Film Review: ‘Wolf Man’ Takes An Imperfect Yet Unique Approach to the Werewolf Tale

To some degree, I was always going to be slightly disappointed by Wolf Man. After all, I was so intrigued by the initial premise, which was going to star Ryan Gosling and have Derek Cianfrance at the helm. That pairing is golden to me, so it’s no fault of the current incarnation of the film that it just felt less exciting. However, I will say that, while I don’t think this movie reaches anywhere near the heights of what it’s capable of, the fact that even with the other premise having appealed to me more, I still found this one worth recommending is noteworthy. Wolf Man is solid and different, if never much more than that. All in all, for a January release, that’s a win.

Wolf Man is not The Invisible Man, so be sure to go in with that in mind. That was such a breath of fresh air and wonderfully executed, it would be an unfair comparison, regardless. Wolf Man isn’t trying to do the same thing, either, besides reinvent a classic movie monster. At the same time, knowing what filmmaker Leigh Whannell did last time does raise expectations here, which is, at best, a mixed blessing for the flick.

After some on screen text we kick off a prologue introducing us to the presence of this universe’s take on a werewolf. It’s also our introduction to one of our main characters, whose upbringing will be a major factor in the story going forward. Then, we fast-forward to meet a grown up Blake (Christopher Abbott). He and his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) are raising their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) in the big city, far away from the Pacific Northwest woods where he grew up. When word comes that his estranged father has been declared dead, Blake convinces Charlotte that they should spend the summer at the remote farmhouse he grew up in, cleaning the place out. It will prove to be a poor choice.

Almost as soon as they reach the area, Blake gets lost. Moreover, it’s clear that they’re not alone. First, it’s an ominous son of one of his father’s friends. Then, it’s something else. A wolf-like monster begins stalking them, attacking the family. Blake fends it off, though is injured in the process. Taking shelter in the farmhouse, Charlotte notices Blake beginning to change. As he deals with the disease spreading to him, the trio also have to figure a way to survive the night, if they have any hope of getting back to civilization. As the hours pass, Blake gets worse, while continuing to draw the monster to them. Body horror ensues.

The pair of Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner are unlikely candidates for horror, so they’re actually exciting choices for the leads here. They do solid work, though they’re unfortunately hamstrung by the need to make dumb choices in service of the genre. Abbott has a fair amount of body horror added to his performance, which he’s adept at working with. Garner becomes the central character at a certain point, and she’s always compelling, but you wish there was a little more meat on the bones of these characters. Young Matilda Firth is good, though she has parts where she recedes into the background. Supporting players include Zac Chandler, Sam Jaeger, and more, but the main focus is obviously on Abbott and Garner.

Director/co-writer Leigh Whannell again approaches a classic Universal monster in a unique manner. The script he penned with Corbett Tuck sets up some interesting possibilities, to be sure. The execution is just more or less what the bare minimum for success is. So, we have a situation where Whannell and company make Wolf Man work, but not at the level The Invisible Man suggested was possible for films like this. The body horror and sound design are highlights, while the concept has potential. There just never is a moment where the emotionality of the work hits home like it should, which dulls its effectiveness.

Wolf Man arguably should be better, but it also could have been a lot worse. The more you look at it as a January horror movie, the more satisfying it is. It’s when you stack it up with the higher quality offerings that it falls short. Make of that what you will. For me, the movie is worthy of a recommendation, albeit a somewhat mild one.

SCORE: ★★★