Wolf Man

By: Jamie Steinberg

A chance encounter with a wolf-like figure sends a father transitioning into the creature that attacked him. The storyline for Wolf Man is all too familiar as is the tropes throughout the movie. What could have been a fascinating and startling remake falls flat with lack of utilization of the standout actors that star in it.

We pick up in the movie as a father (Sam Jaeger) is telling his son Blake about the dangers of the world courtesy of hunter lore. The film then jumps ahead five years to where a now adult Blake (Christopher Abbott) is taking his family to his father’s cabin upon learning of his passing. Blake is a writer and stay-at-home dad to daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) and his marriage to wife Charlotte (an underused Julia Garner) is struggling. On their drive to the cabin Blake swerves to hit a wolf-like creature that is in the road and crashes the family car in the woods. What happens next is what we all know of the “Wolf Man” storyline where Blake is scratched and begins to transform. The family must figure out how to protect themselves from whatever is outside while now having to contend with the threat that is growing inside the cabin…

Director Leigh Whannell and company don’t seem to have truly fleshed out a well-rounded film. The actors, especially Garner, have little to work with as the characters lack depth. The low lighting does not even help set the mood or add to scene tension. Whannell’s most standout work is with Blake’s transformation as we see a gruesome series of body contortion, nails falling off and fangs emerging.

Wolf Man may not be enjoyable, but it is not unwatchable. It is just tiring from its lack of pizzaz and unique plot. The actors are underserved as well. If you are looking for a horror flick with true scare and grit, it may just be worth pressing play on the original Wolf Man.