In my opinion, The Wolfman (2010), starring Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, is arguably the better film. It features a great balance of practical effects and CGI, especially in the transformation scenes. The look of the Wolfman was fantastic, with some truly striking moments, though there were a few missteps, like the dream sequences, Emily Blunt being relegated to a secondary role in the third act, and a couple of CGI kills, including the bear, which didn't quite hit the mark. That said, most of the scenes with the Wolfman were spot-on, even the kills, despite the occasional CGI blood. There were also some excellent practical effects in the kills, which really added to the tension and horror. The asylum sequence and the escape through London were executed flawlessly, and the film's finale could've wrapped things up in a satisfying way but I prefer the 3rd ending, and yes there's 2 other endings. The background score was also well done, enhancing the eerie atmosphere throughout the film. It’s unfortunate that the movie didn’t receive the audience it deserved upon its release. Overall, I think The Wolfman is an underrated remake of the classic, offering a compelling mix of horror and an early 2010s monster movie charm.
@MrImastinker the 2nd alternate ending where the wolfman bites Gwen THEN Gwen shoots the wolfman. and the 3rd alternate ending where the wolfman kills Gwen.
I didn't love the 2010 version but it got a lot of undeserved hate. I'm in agreement with you with just about everything you said. I liked it enough to get the DVD when it came out. And liked it enough to get it on Google TV not too long ago. I've only seen the film the 3 times I purchased.
If you like that you should check out Frankenstein 2015 directed by Bernard rose (Candyman) it has Tony Todd in it too. (As well as Carrie-Ann Moss and Danny Houston.) I haven't seen the actor who plays the Monster.(Xavier Samuels) But he did a good job. In my opinion it's how they should be remaking these universal Monsters. Instead of "The Dark Universe" or whatever the hell Leigh Wennell is doing with it.
funny thing, the original Wolfman movie had a great commentary: the original Wolfman was written about soldiers losing humanity during ww2 but you didn't notice because good commentary is subtle and never spelled out
@@NadeemShekh-uy9zn honestly how did they act like wendigos, if they were actually like the wendigos the characters would have been fine all you gotta do is just be quiet... the whole movie it was displaying signs of a natural predator
I feel like that's the fault of the fans of that Movie. Comparing everything to THAT Movie does a disservice to those other Films. We gotta let go of that, or every Film about Werewolves will suffer this exact same fate.
I said that I thought this entire movie just felt "hollow" like a beautifully made outside with absolutely nada in the middle. A solid IDEA for a movie that turns out to be a nothingburger snoozefest
I applaud him for tackling this. To say the transformation scenes are not on “American Werewolf in London” level says so much and really how all werewolf films are judged by both the 41/81 films.
As disappointed as I was, I will say that is such a cool concept and idea for a werewolf movie. Literally seeing the perspective of a transforming werewolf as they slowly lose their understanding of human language and human sights.
Regarding the script- people in the know have said that the underlying themes and nuances in ‘Invisible Man’ were largely influenced and developed by Elisabeth Moss when she took the lead role. The script for ‘Wolfman’ was not so lucky, although I believe Christopher Abbott really tried to dig more out of the subtext than was originally there. It read as though someone had written it during a 12 hour flight. The director knows how to use a camera and has interesting ideas visually, but he is not a great writer and this film is the result.
I personally loved it. The werewolf design being more of a hybrid wof human rather than just a large, upright wolf is a huge plus for me. The story is great, acting is good, effects are fantastic
The few clips of the werewolf designs in the trailers had me worried. I was hoping that we weren’t gonna be shown the full transformation until later in the film and the trailers didn’t want to spoil it. After seeing the movie, I was so disappointed that what we saw in the trailers is what we got. I get trying something new but this didn’t really work. Beauty cinematography tho.
Leigh Whannell’s got some explaining to do for how this and Insidious: The Red Door are the only movies he’s worked on since The Invisible Man back in early 2020. I’m a bit nervous on what the future holds for him.
