1:20 mins.
I went into this film with very low expectations, especially given the reviews from the B-D community. It seems like in recent months the writers at this site have totally jumped the rails with regards to several films I’ve seen and this movie is no different.
First, the film was fantastically shot with some truly haunting visuals. Second, I enjoyed the story and it’s theme regarding the cyclical nature of abuse. The film retained many elements from the original classic, but it also carved an individual niche of it’s own. My only real complaint would be some of the seemingly tacked on “action sequences” in London, and some of the shots of Talbot walking the countryside. I thought they did a brilliant job of showing the passage of time, letting the audience know that we had a month before the moon was full.
j johnston has done a well crafted work of art with this film, gothic and reaking of black, victorian horrific death.
also, very enteraining…. which is incredible underestimated part of horror films, too many films just go for gore and splatter. this made me laugh, some great touches and beautiful cinematogrophy.
i want to run around the black woods sniffing my hinde legs and pissing on tree stumps, but i wouldnt bury my own wolfy poo’s!
What a Movie! DARK! GORY! FANG-TASTIC! Great Solid Performances From Del Toro and Sir Anthony. The Movie Looked Great Set In The Late Victorian Era, and Given an Overly Gothic Aura, Johnston Has set the Mark to Beat with this Re-Imaging of the Universal Classic. A Genuine Must See.
I got to see it last night. It was not like the original at all. It was something completely different.
I don’t know what movie you guys at BD saw, but “The Wolfman” was excellent. Tons of nods to the original, plus one nod to an early draft of the original film’s script (I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it, but for those who have: cave), and a clear tribute to “Werewolf of London”, Uni’s other werewolf movie. Kept me entertained, and was all-around fun.
Loved the kills; the Wolfman is a pretty badass character.
The story is interesting up to a point, and after a while, all I wanted to do was see the Wolfman kill the shit out of the villagers.
A good movie; nothing super special.
they spent 150 million to make this movie and this is all that came from that, it wasn’t terrible but i defently hope that if they do creature from the black lagoon next they put a little more effort into the characters so that people actually care when something happens to them
The Wolfman looked like a gritty, balls-to-the-wall flick, especially because of its restricted rating. The best thing to say is that it was very atmospheric and bloody, but it wasn’t the type of film we were waiting for. The Wolfman might be gory and very dark-toned, but it lacks character development, a great premise, and tension. I was probably only horrified maybe twice. I also thought the “jump scare” tactic was really obnoxious. It worked for the first few times, but got old really fast. I also thought that we didn’t have enough development for the characters to care about them or the lead protagonist. With that aside, I found the film to be entertaining and very gruesome and atmospheric. I like a good gore-fest, especially a very dark one. The Wolfman isn’t too bad, and I’d probably watch it again, but it’s not worth the hype the film surrounds.
Very strange, that the action-director-substitute delivers a film whose weakest scenes are action. This film would be much better if only it didn’t have those cheesy, unconvincing shots of the monster running around. C’mon, Universal, you don’t have to put in stuff that only a ten year old could love – couldn’t you aim for eighteen year olds, at least? And for that matter, the cost of this film ($120 mil!) is insane for what you got – Beautiful sets and scenery, top notch costumes, cast and props, gorgeous cinematography – but basically a more polished Hammer film. Most of it probably went to the phoney baloney shots that hurt it. Otherwise, a decent flick with a seriously undercooked (overcooked?) script. Only Emily and Benicio make it worthwhile.
Only things that saved this movie was the sets, costumes, cinematography, and the parts where we see the wolfman attack people from his piont of view instead of people running in the woods alone. The use of “volume scares” is just annoying and the SPOILER fight between wolf-Benicio and wolf-Anthony was a major let down with them jumping off walls and shit END SPOILER but hey, at least they didnt make it PG-13
I honestly thought this was a great movie. Yes, i would have preferred no CGI, it would have been awesome to see a transformation with only makeup but the CGI in this movie was at least top of the line, it looked amazing. There are so many positive things to say about this movie than negative.
