Director Joe Johnston gets the mood right. The Wolfman takes place in Victorian England. A good choice. I don't think there's ever been a good werewolf movie set in modern times. You American Werewolf in London fans can skewer me later. Benicio Del Toro and his already wolfen appearance stars as Lawrence Talbot, an actor who's been estranged from his family for years. Upon receipt of a letter from his brother's fiance, Gwen(Emily Blunt), stating that his brother has been missing for weeks, Lawrence returns home to the family estate. It looks more like Castle Grayskull, darken and shadowy, run by Lawrence's father, Sir John Talbot(Anthony Hopkins). Sir John seems to revel in the gloomy cloud surrounding his home, lurking in the shadows and sounding pretty enigmatic for an old guy. He seems happy to have his son home, whatever the circumstances may be.
The town is abuzz with rumors. People are dying, left mangled as if half eaten and spat out again. The people are spreading rumors that it's a dire beast that's doing the damage. Some blame the local gypsies. It isn't long before Lawrence confirms the worst, and seeks to find out what killed his brother. He gets his answer soon enough, in a razor sharp blur that nearly finishes him off as well. The attack doesn't kill him, but what follows could be perceived as a fate worse than death. Now he must try to contain the beast that's raging inside of him, while protecting Gwen, who he has grown to love during their brief time together. Kinda skeevy, mackin' on your dead bro's fiance.
So much of this film works, that it makes me angry that it wasn't better. Everything from the moody atmosphere to the spooky score pull you into this terrifying world. It's like when I was a kid, reading the old monster comic books featuring the wolfman under my covers. I used to love horror comics as a kid. Benicio Del Toro plays the solemn, tortured Lawrence perfectly. His deep, dark eyes clouded with deep sadness. I was actually hoping the role would have a bit more energy, but Del Toro takes what is given and runs with it. The marked change between Lawrence pre and post wolf attack is obvious, and Del Toro plays it like a master. I just wish he had more help. Anthony Hopkins seems to have decided this was a good project to score a few free lunches and phone in the performance. Emily Blunt, who I thought was so good recently in The Young Victoria and Sunshine Cleaning, has practically nothing to do. She's called upon to be Lawrence's anchor to his human side, but really there is little to know development of them as lovers for us to latch on to. I kept asking myself why she would fall in love with her recently dead fiance's brother? Is it because he dared to seek answers to his death? Or was it because he was injured in the process of doing so? I can easily enough understand why he would fall for her. She's hot and vulnerable. There doesn't appear to be much other reason given.
A lot has been made of the special effects used to animate the wolfman. In particular the overuse of CGI animation. For me, it worked almost perfectly. When Lawrence first makes the gruesome transformation into the monster, it made me bristle in my chair and my hair stand on end. It's a disgusting, twisted process, watching every bone break into place, the jaw extending. It's truly horrific. Even moreso was I a fan of the wolf was shown as little more than a blur. The mystery of the wolf's appearance is kept from us until it's absolutely necessary. Those details are absolutely perfect. I don't need to see the wolfman lumbering towards his prey. To me, he's always been fast beyond belief. It's when the wolf stands still, such as in the awful climactic "battle of the wolves". They look stiff and immobile. It's hard for me to believe they can do anything other than drag their feet. They look like big brown and grey wompas banging their chests against eachother. No thanks.
I get that like most movies involving dual personas, the wolfman is just as much an introspective look than it is an action picture. The problem here is that perhaps too much time is spent languishing about while Lawrence stares off into the distance and pines over Gwen, or following the wasted Scotland Yard inspector played by Hugo Weaving(The Matrix). There should never be a time when boredom starts to set in. Maybe it had to do with the dismal lighting and glacial manner in which everyone spoke, but when the wolf wasn't on screen this film seriously lacks.
The conclusion, while bittersweet, leaves the possibility open to more wolfman films in the future. Although if they follow along this plotline, I don't see the upside. I'd hate to think that the future of the furry beast is to be an afterthought in a teeny bopper vampire franchise, but that's looking more and more likely.
