Much like the titular monster, the arrival of The Wolfman was heralded by bad omens and concerned whispers. And whether you are a Victorian country dweller or a contemporary moviegoer, the proper course of action remains the same—stay away.
The Wolfman is a remake of the 1941 Lon Chaney horror classic that tells the story of Lawrence Talbot (Benicio del Toro), a traveling actor who returns home to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his brother. Upon his arrival, it quickly becomes clear that all is not right at Talbot Manor. The lost brother’s corpse turns up mauled in a ditch, a band of gypsies tells of a horrible curse, and Lawrence’s father Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins) agonizes cryptically over the power of the moon.
Unfortunately, despite the top tier talent and classic source material, The Wolfman remains a mess of sloppy storytelling and humdrum acting that takes itself entirely too seriously. The first harbingers of doom came long before The Wolfman’s theatrical release. The crew, it seemed, was working on a sort of revolving door system where directors, composers, and editors were cycled out almost daily.
Mark Romanek, for example, was originally slated to direct, but opted out at the last minute after disputes with the studio over the shooting schedule. Romanek was ultimately replaced by Joe Johnston, whose most recent work includes Hidalgo and Jurassic Park III.
The scoring and editing of the film followed a similar path. Danny Elfman, who initially scored the film, was replaced very late in the game by Paul Haslinger, only to be brought back on the team weeks before release. There were also reports of various edits of the film being put together simultaneously and copious reshoots in response to lackluster test screenings.
But not all of the blame can be placed on The Wolfman’s tumultuous creation. The fact of the matter is that the film lags in all areas. The performances are incredibly wooden and disappointing. Even Hopkins only occasionally evokes the quiet creepiness his character demands—his whispered line “terrible things, Lawrence. You’ve done terrible things” will haunt you for some time—and you’ve already seen most of these moments in the trailer. The tone is oppressively serious without the substance to back it up. The scares are all cheap jump gags and even the special effects, which should have been the film’s highlight, were nothing special. We’ve seen these monsters before.
The Wolfman is one of these films that absolutely belies the skill of the cast and crew. Benicio del Toro has proven his worth again and again, while Anthony Hopkins is typically beyond reproach. Even Joe Johnston didn’t live up to his past—sure Hidalgo was junk, but try and convince yourself you don’t have a soft spot for Jumanji. I guess, if pressed, I could come up with one compliment for The Wolfman. It was a hell of a lot better than its most recent werewolf counterpart, New Moon. I may have left this movie with a headache, but at least I wasn’t tempted to cure it with a silver bullet.
