Movie summary of The Wolfman by Michael The Moviegoer.
THE WOLFMAN = **1/2
“The Tail Of The Talbots”
Benicio Del Toro steps into the role of Lawrence Talbot in the remake of Universal’s 1941 horror classic “The Wolfman”. Universal nearly monopolized horror movies in that era, and they wisely continue to try and re-boot their most famous franchises. Just as with their 1979 remake of “Dracula” with Frank Langella and Laurence Olivier, this new ‘Wolfman’ is set entirely in the gothic period of 1891, and co-stars this generation’s Olivier, Anthony Hopkins.
But the film feels like 2009’s leftovers. Being released among the toxic-dump of February movies suggests the studio’s lack of faith in their film. Well, it was never going to win any Oscars, but to have missed the opportunity to release the film during this past Halloween seems just shameful.
While I found much to admire in this new ‘Wolfman’, there was also a lot to dislike. Perhaps in hoping to make their film relevant to today’s moviegoing teens, the movie is over-the-top loud. A single dog’s bark challenges the limits of any theater’s sub-woofer. And the cheap-thrill ‘gotcha’ moments are a cliché already parodied in the “Scream” movies.
What made the 1941 film so exciting was a sense of mystery and intrigue tied to the werewolf myth. That’s completely absent in the new version by director Joe Johnston, who also made the third “Jurassic Park” film, which explains a lot about why his ‘Wolfman’ seems so disconnected from the original.
Where there does seem to be more of a connection is John Landis’ 1981 modernized “An American Werewolf In London”. Played as serious yet with a sharp sense of humor, this is the best re-boot of a wolfman movie ever. The werewolf makeup effects were handled by Rick Baker who has the same duties on this new remake.
DVD Double Feature: I love the gothic period element of the new ‘Wolfman’ movie. But if you want to see a great, intelligent, literate, modernized version of the werewolf myth, you must check out Mike Nichols’ 1994 “Wolf” starring Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader and Christopher Plummer. Makeup effects were also handled, again, by Rick Baker.
Michael The Moviegoer
