042: The Wolfman (2010)

Title: The Wolfman (2010)
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt
Directed By: Joe Johnston

The success or failure of an oldschool Universal monster movie rested on the creature design and performance of the villain. These are classic ghouls in every sense: The Mummy, the Creature From the Black Lagoon, Dracula, The Phantom of The Opera, Frankenstein's Monster and, of course, the Wolf Man.

In order to update these for a modern audience, the use of computers and modern movie magic can aide in the creation of these characters, but the rule stays the same. The creature design and main performance are what will make or break your monster movie. I am happy to say that the design and performance of this Wolfman is pretty fantastic. So the film works. Everything else though, is lacking.

Don't get me wrong, this is no The Mummy Returns. It's a pretty straightforward, sometimes gory, period horror film. The main problems are in the film's release date (it should've come out in the fall, preferably near Halloween opposite Saw XXXVII, or whatever they're up to now) and overall tone (this feels more like a mystery than a fright-fest).

Had the movie been able to establish a scarier environment for our characters, perhaps their decisions would have made more sense to me as a viewer. You're a successful London stage actor. Your brother has gone missing. You are called in to help look for him. By the time you arrive, it is discovered that he was mauled by a vicious beast and died. You...
A) Stick around for the funeral and go about your business.
B) Decide to stick around for a little while after the funeral to help your father and your now dead brother's beautiful fiance cope with their grief, and THEN go about your business.
C) Stick around for the funeral. Stick around to help your father and hot would-be Sister-in-Law cope with their grief. Stick around and try to hunt the thing that killed your brother. Stick around after you've been mauled yourself, and somehow survived with the help of Gypsies. Stick around even after you start to fear that being attacked by the beast may have had an adverse affect on you. Man, come to think of it, this is a lot of "stickin' around" for a guy who hasn't been here for 20-some years.

My point is; in a horror movie, characters make illogical decisions. It's sort of a requirement. In a mystery, however, it's the exact opposite. The main character should be one step behind the villain until the final gambit wherein it is revealed that our detective figured it out long ago and has been playing along only until an opportune moment arose to capture the fiendish villain. As Scooby Doo as that sounds, it's a proven formula. And one that this film follows foolishly. This should have been eery and brutal. Or at least it should have had some defining artistic style that makes it stand out from the others in the genre, like Burton's Sleepy Hollow.

Unfortunately, Johnston does everything he can to make this as usual and typical a film as possible. It was *this* close to being something special though.

Score: 7/10