You can't beat the original Universal Studios horror classics. You just can't. While the special effects are undeniably archaic when viewed today, and while they may not be as scary to contemporary audiences as they were to audiences in the 1930s and '40s, there's just an air of class, sophistication, and elegance that horror films of today experience too rarely.
I mean, when you compare the oldies with the newbies, there's just no contest! Sure, the 1999 version of The Mummy was cool in a visual sense, but compared with the great Boris Karloff in the original 1932 film of the same name, Arnold Voosloo's Imhotep would probably fare better staying in the tomb.
The same goes for vampires. Though we're currently experiencing a glut of films, books, and television shows preoccupied with bloodsuckers, the likes of tame, teenybopper vampire fads like Twilight or Cirque de Freak couldn't hold a candle to Bela Lugosi's 1931 classic incarnation of Dracula.
And of course, werewolves have become a hot commodity, what with Twilight, Underworld, and Harry Potter re-popularizing those furry nightstalkers, though never to the legendary extent of 1941's all-time classic, The Wolf Man. Starring horror great Lon Chaney, Jr., Wolf Man quite possibly ignited the modern Western world's fascination with werewolves.
But unlike Dracula and The Mummy, the original Wolf Man never had its own straight-up remake, though plenty of lycanthrope-themed films did come out of the woodwork later on (1981's An American Werewolf in London being possibly the best contemporary werewolf movie to date).
But, as is the trend in modern Hollywood, everything needs to be remade (especially horror films), and so the original werewolf classic was finally "reimagined" for the 21st century, this time under the helm of fantasy/adventure director Joe Johnston. And at the risk of sounding cliched, this Wolfman's bark is seriously better than its bite.
In 1890s England, rumors have been floating around that an accursed beast has been stalking the woods and murdering scores of villagers. One such unlucky and eviscerated fellow was Ben Talbot, the son of reclusive nobleman Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins) and the brother of Shakespearean actor Lawrence Talbot (Benicio del Toro).
Lawrence, having been living and performing in America for many years, returns to bury his brother and patch things up with their estranged father. Though there's no love lost between Lawrence and John, the younger Talbot has vowed to Ben's fiancee Gwen (Emily Blunt) to get to the bottom of Ben's death. His search takes him to a local gypsy village, which is suddenly under attack by a shadowy monster. Lawrence is attacked by the beast and bitten on the shoulder.
Surviving the encounter, Lawrence recuperates at his father's estate, only to notice that the bite wound has healed and/or disappeared in less than a day. Superstitious villagers are keen to lock Lawrence up, believing him to soon become the next incarnation of the beast. Sure enough, at the next full moon, Lawrence transforms into a snarling, animalistic, and rampaging "wolf man", leaving countless bodies in its wake. On the run after turning back into his peaceful human self, Lawrence must evade the authorities, an expert Scotland Yard inspector (Hugo Weaving), all while trying to figure out his inhuman malady and the uncertain motives of his mysterious father.
I walked into The Wolfman with low expectations, not only considering my tepid response to the trailer and commercials, but by the indisputable fact that nothing could surpass the 1941 original. I was pretty sure that Wolfman 2.0 would merely be a brainless, enjoyable waste of time focused on blood 'n guts goodness and campy performances.
For the most part, my prognostications were true. Though I respect director Joe Johnston's mostly kid-friendly, visuals-focused career (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Hidalgo, Jurassic Park III, and the terrific retro superhero flick The Rocketeer), his venture into R-rated horror fares just as well (or is that poorly?) as almost every other modern-day monster movie.
If there's anything about The Wolfman to truly deserve admiration, it's the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Unlike the dreadful Hugh Jackman "horror homage" film Van Helsing, the new Wolfman displays a hefty amount of intentional camp, almost paying homage to the melodrama of the original film.
It also helps that the film is gorgeous to behold. Instead of trying to go "high-tech period film" like Van Helsing unfortunately did, Wolfman lovingly recreates Victorian England as a dark, cloudy, even spooky environment, truly paying homage to the old Wolf Man's frightening atmosphere and ambiance.
And the make-up work by the prolific Rick Baker is astounding. Matching the original Jack Pierce make-up work worn by Chaney, Jr. but clearly revamped thanks to the movie magic of today, Baker does a grand job bringing the Wolfman back to life (interestingly, Baker won the Best Make-up Oscar in 1981 for An American Werewolf in London).
The actual Wolfman scenes are appropriately brutal, with every imaginable kind of human organ flying up on the screen (and a hell of a lot of jump scenes). Though at times he looks like a coked-up Chewbacca, this hairy mongrel is a convincing creature of the night.
However, when the scenes revert to plain old Larry Talbot, the dramatic bite is much less intense than the horror's. The script by Andrew Walker and David Self is drab and by-the-numbers, and we feel little to no sympathy for the characters, especially Lawrence and Gwen. Considering the R-rating and the potential for great character drama, a bit more intensity would've helped.
So would better/more memorable performances. Oscar winner del Toro is a fine actor, and on some occasions, he captures the fear and vulnerability of Lon Chaney's Talbot, but for the most part, del Toro sleepwalks through the role.
Thankfully, the ever-reliable Anthony Hopkins is here to chew every single piece of scenery on display. Grizzled, creepy, and wonderfully hammy, Sir Anthony does a fine job as the daddy with many secrets, with a performance that overshadows the frankly boring Freudian drama between Lawrence and John.
The talented Emily Blunt is unfortunately relegated to pretty window dressing as the grieving fiancee, and the always-awesome Hugo Weaving sadly doesn't get much room to breathe as the intrepid detective on the Wolfman's trail.
It's never really wise to try to one-up a cinematic legend. As most remakes have proven, it's best not to mess with the classics, and although The Wolfman isn't indescribably dumb or insulting like most horror remakes, it just doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to delivering consistent scares or convincing performances. A good waste of time, but nothing to truly howl at the moon about.
Letter Grade: "C-"
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