Not perfect, but still very enjoyable. Great Setting, cool visuals and awesome Gore – i will definitely buy this one on Dvd.
unbearably boring? wow you have ADD up the ass dont you?
This is not the train wreck it’s not made out to be. If you enjoyed Bram Stokers Dracula and Sleepy Hollow then chances are you’ll get a kick out of this. It’s The Wolfman and it has all the ingredients that a Goth Horror should have. Old, dark mansions, grey gloomy skies, fog covered forests and werewolf carnage are piled on here by the bucket loads. The entire cast do a decent enough job. Del Toro and Blunt are restrained, Hopkins brings a few servings of ham and Weaving, just the right amount of seriousness.
The CGI effects and Rick Bakers make up work well together and when the wolf is on the hunt he truly is a menacing beast.
Don’t be put off by the negative reviews. If you’re after a slice of big budget goth horror this is the movie for you. Don’t take it too seriously and have fun with it.
This is the best movie i have seen in a long as time. Right up there with the original and to all the ppl putting this movie down. We all know you will buy it cause you really enjoyed it you just need something to bitch about.
Could have been good, but the character development was extremely poor. In short, I didn’t give a crap about anyone in this film. This made all of the scenes with no Wolfman carnage pretty boring.
Also, the CGI in the film was sub-par, and there was some blatant misuse of it (really? a CGI bear?).
Still, the sets were amazing, the cinematography was great, and the Wolfman scenes were good (even though I really didn’t like the transformations).
I could have forgiven most of the flaws with this film, but the lack of emotion for the characters killed it for me.
If you want to read my detailed review, head over here: http://www.fotd-online.com/2010/02/review-wolfman-2010.html
Man, i was so disappointed, and i wont even say the movie was bad ,becuase it wasnt. It was not the worst film ive ever seen, and it defintely wasnt the best/worst horror flick id ever seen, but it wasnt great.
First off, if all you want to see if a wolfman destroy waves of unsuspecting people, THEN THIS IS YOUR MOVIE! Every scene with the wolfman is great carnage but, unfortunately, this is all this movie has going for it.
The acting was bland, which is a shame becuase i like del toro, though, hopkins was fantastic as always.
I was really expecting for this movie either to suck horribly or achieve some sort of daybreakers cult status, but it fell short oh so slightly. For what it is worth, it didnt completely suck, and werewovles are cool!
A very fun movie with great acting, action, and effects. It was everything the previous Universal Monster re-makes were not; and everything a good Wolfman movie should be. Loved it!
I just got home from seeing this movie. It is as awesome as I hoped it would be. For those disappointed with the CG in this film STFU. The movie holds true to the original and then some. I just don’t understand how some people here would say that the movie is bad. The scenes and action are just fantastic. With the Wolfman’s face up close I just can’t help it to imagine Lon Chaney behind that makeup. Excellent tribute to the original. Could there be a possible sequel to this?
I don’t understand/agree with all the terrible reviews this film is getting, but I’ll just assume it’s a difference of opinions. Rick Baker did a BADASS job and while there were no Oscar-worthy performances, I still thought the acting was good enough to make me care about the characters. I was as far on the spectrum as you can get from being bored while watching this. Overall, pretty damn good.
I happened to like this when I saw it this weekend. , i loved the style and the creature itself. anthony hopkins stole every scene he was in, but what do you expect. all in all, a great flick.
It was pretty good in its own way but it was nothing spectacular. The Wolfman himself was quite badass and his scenes were awesome to say the least. The performances just weren’t that good and there was way too much CGI going on towards the end. Overall I would say wait for it to come to DVD.
I had been waiting for this movie for a few years. So obviously going into it I was really hoping for an amazing remake with some great attack scenes. What I got was a good movie…but a good movie that could have been sooooo much better and a movie that was rushed from the opening scene. Don’t get me wrong. I really enjoyed it and it did have some great and brutal attack scenes…but not what I was expecting. But I would definitely see it again.
Mr. D:
As I usually use your reviews as a tuning fork to guide me to or away from certain films, I have to completely disagree with your feedback on the Wolfman. I thought the movie moved at a slow, yet deliberate pace, the acting was excellent, and the CGI was slightly overdone (but not enough to stain the film). I think you need to watch it again. Hugo Weaving dd a great job as the super-persistant Inspector Abberline.
