Lacks Bite
Summary
Wolf Man has its moments and the performances are impressive; I just don’t love the idea of it being more about a disease and grief. I definitely prefer the Benicio film from a few years ago instead as it sticks with the classic formula, but I like that they tried something new here. The 4K hardly looks amazing, but there are at least plenty of special features to keep you entertained.
Plot: A family at a remote farmhouse is attacked by an unseen animal, but as the night stretches on, the father begins to transform into something unrecognizable.
Review: I missed Wolf Man when it was in theatres, but I recently got the 4K and finally got to check it out. I’m one of the few people who loves the Benicio Del Toro Wolf Man from a few years ago. It had wonderful Gothic visuals and creature effects.
This new iteration of Wolf Man is going for a more grounded approach where rather than being a curse, becoming the Wolf Man is more of a disease. This makes it a tale of grief as our lead Blake is essentially terminally ill. As you can imagine it’s a bundle of laughs and more of a character piece for the first half then the finale goes for standard running through the woods tropes.
The performances are first rate with Christopher Abbott, our tragic lead Blake who travels to Oregon with his wife and daughter after his father passes away. He thinks it will be good for them as a family but as this is a horror movie, he is of course incorrect.
It isn’t especially scary, and the actual Wolf Man just looks like a dude with sharp teeth. As I said the Benicio version was far superior in that respect.
At around 90 minutes it’s mostly well-paced, and it has a creepy atmosphere; the highlight is the wolf vision where we see the world from the animal’s perspective, which was an innovative idea.
Bonus Content:
- Features High Dynamic Range (HDR10) for Brighter, Deeper, More Lifelike Color
- Unleashing a New Monster
- Designing Wolf Man
- Hands-on Horror
- Nightmares and Soundscapes
- Feature Commentary with co-writer/director Leigh Whannell
The 4K itself wasn’t especially impressive as the nighttime scenes were difficult to see what was going on but that could have just been my TV. I never have this use with Blu-rays or DVS though…
There are some fascinating special features exploring the effects and the idea of the wolf vision as well as the sound design.
Overall, Wolf Man isn’t an amazing movie but it has some creepy moments and nice gore. The performances all round are excellent and it’s a bold new take on the classic tale. It won’t be for everyone but it’s worth a watch at least once.
