The Wolfman (DVD, 2010, Rated/Unrated Versions)

In this movie, based loosely on the original version with Claude Rains, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney, things are a bit different.

Of course the special effects are more up to date and the action sequences more beliveable, but the story itself has also changed.

In the original black and white version, Chaney become infected from a wolf, but also falls in love and he is a doomed man. Most of the film focuses on this sense of inevitability and there is actually very little action or violence.

In the remake the relationships are more obscure and Benicio del Toro, who plays the wolfman, has a more complicated time unraveling the situation, especially that with his father, played by Anthony Hopkins.

As the back story unfolds, it leads to the confrontation between father and son which is at the heart of this movie, and it does not disappoint. It takes some time to fully fathom the characters and their motivations, and this movie actually needs to be viewed more than once to pick up on the subtleties involved.

It is not a standard shoot em up, rip em up, all action horror fest, though there is plenty of action and many horrific sequences, but, as with the original, it leaves plenty of room for speculation.

It is not a slavish copy of the original, nor is it one that completely ignores its origins, but a thoughtful remake that changes the story somewhat, but keeps the basic intent intact.

Our illustrious production of the newest version of the Wolfman was filmed at 9 different locations in England. Director Joe Johnston (Jumanji 1995) wanted the very best for the academy award winners such as Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs) in 1992 and Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) in 200. We have to know that the studio would have a tag-line that wouldn't dissappoint. "When the moon is full the legend comes to life."

The action sequences and the kills by the wolfman were extremely impressive, yet the last fight sequence had a bit of a fake feel to it all and was a bit overdone. Thusly, there were two versions of the father son wolfman fight scenes. Neither one, in my opinion gave the film justice. It just was not fitting for the two great actors to fight one another.

The beginning of the film goes somewhat like this: In 1891, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt) writes to Lawrence Talbot (Benicio del Toro) to tell him that his brother, Ben, has disappeared. Lawrence, a renowned Shakespearean actor, is touring London and races to the family's estate in Blackmoor. He has been estranged from his family for many years, since his father, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins) sent him to an insane asylum after witnessing his mother's mysterious death. When Lawrence arrives, Talbot Hall is in disrepair. John tells him that Ben's mauled body had been found the day before.

The asylum sequences were extremely disturbing and kept you guessing as to what was coming up next. This excitement tends to keep you on the edge of you seat. Just when you think it is safe, something crazy happens and mayhem ensues. The werewolf in this film is pretty insane, so expect to see a lot of blood, gore, and human body parts flying around. The violence, along with the dark atmosphere, really gave a suspenseful experience.

While the film had lots of positive sides to it, it also had its share of negative attributes. The one thing that aggravated me the most was the erratic film pace. Perhaps this was due to the cut. It starts off slow to introduce the characters and setting, and then all of a sudden it kicks to high gear. After it has some fast scenes (which sometimes feel as if you just skipped ahead and missed something entirely), the film will go back to a slow pacing. What I'm trying to say is that the film's pacing was pretty inconsistent. The pacing stems off and creates other problems, such as poor story elements. I feel as if some of the mysteries in the film were just solved by adding a few lines to the script. The writers probably said amongst themselves:

"So, how does this happen?" "Umm...I don't know, let's just add this line or sub-plot." The story even forgets to answer some questions that may have been burning in your mind, and when you leave the theater you wonder why these questions were never answered (you can blame the writing and fast-paced scenes for that). Emily Blunt's character also seemed to be useless, and was just added to give off some romantic vibes. Finally, the ending wasn't that productive. It need to have a much better closure.

Overall, The Wolfman is an interesting study in horror/action films. The acting is perfectly timed, yet timid at time. The set production and visuals are awesome, and the action sequences are uncanny. There are also some pretty nice kills in this one for all of you blood/gore fans. While the film can be fun, the plot suffers from the film's inconsistent pacing, which eventually leaves some plot holes.

I tossed between Good to Average rating on this film. This movie's plot and or seemed to straddle several films, the original of the same title, but including aspects of Hammer's Curse of the Werewolf and Werewolf of London. Del Toro, in this film bears an uncanny resemblance to Reed's hapless Leone. He plays his role with a rather understated tone, perhaps less emotional than Reed, but not conveying enough sadness or angst, so we never seem to really believe him. Sir Anthony always interesting to watch could have probably used better dialogue, but was complicated as we were never quite sure if he's a hero or a villain. Fortunately or unfortunately most of the film is carried by the special effects (CGI or otherwise) which are quite eye-catching. What was interesting was Weaving's characterization of Jack the Ripper's Abbeline, do I smell a sequel or just wolf poo?

This one is a remake of a classic, and Anthony Hopkins is superb in it. It is set and shot in England, and there is a very good feel for the era it was portrying. The plot moves along smoothly, and the special effects are good. Not too gory, but in a movie about werewolves you have to expect some. It's a good, old fashioned and well done horror flick with a sad ending. REcommend this over previous versions of the film.

great movie, love the actors, fx was great(rick baker has talent)always loved the original w/ lon chaney,jr. and claude rains. recommend this movie if you like the genre: horror