You need to watch it again…
Just came from seeing this movie and I loved it. I don’t get all the bad reviews. I loved Benicio Del Toro. Anthony Hopkins was bland, bad casting.There were some plot holes, but it didn’t destroy the movie.I’m not big on CGI, but it wasn’t too bad. If you like werewolf movies go see this!!
i dont get all the bad reviews i liked it alot..it was in a tone of Stoker’s Dracula one of my all time favorites..it was a little slow but i didnt mind it its not like theres a full moon every night..they did let you know the time frame with the shots of my moon going through its phases the only part i thought that slightly ruined it was the father-son climax that was the studio all the way all in all i enjoyed it and will own this when it comes out i grew up with my aunt showing me all the classic universal monster movies and in my mind this was a good remake with a new twist..dont listen to the critics if you love real horror movies with tone and mood go see this
Enjoyable movie that ultimately suffers from trying to please A.D.D.-afflicted action-loving generation.
The films looks amazing and the creature effects are quite good. The film-makers pay homage to the classics with a stylish gothic atmosphere but inject it with violence, gore and action. Not a bad combination, but in their efforts to appeal to everybody, they forgot to develope the characters enough to get the audience to connect with them.
It’s a shame too. There is some real star power here, they’re just not given the time to show it. Lon Chaney was sympathetic in his portrayal way back in 1941 when filmmakers were not concerned about creating the next big event film. Films were allowed to be in the “slow-cooker”.
Still, the faster pace does make the movie exciting to watch if not overly suspenseful. It all depends on your preference. I prefer edge-of-the-seat horror over action. Save the action werewolves for ‘Underworld’.
Regardless, it’s an enjoyable film worth a look.
7 out of 10.
First off I have to say that I completely disagree with Mr. D’s review. The Wolfman was an excellent movie that stayed in the spirit of the traditional horror movies. Anymore people just want action on top of action. Action does not make a horror movie. Being able to relate to the characters portrayed in the movie and feeling some sort of emotion for them make a horror movie.
I thought they blended the horror and action well but I really do wish that they had put more horrific moments in the movie.
Overall I would defiantly say to go and watch this movie. I do believe that it is one of the best werewolf movies that I have seen.
Terrific movie!
it feels just like old universal movies! i loved it!
it got that “wolfman” feeling down right!
Dull and pedestrian remake, had a lot of potential but the end result isn’t as good as it could have been. A shame, because they got many elements right.
Ok, first i’m going to start off by saying that i have, sadly, not seen the orignal wolfman. So i cant really say to much about which one is better matter. But i thought that this movie was great. The special effects were amamzing, wolfman looked great! And they did a really goog job on the casting as well, everybody fit their part. Not everyone is going to like this movie, this is one of those movies, you either love it or hate it. But i personally myself thought it was a great movie!
Director Joe Johnston’s 2010 remake of Universal Studios’ horror classic is an unapologetic throwback to the horror masterworks of the ’30s and ’40s, and it’s a beautifully crafted exercise in style. You know how a movie like this works. Misty moors? Check. Spooky mansion? Check. Tragic anti-hero? Check. We’re all familiar with the formula and we know exactly what the trajectory of the story has to be. Sure, none of this will scare today’s jaded audiences, but being such an anachronism is at the core of The Wolfman’s charm. It treats its melodramatic horror tropes with affection and respect, recruits top-flight talent to bring the story to life, and has the courage to pursue its old-school convictions without deviating into camp or self-conscious irony. If you’re looking for scares, you’ve come to the wrong place. If you want breezy, nostalgic fun, you’ll find these waters to be just fine.
While touring London, acclaimed actor Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) receives a distressing letter from his sister-in-law, Gwen (Emily Blunt). His brother Ben has been missing for days and Gwen’s beside herself with anxiety. Lawrence hasn’t had any contact with his family in years, much less returned to his ancestral home. Dark, awful secrets and the like, you understand. Gwen’s pleas are too empassioned for him to ignore, though, and after a decades-long absence, Lawrence returns to the estate.
