A werewolf can be defeated by a silver bullet or a harsh critique, and it appears that for Leigh Whannell’s “Wolf Man,” it is the latter. The reimagining of “The Wolf Man,” produced by Blumhouse, which serves as Whannell’s follow-up to his 2020 adaptation of “The Invisible Man,” has received negative reviews from critics. The creature feature (releasing in theaters on January 17) is being described as everything from a “toothless reboot” to “half a movie,” much like its titular character, who is half-wolf and half-man (portrayed by Christopher Abbott).
In a new role, the actor known for playing both “Poor Things” and “Kraven the Hunter” steps into the character of Blake, a man who’s a husband and father. After his survivalist father, Grady (portrayed by Sam Jaeger), disappears and is believed deceased, he inherits his secluded childhood home in rural Oregon. Struggling to keep his marriage with his successful wife, Charlotte (Emmy-winning actress Julia Garner from “Ozark” and “Inventing Anna”) intact, Blake suggests they take a city break and visit the property with their daughter Ginger (Matlida Firth) as a means of reconnection.
Upon reaching the farmhouse late in the evening, the family encounters an unknown beast and, to avoid it, huddle within the house while it circles outside. As the night progresses, however, strange behaviors from Blake, who starts acting unlike himself, unfold. This leaves Charlotte with a difficult choice: is the horror within their home more dangerous than the threat lurking beyond? At one point, Blake poignantly notes, “Sometimes when you’re a father, your fear of your children getting hurt can turn you into the very thing that hurts them.
Le “Loup-Garou” est le quatrième film de Whannell en tant que réalisateur-scénariste pour Blumhouse après le film d’horreur “Insidious: Chapter 3” sorti en 2015, “Upgrade” sorti en 2018 et “L’Homme invisible” sorti en 2020. Le dernier est son film le mieux reçu par la critique avec une approbation de 91% des critiques sur l’agrégateur de critiques Rotten Tomatoes, suivi par Upgrade (certifié frais à 88%) . “Insidious: Chapter 3” est considéré comme mauvais avec un taux d’approbation de 56%, juste sous celui de “Loup-Garou” qui a été évalué à 58% à partir de plus de cent critiques prises en compte. Sur Metacritic, le film a une note de 49 %, ce qui indique des critiques mitigées ou moyennes.
2025’s “Wolf Man” continues the tradition of its predecessors, as Blake transforms into the Wolf Man after receiving a fateful scratch on his arm, according to Evan Valentine’s 2-star review for ComicBook. The transformation scenes show flashes of creativity, such as the emergence of Blake’s heightened sense of hearing and the sensation that he is being torn from his world into another. Unfortunately, these promising elements are overshadowed by a predictable storyline that fails to fully realize its potential.
According to critics’ reviews, which we’ve rounded up below, the new Wolf Man is a howler.
In simpler terms, “The Los Angeles Times” review states that “Wolf Man” is a monotonous body-horror film where most of the action happens inside a single home during nighttime. The excessive interior noises and labored breathing, coupled with minimal dialogue and plot, make it feel like the scenes could be from an entirely different genre if you weren’t watching. The reviewer suggests that this film is a less successful effort to blend traditional Universal monsters with modern concerns, representing a post-pandemic lament about the futility of shielding children from fear.
In simpler terms, “Whannell’s Wolf Man” is a standard monster movie that doesn’t break any new ground in terms of plot. While his remake of “The Invisible Man” was innovative and offered fresh visual scares, this film focuses on the basics. It’s not an instant classic like “The Invisible Man,” but it still delivers as a scary and intriguing wolf man movie, thanks to a chilling performance by Abbott. Leigh Whannell knows werewolves well, even if he doesn’t always capture their visual appeal, and overall, “Wolf Man” is (mostly) stronger for it.
This movie fails miserably in its attempt to revive a well-known horror icon. Where it should be chilling, the ‘Wolf Man’ instead falls flat with excessive sentimentality, unsubtle plot twists, inconsistent storytelling, and a creature that is more pitiful than menacing. It leaves one feeling sorry for the creators.
If you felt that Joe Johnston’s 2010 film, “The Wolfman,” with Benicio del Toro, was weighed down by Gothic drama, intricate folklore, and excessive CGI, then the simpler narrative style of Universal’s new addition to their monster movie pantheon, titled “Wolf Man,”, might appeal to you more. This isn’t as innovative as Leigh Whannell’s previous exploration of classic horror, “The Invisible Man“. However, it doesn’t lack intensity or gruesome scenes, and the script effectively focuses on a vulnerable family before thrusting them into a wolf-like chaos, all executed in a swift and efficient manner.
IndieWire states, “This creaturally disappointing film somehow mirrors the same dysfunction as its studio’s recent attempts to revitalize lycanthropy. Unfortunately, it shares many of these flaws: It’s murky, devoid of wit, and burdened by laughable special effects (the craftsmanship of the prosthetics is evident, but the excessive realism of their design often turns into unintentional comedy once the film strays from its emotional foundation). This critique stabs deeply at a reboot that yearned to offer something fresh with its material; a reboot that sought to emulate how successfully Whannell modernized The Invisible Man. Directed by the same writer, Jason Blum, it asks the quintessential question of its sub-genre in a novel manner (a focus less on the beast within us and more on the human element that restrains it), but ultimately delivers a predictable response. The question posed is, ‘What if a man were also a wolf?’ The answer, unfortunately, would be very unintelligent.
Empire Magazine: “Abbott immerses himself completely in the role, portraying a father filled with love yet harboring shadows – evident even before he transforms into a werewolf … While the deeper themes don’t always align seamlessly with its horrifying furry exterior, The Wolf Man offers compelling performances, distressing physical transformations, and sequences that are genuinely frightening.
The ‘Wolf Man’ movie is raw and intense, but it seems incomplete… the gripping suspense is let down by underdeveloped characters. The initial scenes focusing on Blake’s bond with his father, daughter, and wife appear more like decorative elements than integral parts of the story. It seems as though the film intended to convey a message about how a father’s sins are inherited by their children, but it eventually veers away from this theme – as if an initially ambitious project was sidetracked by genre requirements. Timothee Chalamet is known for his nuanced acting, yet Blake’s transformation lacks emotional depth, which the movie appears to strive for given its extensive focus on him. The Wolf Man is one of our less-explored classic monsters, but when portrayed well, he exudes charm. Exceptional werewolf films can be therapeutic, passionate, tragic – a blend of our desires and untamed instincts. Unfortunately, this ‘Wolf Man’ feels like a vague tale, bereft of personal depth.
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2025-01-17 03:40