If there's one classic monster that has been underserved by modern tech in movies it is the werewolf. Vampires can take on many forms, as can Frankenstein's creation. Zombies can look much more rotting and emaciated. But werewolves have always worked best when presented as a practical creation, which means we've seen far too many that have been ruined by attempts to harness CGI. That's why I kept my anticipation for this film in check, especially after watching a trailer that had me thinking it could easily be a SyFy Channel release. Not that it didn't look fun. It just didn't look as if it had the money to make the most of the fun central premise.
What you have here is, basically, The Purge with werewolves. A supermoon event caused most humans to turn into werewolves one night. Another supermoon event is about to occur, which isn't good for anyone who wants to stay indoors and avoid being eaten by the howling predators. Frank Grillo is Wesley Marshall, a military man who ends up out on the streets with Dr. Amy Chen (Katrina Law). The two of them have a spray that stops you getting hairy and wolfen for about an hour, and they have some weaponry they hope will help keep them alive as they head to the two people that Wesley cares about, his sister-in-law Lucy (Ilfenesh Hadera) and her young daughter, Emma (Kamdynn Gary).
Werewolves is a lot of fun when it's all about Grillo being tough and trying to work his way through city streets that could have werewolf danger around any corner. It's also pretty good when it makes things personal, in the shape of a neighbour who is turned furry and is identified by the body armour he is wearing. Matthew Kennedy can write in broad strokes, and director Steven C. Miller can deliver some treats for genre fans, but both of them get quickly out of their depth when things require either a little bit of intelligence from the main characters or a sequence which isn't full of lighting and lens flare that can guarantee headaches in all but the hardiest of viewers. Seriously, Kennedy seems intent on making Hadera portray the stupidest person to ever wander around a werewolf movie and Miller makes J. J. Abrams look positively anti-flare with his display here, and it never improves the visuals of the film.
Grillo is as good as he usually is. I always believe that he can handle himself, he could certainly knock me into next week with one light slap, and he's allowed to play his part with skill and confidence. Law doesn't suffer too much alongside him, although she's clearly not allowed to outshine Grillo, and has to be saved once or twice (of course). Poor Hadera though, who has to go through most of the movie doing almost the exact opposite of what she has been told to do in the earlier scenes, and pretty much the exact opposite of anyone with a shred of common sense. Gary has to be sweet and vulnerable, which she manages, and she's excellent motivation for all of the adults willing to risk lycanthrope attacks as they try to keep her safe. James Michael Cummings and Lydia Styslinger do fine in supporting turns, as do the many performers credited as some of the various wolves.
The cinematography is bad, the effects aren't great (although one or two moments work well), and nothing in the movie really lives up to the potential of what we're shown in the first few scenes (all about the upcoming supermoon event and people creating various home defence systems), but there's still enough individual moments here to enjoy if you're after a werewolf movie that at least tries to show you one or two things that you may not have seen before. Or if you just want to see Frank Grillo ready to punch a werewolf in the snout.
5/10
If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do
consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A
subscription/follow costs nothing, and ALL of the links you need are here - https://linktr.ee/raidersofthepodcast
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share
No comments:
Post a Comment