When Lawrence arrives, he receives a much warmer welcome than he expected from his father, the renowned adventurer Sir John Talbot, and is promptly informed that Ben has been found. Well, his horrifically mangled body has been found. So to bring closure to his grieving family, Lawrence vows to find out how Ben met his untimely and transcendentally icky demise.
When Lawrence arrives at a traveling gypsy camp, his visit is interrupted by an obligatory angry mob, who’ve decided that the caravan’s dancing bear was at fault, and they’re ready to vent some righteous wrath. Though when the creature who’s really at fault starts tearing through the camp like a hot knife through butter, everyone’s suddenly united in the spirit of hoping against hope that they’ll live to see the sunrise. Lawrence fights valiantly, but his close encounter with the beast leaves him horrifically wounded. It’s unlikely that he’ll live out the week.
Lawrence defies the odds – not only do he live, but the wound heals with no trace of a scar. His senses are unnaturally heightened. He’s a modern medical miracle.
Except for that bit of unpleasantness that occurs during a full moon…
Frightening? No, but the scenes of carnage are a giddy wonder to behold and they’ll fill you with a childlike delight as the Wolfman gets down to bloody business. Johnston films these sequences beautifully and The Wolfman never spastically jumps from cut to cut leaving coherence in the dust. Johnston also gives the film time to build, taking the opportunity to develop his characters from familiar movie archetypes to fairly well-rounded people whose soap operatics are nearly as entertaining as the footage of the Wolfman raising Hell.
Johnston’s Victorian setting is perfect for the movie, framing it as a dark fairy tale for grown-ups. Sure, there’s plenty of gruesome mayhem, but there’s also a veneer of sophistication and class in play, thanks to Johnston’s beautiful realization of Victorian England. If Merchant-Ivory had produced monster movies, they’d probably look a lot like The Wolfman.
The Wolfman is easily the best looking movie Johnston’s ever directed. His re-creation of Victorian England has a rich gothic ambience that makes the retelling work. I could only imagine how hollow it would have felt if the filmmakers had felt the need to update the story for modern audiences.
The cast is quite good, playing their parts with an earnest conviction that sells the admittedly goofy story. Del Toro has the look and feel of a man staggered by the weight of his curse and Hopkins’ performance is beautifully understated. Even at his most malevolent, he radiates a calm, reassuring paternal presence that’s wickedly perverse in its context. Johnston has the courage of his old-school convictions – he never plays his material for camp value or cheap laughs and as a result, The Wolfman works wonderfully as an endearing tribute to the films that inspired it.
Maneating Lemur (02/10/2010)
ok/
The Wolfman is a “fun” horror film that knows it’s a “B” movie and doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. As a update, it works well. The cinematography is wonderfully moody and atmospheric, the cast is buoyant, the effects are gruesome, the music is bombastic, and the story is silly and simple. But so what? At some point you can let your expectations run wild and nitpick every detail but in the end this movie is about the hairy beast and those scenes are perfect. After years of torture porn, parodies, and non-stop teen flicks, this retro-charming throwback is good entertainment for a rainy Saturday afternoon.
Loved the old school vibe. Had an amazing atmosphere, fierce kills, and a perfect score by Danny Elfman. Highly recommended!
Average werewolf-movie. On the one hand we get 2 brilliant lead actors (Hopkins & del Toro), a beautiful setting, great chase scenes and some wonderful gore – on the other hand we get a completely messed up script, a bunch of extremely boring scenes with lousy dialogue, too much CGI and unfortunately not enough suspense.
Sadly disappointing.
I though it was one of thoe Remake that gonna be good, but with heauily special effect it kind of ruined it, while having oads of bloodly, gore & guts full film, with excenllent driector-ing & acting by the main four leads this film is a dencent, average good/bad movie it not the best remake and the storyline/plot was pretty boring until the killings & the little romance was vey charming/werido overall the Origianls all was win by the reamkes soo this one is a wait to DVD me thinks. (I love original & Remake horror film, but this was a disppointment of a remake for me).
