The Wolfman is a decent horror remake that has some flaws which I'll get into later but I thought the film's all right for what it is though. Director Joe Johnston is admirable in making this movie giving audiences just enough gore, blood, guts, and limbs being torn off for guilty pleasure. Benicio Del Toro is okay as the lead Laurnece Talbot an actor who returns to his ancestral homeland to uncover the truth of what happened to his brother Ben when he's found mauled to death by some bloody thirst animal on the rampage. Del Toro may not win any awards for the role and it it may not be his best performance but he's still good as the cursed Laurence none the less. The same can go for Anthony Hopkins as Laurence's estranged father Sir John who doesn't exactly seem too guilt stricken over the loss the loss of his son Ben. Hopkins is a great actor there's no denying that and he brings what he can to the role of John despite not being given a whole to do except for late in the third act. Emily Blunt turns in fairly decent performance as Ben's widow Gwen who begins to grow feelings for Laurence. I haven't seen Blunt in a lot of movies except for Sunshine Cleaning and Dan In Real Life but she's believable as Gwen who's desperately looking for the truth behind Ben's brutal death and asks Laurence for help. Hugo Weaving is good as Inspector Abberline in his limited screen time who like Hopkins doesn't have a lot to do. Weaving however makes the best of the role he does have in the film. I think one of his most memorable characters will always be as the villain Agent Smith from The Matrix movies but he still turns in a solid performance as Abberline who is on the hunt for the "killer" responsible for slaughtering villagers at night during a full moon. The rest of the cast are okay but no one stands out. The action sequences mostly involving the wolf-man brutally killing people are well executed which is sure to please horror junkies who enjoy watching characters getting their limbs, heads, and other body parts torn apart by a creature that mauls any poor soul caught in it's path. The pacing of the film was fine and this is certainly one of the better remakes that are being re-imagined these days. I'd rather watch this than Friday the 13th, Halloween, or The Omen to name a few. I liked how we only get glimpses of the wolf-man for the first half before Johnston gives us a full view of the creature. I thought it was more effective that way instead of showing audiences the wolf-man up close within the first five minutes and the Gothic mood was fitting for the film. The location they chose was also quite good. It added a lot to the movie and the atmosphere created some suspenseful moments when the wolf-man was on the loose. The movie itself and some scenes felt a little rushed even with a running time of 103 minutes. I haven't watched the directors cut yet. Some predictable moments did weigh down the film somewhat. There's also a scene near the end that seemed a bit anti-climatic and it's kind of over before you could really enjoy the fight but I guess it worked for the film. Overall The Wolfman is a decent remake that will probably please horror junkies who enjoy movies of this genre. So if you're one of these people, chances are you'll enjoy The Wolfman. It has just enough action, blood, guts, gore, drama, and solid performances from the cast (Del Toro, Hopkins, Blunt, and Weaving) who make this remake worth watching at least once.
Review of The Wolfman
