Family should protect one another, whatever the cost. When he receives the official letter of his father’s death, and as his marriage is falling apart, Blake (Christopher Abbott) pleads to his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) to visit his childhood farm to pack up his father’s belongings. As the family arrive at the farmhouse, an unseen animal attacks them. Rushing to the house and barricading themselves inside, the creature remains prowling the perimeter. Staying inside might not be their best decision, however, as Blake begins to behave strangely as the night goes on. Eventually, he transforms into something unrecognizable.
It is hard to pinpoint what makes Wolf Man (Whannell, 2025) just okay instead of something good. It is an enjoyable watch, but there is something missing that would make it a new addition to the horror genre.
Writer and director Leigh Whannell surely knows how to use the typical narrative structure when crafting Wolf Man. The story begins with young Blake (Zac Chandler) and his father, Grady (Sam Jaeger), giving background to the wolf man story. Estranged, 30 years later, the audience is reintroduced to Blake along with his daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth), and wife. Throughout the film, the story is there, but it is nothing too spectacular. Perhaps, what brings it down is the fact that it is a horror film but at the moments where you would expect the monster to pounce, he is reminded that he would be attacking his family. Trying to reach out to the human within the beast, which has been done many times before.
The casting, however, did the film justice. Each of the three protagonists, even young Matilda Firth, are excellent in their roles. The audience feels the connection between Blake and Ginger, and the tension between Blake and Charlotte. As Blake becomes more and more infected, Firth’s fear and sadness shine brightly and Garner’s does as well, along with her anger and rage.
What impressed me was the use of make-up and special effects. Mixing this with the close-ups of Blake as he transforms made it all the more horrific. For example, a single nail falling out of his fingertips as the wolf one grows in. The transformation the audience witnesses as Blake slips further into the wolf is shown through the skill of the costumes and make-up used and it follows a unison transformation.
As previously stated, the film is a good watch, but nothing special. If you’re looking for something fun, slightly scary, to see at the cinema, then go see Wolf Man while it’s on the big screen.
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