I went into the cinema with no expectations. I came out a little disappointed. The only good parts were the score and Emily Blunt who seemed believable and maybe even a little devious. The werewolf was not scary at all…I thought maybe a longer snout would have been better because he just looked like a really hairy man with fangs. Had a lot of jumpy moments, most expected but one or two came out of nowhere. The ending made Emily Blunt’s character seem a little more believable and I liked that but really it was a pretty average film.
A well made remake! The special effects were above average (the transformation scenes were amazing!), and has a good cast. The style and atmosphere of the movie was very well done, and gave the experience a real dreary feel. It got a little slow in a few parts, but nothing too boring. I highly recommend to fans of the original, or to anyone looking for a modern effects thriller, with a very classic feel.
The movie for me, was sadly disapointing. The whole plot line was predictable, they didn’t fully explain who and what the kid in the cave was. The wolfman costume, I mean, I felt like they tryed to bring back the old wolfman style, They almost passed but from my perspective, Failed and sort of laughable and it the whole thing was rushed ALOT. The only thing that keeps me from giving the movie a 5, is some of the “HOLY SHIT!! THAT WAS GRAPHIC” moments, and I love the actress Emily Blunt
The graphics where ok, I loved the transforming part. But the ending yet again was predictable. I’d give this movie a passing 6/10. I think what bothered me the most was the editing. Ok. Peace!
This film is just shit. The werewolf looked like a fat man in a costume that didn’t fit.
I was actually really looking forward to this movie, and I’m pretty disappointed. I really liked the effects and the action parts of the movie where he tears everyone apart, but that was about it. I felt hardly any connection to the characters, I thought the movie contradicted itself, and some of the lines were really bad… so bad that I laughed almost every time someone spoke. The love connection between Lawrence and Gwen was nonexistent in my eyes. It was a good attempt I guess, but I wish they would have done better.
BENICIO DID SO BAD! I was really excited for this for about half a year before it came out. When I saw it I spent the next day trying to rationalize how bad it was, and that maybe it was actually good. A couple days later I came to my senses, this was soooo bad :[ Emily Blunt did a good job though, haha
Before seeing the film, I read reviews of it; as I almost always do. Every single review I read was a negative one and before I start with mine, I’d like to say that this is one of those so very few positive reviews. Whilst a very good remake, it was very fun to watch too. Personally, I am against remakes of classics, but some remakes are actually very good and some people like to put those down without even giving it a chance. And when they do give it a chance, they come out of the theatre with the same negative aspect they went in with. This film’s score was very good and creepy at parts. The acting was top-notch. Cinematography and picture were incredible. High quality in every aspect. The story was somewhat acceptable, but the film still turned out great. The blood and gore were pretty high grade. The CGI bear and the CG transformation scenes were very low grade. The transformation scenes could have been much better. I do recommend this film whenever it is it comes to DVD. Just watch and enjoy.
Just watched the unrated dvdrip, and I haft to say this was one of the best werewolf movies ive ever seen. It got a little slow at times, but overall it proved to be a worth watch.
Dont waste your money…
I heard terrible things about this movie, and just watch the unrated cut…..even half of the people that calmed this movie was awful even watching the same movie I just did? I don’t think the R rated version could of had that much of a huge difference. Because honestly this movie is good, nothing great what so ever…the pacing was horrible at times for one thing, but it was seriously a good movie. I would put it right up there with the 90′s remakes Bram Stokers Dracula, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein easily!!
It was a some what pleasant mix of action and horror, but at the same time that’s the movies only flaw overall. The horror or maybe simply the attempts to build up tension work most of the time, but honestly at times just drag down the action! The long periods of plot seem like just filler sometimes, but I never reached the point of complete disinterest or boredom. As every moment the Wolfman himself is on screen it steals the movie. With a surprising amount of action and gore for a remake of a classic monster movie. Benicio Del Toro did a marvelous job as the Wolfman himself..and should be commended for his acting while in costume. Sadly because of the bad reviews and lackluster box office I doubt it will ever happen.
