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Of all of the
mythical creatures of the night, the werewolf
is my absolute favorite. Vampires are kinda
wimpy, zombies actually do scare the bejesus
outta me and ghosts are just creepy (unless
they are Casper). But werewolves are just
mean and tough and downright cool. And yes,
if I was reviewing a “Twilight”
movie… I would be ‘Team Jacob’
(thought not ‘team’ in the Biblical
sense).
Anyhow, I was intrigued when I found out
that not only was actor Benicio del Toro
a fan of werewolves, but a fan of the classic
Universal monster films. He didn’t
seem the type, but it made me more of a
fan once I found out that his love for the
genre was giving him the itch to create
a film that would act as an homage to the
classic Universal. This was what gave birth
to 2010’s “The Wolf Man”,
a f. ilm that I eagerly saw at a screening
earlier this year. I was a tad disappointed
with the results, but overall loved what
I saw. Several friends were in attendance
at that same screening and all went totally
nuts over it.
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In del Toro’s version of “The Wolf
Man”, he portrays Lawrence Talbot, a famed
stage actor who is called back to his country
home because his brother has disappeared. At first
uninterested, he quickly finds himself drawn back,
only to learn that his sibling has been killed.
Even worse, it appears that he is falling prey
to a curse that causes him to become a monster
at the light of a full moon. Hot on the trail
of the unknown killing machine is Hugo Weaving
as Inspector Abberline. As the story progresses,
Talbot learns that there is more to the curse
then meets the eye as he comes face to face with
his controlling father, played wonderfully by
Anthony Hopkins.
When the Bluray showed up on my doorstep, I was
again eager to watch it. My wife missed the screening
AND there was an unrated Director’s Cut
of the film, so I had two reasons to enjoy the
evening. Both of us were riveted to the screen,
and I especially found myself enthralled by this
extended cut of the movie. It took care of a few
of the disappointments the film held for me as
it added scenes that aided in understanding the
attraction between Talbot and his brother’s
fiancé Gwen (Emily Blunt). The only disappointment
that it did not help with was del Toro’s
casting of himself in the lead. He is an awesome
actor, and most of his scenes in this film are
well played, but there are an equal number where
he does not portray his role with enough conviction
to make them believable. So oddly, aside from
his love of the genre and his slight resemblance
to Lon Chaney, Jr… he is actually the film’s
weakest link.
That aside, everything else about “The
Wolf Man” is extraordinary. The production
design of the late 1800’s is gorgeous and
deserves and Oscar nod. Sets, costumes and props
are simply incredible. Indsofar as the rest of
the acting, Weaving is extremely understated,
but stands strong in every scene he graces, while
Hopkins chews the scenery with aplomb. Blunt also
fares well against these master actors as does
the rest of the cast.
The special effects are a spectacular mix of
practical and CGI. Usually I don’t like
these two styles together, but they are nearly
seamless in this film. The makeup effects by Rick
Baker are excellent, as expected by this master
effects artist. I usually do not like the idea
of a ‘flat-faced’ werewolf, but here
they were trying to recreate and update the look
of the original 1930’s film and they succeeded.
His look was more Wolf Man (as appropriate to
the title) than werewolf. The sequences of del
Toro’s wolf man running through both the
English countryside and the city proper are exquisite
as he transitions from two legged to four legged
and back again with ease. I was also impressed
by how bloody the film was. It was both grisly
and stylish, making the attacks shockingly horrifying.
Most of the film’s palette was in blue and
grays so when you saw red it was also very startling.
The Bluray release of “The Wolf Man”
shows off the film’s style and production
value with stunning clarity. The picture is crystal
throughout and every gory detail was brought to
life on my screen. The sound mix was also perfect,
allowing the mood music (by the great Danny Elfman)
to play in the background where it should be,
while the ambient sounds caused a total immersion
into the film viewing experience. Dialogue was
clear and easily heard in even the loudest of
scenes. All in all, this is a terrific release.
As for special features, there are numerous deleted
and extended scenes, a handful of which I would
have been just as happy to see put back into the
film. There are also ‘Alternate Endings’,
which were interesting, but neither packed the
coolness punch of the actual ending. There is
a ‘U-Control’ feature which allows
you to view trivia along the way, and ‘Take
Control’ which gives members of the crew
the opportunity to chime in at various intervals.
You’ll also find featurettes on the lore
of the werewolf and special effects, the best
of which feature Rick Baker’s work on the
film. Additionally you can download a Digital
Copy – which I have already watched on my
iPhone… twice. The only feature that is
kind of hit and miss is the ability to stream
the original “Wolf Man’ film, watch
it with an App on your smartphone, or online on
your computer. Nice extra, but I would have rather
had the disc included.
Aside from the few scenes that I felt del Toro
did not hit the right mark on, the overall film
was stunning. Both fun and frightening, it hearkened
back to the good old days of horror classics.
I was sad that it did not do better in theaters,
but it was perhaps a bit too high brow for most
of today’s theatergoers. I highly recommend
the movie and this Bluray release.
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt; Anthony
Hopkins; Hugo WEaving
Extras: U-Control; Take Control; Deleted and Extended
Scenes; Alternate Endings; Return of the Wolf
Man; The Beast Maker; Transformation Secrets;
The Wolfman Unleashed; Digital Copy; BD-Live Original
“The Wolf Man”
Specification: Widescreen 1080p (1.85:1); DTS-HD
Master Audio 5.1
Studio: Universal
Release Date: 6/1/2010
MPAA Rating: R and Unrated
http://www.thewolfmanmovie.com
We'll give The Wolf Man (Bluray) a B+.
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