Full Moon Frolics - The Wolfman

As a lifelong lover of most things Gothic there was no question of me missing this film at the cinema.  I was of course worried what they would do with a tale I've been fond of for as long as I can remember.  If I ever were to get a tattoo (less likely than me giving up Midget Gems for Lent) it would probably be the poem from the poster above.  This love of the story did make me a little nervous, what would they do with the story?  Would they bring modern moral aspects to it? Then I realised that the (extremely tame) film that terrified me as a a child wasn't really a cinematic masterpiece in itself.  I had little to lose and hopefully much to gain with the visit to my local multiplex.

The cast listing looked fantastic.  Emily Blunt, an actress who brings a decent amount of spunkiness to her roles.  She would have made a better Irene Adler IMHO.  Benicio del Toro, well he was kinda born to play the part.  He should be named Benicio del Lobo.  Anthony Hopkins, not by any means a favourite of mine but very well suited to a period piece such as this.  Art Malik, I haven't really got much of an opinion on him except to say I enjoy his work.  Hugo Weaving, a man without a huge range but usually easy enough to watch.  

Well, they all pretty much lived up to my expectations.  Hopkins had presence in droves and was perfect for the role.  Malik, we saw little of but he played his cameo role really well.  Blunt gave a good strong role for a woman the performance it deserved.  Vulnerable, with an inner strength.  Weaving was pretty much a 19th Century Agent Smith.  It sort of worked though.  Del Toro smouldered his way through pretty well.  I don't really have any complaints with the actors in this film.

It still wasn't a good film though.  For a film made over 25 years after American Werewolf it really should have taken stock of what made the werewolves in that film believable.  The werewolves in this film looked slightly ridiculous.  Now this is the case in nearly every werewolf movie made.  Werewolves are much more scary in literature.  On screen they usually range from faintly ridiculous to downright amusing (AWiL excluded of course). These just reminded me of furry Hulks.  Not a good look for me as I've never understood The Hulk's appeal.  I didn't like the Wolfman when he was angry either.

The only scene I thought suffered from a modern film-maker's mentality was near to the very end.  I wasn't expecting a Super-Hero fight in a Wolfman setting.  My untrained eye also felt there was a little too much CGI in there.  I can't help it I just don't like it.  I never see CGI that fits when it comes to a period setting.  It's always nice to see Chatsworth, my favourite Stately Home on screen.  That just seemed badly aged too though.  I'm sure some was done at the time of shooting but a lot of it seemed to be CGI.  Are there no semi-derelict large houses in Britain they could have used?

The final scene really p'd me off.  Everyone involved should be thoroughly ashamed.  It was the worst amateur dramatics I've ever seen from a man I know can do much better.  Maybe it was the relief of nearing the end of a 'troubled' production.

Overall I'm glad I saw it.  I didn't hate it.  I enjoyed quite a few parts of it.  It just didn't hit the spot. I didn't leave the screen inspired into howling like a wolf on the way home.

3 out of 5 pawprints.