Not even the full moon can transform The Wolfman into a good movie.
The movie, set in 1891, stars Benicio Del Toro as Lawrence Talbot, a stage actor and brooding man who returns home to Blackmoor after Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), his brother’s fiance informs him that his brother has died. This only adds to the sulky demeanor that he seems to have acquired when he witnessed his mother’s death. When he arrives home, he re-encounters his estranged father, Sir John, played by Anthony Hopkins. Lawrence vows not to leave Blackmoor until he finds out how his brother died.
The biggest problem with this move is that it lacks life. The dark backgrounds and scenery are portrayed beautifully, but the characters fail to bring any excitement to the movie. From the outset, the movie is unable to grab the viewer’s attention and convince them that this is a story worth investing in.
The werewolves look technically impressive, but they are not scary creatures. They just look like hairy people and don’t command as much respect as a vicious beast should. The transformation scenes are gruesome and there are buckets of blood liberally shed throughout the film. However, the main attraction–the Wolfman himself–does not look as scary as I would expect, though the costuming is well done.
Overall, the film looks great and has a good score, but the story itself as portrayed by the actors, was dull and lifeless and did not bring enough life to the classic tale.
Rating: RLength: 1 hour 43 min