40+yrs. ago,two movies were released that completely changed the landscape of the werewolf/wolfman genre of movies. The Howling & American Werewolf in London not only took the transformation sequences in groundbreaking new directions,they also cast differing views on being/becoming a werewolf. American Werewolf looked at these changes through the lens of being the unlucky survivor of a werewolf attack,& having to endure the physical changes your body goes through,as well as the psychological trauma of the brutal death of your best friend,as well as being haunted by the restless spirits of the victims of your newfound culinary preferences. The Howling,on the other hand,looks at being a werewolf from the point of view of the person/persons,that have embraced & revelled in being a werewolf,& all it's blood soaked savagery. It also looks at different aspects of society from the seedy underbelly of the red light district to the more"average" middle class as well as how media uses differing optics to sell a point of view. Both of these movies,as well as others,served to set the bar,not only in creature effects,but the intangibles of film making...character arc,plot design,etc.,which is why they have stood the test of time. This is probably the main reason for my disappointment that all 2025 offers is less than stellar creature effects,supposed generational trauma,& a weak take on toxic masculinity. Hopefully, sometime soon,someone can make their version of The Howling,or American Werewolf in London,that can stand on it's own merits.
I gotta be honest I enjoyed this movie there were some things I definitely didn’t like like the CGI moments in the movie but overall I liked this new take on the wolfman. Mind you this is coming from someone who isn’t huge on vampire/werewolf horror so I liked this new take on the wolfman and I didn’t hate the design esp since it had to be different for this interpretation of the wolfman since it’s treated as an infection. While it definitely could’ve done some more on the werewolf aspect and developing the family dynamic more to have a better impact I enjoyed the movie. For me it was a 7.5/10. So I think people who really enjoy the werewolf subgenre aren’t gonna be lovers of this movie. The ending was very anticlimactic esp since another wolfman was in the finale.
@@JesseJ588I haven’t seen Ozark but I wasn’t very impressed by her in this film. I hope she does better as The Silver Surfer in the Fantastic Four film later this year.
I personally liked this movie. I saw this as a tragic tale of a Dad trying to protect his family, but due to a sickness, he can no longer do that. I love how this movie does that in the fantastical world of Werewolves in Leigh Whannell's take on it. Even though this movie doesn't beat the quality of "The Invisible Man" or "Upgrade," I still think this is a solid film from him in his career.
I thought so too. I thought the first 20 minutes was solid buildup and then when it kicks into gear I thought it was a super solid thriller with fun wolf action even if it took a scene or two to get used to the way the Wolf Man looked. The gore was great and the emotional core was strong. In particular the complaint it drops the commentary in the second half, I think it did a mediocre job setting it up (with bad acting) in the first act and then it makes sense that it becomes less overt because it's still a Wolf Man thriller it can't be AS restrained as say Invisible Man. But the fact that he never does come back to them but has to be put down, it really is a tragic tale and I liked how dark it went. I dunno, I've seen 28 Werewolf movies (according to my handy dandy Letterboxd list lmao) and thought that this was a fresh fun take and really enjoyed it.
I'm skipping this one. The "werewolf" design alone killed my excitement for this film. I know story and character are far more important but to me if the werewolf design doesn't land for me in a werewolf movie then you lose me whether the movie is good or not.
Watched it last night in IMAX I really enjoyed it. Was really invested and the sound effects were great . 👍🏼 I’ll definitely check it out again. Good review 👍🏼🍿
Interesting. Some of the reasons on why it’s a negative for you, is very much a positive for others. You said the themes in the film that you said didn’t come around in full swing, I personally didn’t get that reaction & many other commentators like yourself didn’t get that either. While yes I did notice that the characters speaking about the situation in the film do become a bit heavy handed. But, it didn’t take away my overall experience of the film. Yes, the wife did spoke about exactly what we, as the audience, already know about. But, she’s conversing with her child, who wouldn’t know what exactly was going on. So I get it in that context. Again, it didn’t take away my overall experience. I personally enjoyed it. It’s not my favorite werewolf movie of all time (The Wolf Man (1941) still holds that title). But, I still enjoyed it overall. I expected it to be different. All I can do is embrace it.