Well i can’t say i loved this movie but it was a nice bloody attempt at the classic creature this movie stayed somewhat true to the story i guess the cast was perfect i think Anthony Hopkins Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt and throw in Hugo Weaving this movie is perfect i guess but this movie has its flaws and that is why i am only giving it 4stars but we will get to that later. The Wolfman was way bloodier than i intended it was going to be but it does an ok job the ending is sort of predictable and the twist i saw coming…
The Wolfman stars Benicio Del Toro as Laurence Talbolt who is in England working in his theater production and when he recevies a letter from his brother Fiance Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt) that his brother has been missing for 7 weeks and she requests that he come home and help search for him. There we meet Anthony Hopkins Sir John Talbot who is a Gun – Crazy rich man. Well as soon as Laurence returns he finds out that his brother was found buried in a ditch in the woods.
And now Laurence wants revenge on the beast that did this to his brother and he will stop at nothing untill he gets revenge well that comes back to him as out hunting for the wolf he is attack by the beast and is bitten and now he bears his mark and now he must find a way to urge his will to kill.
This film was very good i enjoyed this film quite a bit but at times i was confused and i had trouble following along but its ok Hugo Weaving plays the lead detictive in this movie who is out to find the best and kill by any means neccessary. The effects in this movie were great the feeling of the wolfman was great because the Wolfman looks pretty much Identical to the orginal one back from the 1930s it was so real and lifelike the ending of this movie you see coming a little bit but it does not dissapoint in fact i rather enjoyed it. I Also like the feel and the mood of this movie
Because the backrounds the gloomy trees and the forrests how dark it looks it has the look and feel of a horror movie another thing the performances lead this movie on Anthony Hopkins was great and Benicio Del Toro was a gritty perfect wolfman but for the lack of some minor stuff i have to give a 4 Stars i have a feeling if i give it a 5star it would be giving it too much credit but this movie is till worth a See It.. Its Very compelling.
B+
RatedR
RunTime102mins
ReviewdByNate
Thanks For Stoppin Buy!
I really enjoyed this movie but something was missing…
I FINALLY got to watch this two nights ago. I was pleased overall. The atmosphere & landscapes were quite good. Plenty o’gore. Fantastic work by Rick Baker. The creature looked amazing. Hopkins was brilliant as always. One scene that stood out was a very simple one. When Hopkins (eating an apple) is staring at Blunt as she’s walking past him on the staircase. Damn, you could feel his intensity & he never says a word. Just that look he gives her is unsettling. Very few actors can accomplish this, which is what makes Hopkins so fucking great!!! The love story wasn’t too fleshed out, but you can look over that. Pretty good werewolf flick overall!!!
Not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be… Good amount of the gooey stuff, great period set pieces, stunning 5.1 mix… and you know, at times Del Toro even looks like Lon Chaney Jr… just sayin’…
*This is my review of the Director’s Cut.
OK, first off this movie has that old Universal Monster movie feel to it. The atmosphere it great. The scenery such as the fogginess, forest, and carriages add to the creepy tone of the film.
Every one does their job in the acting department. Benicio Del Toro’s character constantly becomes more disturbed and affected through out the film. Anthony Hopkins delivers a haunting, memorable performance. His fantastic lines were delivered perfectly.(He stole the show)Emily Blunt also did a terrific job playing a grieving yet strong female.(The ending scene is her best)
There’s a good amount of blood and guts in the film as opposed to the original which the beast only killed one person.
The director’s cut really fleshes out the story more. It shows you more of what Lawrence’s life is like and some added scenes really help out the film as a whole.
The movie has good character development and story set up. Oh yeah, the scares and kills are fantastic.
This is a very well done re-imaging or better yet homage to the classic Universal Wolfman film. It has the right atmosphere, haunting performances, and action to make it one of my favorite were wolf movies to date.
Theatrical version- 4.5/5 skulls
Unrated Director’s Cut- 5/5 skulls
For a movie with an all-star cast that was given the big budget treatment, this was disappointing. It had weak acting, and felt like it was thrown together willy-nilly. And the effects aren’t that great either. All together a lazy production that cashed in on the hype.
