The Wolfman

🎃2026 Spooky Season Watch #6

A severe shame. I was optimistic I’d like this more than most, being I enjoyed 2024’s The Wolf Man more than most, but this one? Not so…

It’s even more of a shame, because it’s evident there was a strong idea and vision at the base of it all. The story itself is good, but the script is such a momentum killer, maybe it’s a bit of conjunction with editing too - but man, does it plod along at a dull pace. Costume, make-up, prosthetics, CGI, production design are all genuinely stellar and it’s evident how much money was shoved into make it so - all of it combined creates a spooky effective tone, even if it’s never quite able to be “scary”.

Again, it’s a shame, as all the acting is really good. Benicio del Toro is at the centre of it, and he’s brilliant. He’s a producer too, so the project was obviously a bit of a passion project for him, so no doubt. Emily Blunt and Anthony Hopkins both impress, but in the supporting category, Hugo Weaving impressed me the most.

Incredibly predictable and an increasingly boring narrative structure kill this film. Every other element is very high for a film of this genre and age, there must have been some panic behind the scenes with too much interference or something, but it is what it is…

Really good cinematography, but plot was lowkey mid. It’s pretty much every other monster movie, but the first half was more creative. I did think the Romani representation was interesting and I’m curious how accurate it was.

It’s one of those movies you watch once but it’s not bad