I thought this movie was pretty good. Good acting, good storyline. But you could tell that a few directors have handled the movie which if that wouldn’t of happened we would of had an outstanding movie! But anyways 8/10
Entertaining film.
The wolfman is a modern version of a old horror classic. This version offers plenty of blood. All though the story is a little predictable it is made up with the gore factor. The transformation from man to beast was incredible. It really brought real tension to the screen. It is a faithful remake of a classic film. It’s the transformation and the blood that makes this a movie good to watch. This is a modern bloody update!
I found this worth the watch, but nothing more. Besides from the action scenes, there wasn’t a whole lot there to keep you tied in. I thought switching between the running on four legs, and then on two, was a little odd. Also thought it was weird Benicio didn’t have an accent, although he did as a child. Do not rush to see this, but if nothing left to rent, check it out (Thats what I did).
this was sorta good i feel that there was something was off or missing in this movie
I’m not a fan of old ass horror movies made prior to “Night Of The Living Dead”. Romero’s movie changed horror forever. Those old Universal movies make me yawn. YAWN.
This re-make is GREAT! Plenty of gore too! THE BEST transformation scene(s) from man to werewolf, rivaling “An American Werewolf In London”. Also, this guy is a wolf-MAN, NOT a big-ass wolf. Wolves are not scary, a dude that looks like a wolf is VERY scary. He tears shit UP, too! I can’t figure out the haters on this one. Recommended!
i really wanted to like it but it wasnt scary, the monster wasnt that good, and it most of all was kinda boring
I liked it. It was a very eerie set design that composed most of the movies character. I went into this movie expecting a remake of blood, boobs, and gore, but what I got was a slow moving enchanting film. Emily BLunt is so gorgeous to look at within each scene as well as the haunting lights and camera work.
The storyline wasn’t bad, I can’t say if it didn’t pay homage to the old Wolfman or not, but that could of been what older movie fans were looking for. The movie paced itself well, although it felt long, it was very poetical. I can only say that that means it had meaning all around in plenty scenes.
I liked the addition of the investigator of the Jack the ripper murders. The movie kind of copied itself from an Alain moore type style, intently or unintentionally, it still was good.
I liked, it and I know most people don’t. I liked how it wasn’t a typical Hollywood remake, that was the biggest surprise for me.
i think this is a really bad movie without any big surprises,without a scary or realistic werewolf and the worst part is that they showed the werewolf from the very first scene
they didn’t leave anything to the imagination and that’s why that movie failed to entertain the audience as much as they expected
but the fighting scene between the two werewolves made the movie worth to watch !
I thought this was a pretty good tribute to the classic 1941 original. Some parts seemed kind of boring and you just wanted Lawrence to turn into the Wolfman. Benicio del Toro was a perfect choice for Lawrence Talbot because he reminds me a lot of Lon Chaney Jr. When his brother Ben, is missing, Lawrence returns to his home town to investigate what happened. While visiting some gypsies, a werewolf comes and wreaks havoc. Lawrence is bit and slowly becomes one also. He tries to hide from Inspector Francis Aberline and seeks help from Gwen, his brother’s fiancée. I loved when Lawrence turned into the Wolfman, because that’s what it’s all about. I loved the gory death scenes. If you love the original classic, maybe you’ll love THE WOLFMAN!!!
Definitely not as bad as top critics make it out to be. The mood, gore, atmosphere and thrills were absolutely perfect in this movie and the cinematography was eerie and breathtaking and the werewolf effects and costume design is spot on. The acting was decent especially from the two leads but not much chemistry and their characters were too underdeveloped and stale to really care about their fate but the actors come off strong enough to put that aside. It seems as though they were too focused on the effects and action to really put together a strong and novel story that makes it surpass the original and make it stand apart from other werewolf movies but it’s for sure the best looking. Overall it doesn’t have much suspense or story to help reboot the werewolf genre but it was more than a decent watch and in terms of atmosphere it drives off it and the look is much similar to Sleepy Hollow and From Hell. Not a flawless reimagining but a better than expected one. Rental.
Universal Studios has reinvented the classic Wolfman tale for a new generation. And it was done pretty well. They amped up the intensity as well as the gore levels. It does have it’s slow-paced parts and I think that’s the films only downfall. Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt give stellar performances throughout the film. If you’re a fan of the original or suspenseful horror, you should give this a shot.
Don’t listen to the haters, pretty solid Werewolf flick. LOTS of gore.
Didn’t think this was bad at all. Excellent cast with a great pace. I am still looking for a werewolf transformation that is better than An American Werewolf in London, b/c I mean come on its 2011 now and I haven’t seen a great transformation since that film. Anyways, do watch this film, it is really good.
This movie was very unique and the set was beautiful and the horror and or the effects were amazing I think the crew did a good job with this one, I think they worked really hard so as the cast this remake is a must see if you like werewolf’s and unique masterpieces.
The classic tale of the Wolf Man, is updated. After hearing about the disappearance of his brother, Lawrence comes back home, only to discover that his brother is dead. He searches for the beast that did it, but is bitten. He soon discovers that the legends of a Wolf Man are true.
I know nothing about the original, even if The Wolf Man is my favourite universal classic monster. So I was excited to hear they were doing a revamp on the movie and with a great cast. Then I hear rumblings of trouble on the production side of things, I try to ignore what I hear and go into every movie with an open mind. The Wolfman is not a terrible movie, simply a misguided one.
I must say that the film looks marvelous, the set design, costume and cinematography really shine in this film. They captured that time era really elegantly. Second, the makeup effects from the legend Rick Baker are phenomenal and I hope an Oscar win comes his way. I respect the fact that they went the traditional route and went with authentic rather than full on CGI *cough* An American Werewolf in Paris *cough*. The rapid use of CGI to conquer the monsters of late has grow tiresome. Back then, CGI was the rave, even if it looked cheap and bad. Here, we have a genuine look that feels and actually looks real.
With every werewolf film, you wonder what the transformation sequence is going to look like. I still think that to this day, no other film has captured it quite like An American Werewolf in London has. Sometimes the transformation sequence can make or break a film. The Howling does a decent job, An American Werewolf in Paris does not. I’m sorry I keep hating on that movie, but it really is bad. The Wolfman has their transformation sequence in CGI. No real complaints here. It looks painful, at times a bit fake, but interesting nonetheless.
All the cast involved do their job, no one seems to go above and beyond. You get what is expected out of Hopkins, Del Toro and Weaving. Blunt fills the role of crying woman well enough. Their so called romantic plot between the two is boring, uninteresting and not realistic. It feels like a studio head wanted this in to try and sell more tickets. Again, knowing nothing about the original, I knew who the first werewolf was and the film didn’t even try to hide it. The werewolf vs werewolf sequence was interesting, but a more action turn than horror for the third act.
The Wolfman is a mediocre film that isn’t really action, isn’t really horror. It’s full of some brutal killings and blood left right and centre, so some horror enthusiasts will be pleased. I found most of the film to be drawn out and a tad boring. Even the suspenseful chase scenes were yawn inducing. The Wolfman has great technical achievements, but weak story and characters are enough for a pass.
Bad.
i think it got a little bit more of a bad rep than it deserves. the visual look is dark and gothic, just like it should be and the story may be simple but that works with the film. a complicated story would ruin it. not the best remake out there but still a good film in its own right.
Didn’t really like it, didn’t really hate it.
A few decent moments here and there but the ending fight scene was so retarded to watch I was laughing out loud. So fake.
I love this movie for exactly the reason that it doesn’t pretend to be The Wolf Man. Inspired by, yes, remake, not really. The atmosphere is gorgeous, the acting’s not half bad, and the story… I love that they take the beginnings of a story already done and take it in a whole ‘nother direction. I was very happy with this (even if there is no Lon Chaney Jr.).
I don’t get all the hate this movie gets. I thought it was very well done. Having never seen the original, I have nothing to compare it to.. but as a standalone film I think it was awesome. Great gore, nice chase scenes, incredible atmosphere/tone. Next to American Werewolf in London this is my favorite werewolf movie. Don’t listen to the negative reviews people are giving this movie, judge it for yourself!
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