I was excited for this because it looked like the same type of slow body horror transformation that The Fly did. Watching all the different stages of a slow painful metamorphosis is so cool… I realize now that’s all this has to offer though and I’m better off just watching The Fly again
I saw this last night after a long week at work and whilst I agree with most of the things you said I needed to be entertained for 100mins without having to overthink too much and so I thoroughly enjoyed it..best wishes from the UK
All the reviews I've been seeing are so 50 50 and it bums me out cause I was really looking forward to this. If I had more confidence I'd write an idea i have for a werewolf movie that borrows some from folklore, stuff from the Batman comic "Moon of the Wolf" and stuff from some different eras of "The Incredible Hulk" along with some nasty body horror with torn bloody skin in the transformation scenes. I just wanna see werewolves get a badass and gruesome adaptation
The wolfman 2010 was the best in my opinion. I never understood the hate of that movie. Also everyone start rioting until we get the craven cut of cursed
The whole point of a movie is to entertain you and to have a great time, and this movie for me and my daughter was great. I love jump scares thats the whole point of a horror movie. Now keep in mind this is not a Wolf Man movie, its more of an infected creature that hunts at night.
I want a full on transformation into a 4 legged savage beast like in American Werewolf in London. Now THAT was a scary werewolf! Even the sounds were scary and the attacks were savage. I hate when werewolves are on two legs and look like a jacked man in a wolf head who just tosses you around like a wrestler. Not scary!
I also liked it more than most people I’m seeing but I also did find some of the problems expressed about telling instead of showing and the characters feeling undercooked.
They tried with Benicio del Toro but it never took. I'm sure I spelt name wrong and no I'm not gonna Google it lol. I did like the look of the one in Monster Squad
Ryan Gosling was going to play the lead in this film. I wonder how it would’ve turned out had they kept him. I think he’s still a producer if I’m not mistaken.
I was able to predict what was going to happen. I don’t know if that’s bad or I’m just used to tropes and clichés. But I enjoyed it for the most part. You totally nailed it with the criticism about the father and his “anger” and that reveal that happens at the end lol
I saw the movie last night, had a more positive opinion. The setting, atmosphere & tension were all very well executed imo, especially loved the opening scene. I do understand some of your criticism but that didn't bother me. I do wish the wolf man design was better. There's some shots it looks creepy when obscured by lighting etc. but when it gets shown up close later in the film just looks like a deformed zombie/LOTR orc that needs a shave. If that aspect of the movie was improved I would have really loved it.
I actually really liked this movie! It made me cry a few times, but I think it’s because it reminded me of my relationship with my dad. And being someone who has a lot of health issues, it was a great depiction of the change your body goes into … obviously in a fantastical way … but I connected to that a lot. It’s crazy how this movie has such a big difference on people’s views of it, but that’s why people need to check it out for themselves. 😁👍
I also liked this movie. I saw it as a tragic tale of a Dad trying to protect his family, but due to a sickness, he can no longer do that. I love how this movie does that. Even though this movie doesn't beat the quality of "The Invisible Man" or "Upgrade," I still think this is a solid film from him in his career.
@ I totally agree! I definitely liked Upgrade and Invisible Man better, but this story was different and very tragic. Watching the dad not be able to protect his family or stop what’s happening to him … plus his wife and daughter having to just watch and have no way to help … it really did hit something for me. Glad you liked it, too! ☺️🫶
@ You know, watching the reviews ahead of time may have bumped my expectations down to make me like it more when I actually saw it. 😆 Plus being Blumhouse, I still had that little voice in the back of my head thinking … grrr, Blumhouse. 😤 lol.
I hated the Invisible Man remake, and Blumhouse has been so disappointing the past few years that I knew the Wolf Man was in trouble. As soon as we started getting looks at the monster and interviews with Leigh Whannell saying he wanted to do away with everything that makes a clasic werewolf movie recognizable as such, I was already done. The original Universal Wolf is my favorite classic monster movie, and this does nothing but disgrace its legacy.
This has nothing to do with universal wolfman. Its simply a werewolf movie. No Talbots, no curse.. Same with invisible man. Should call it something else.
I’m not totally surprised that this one didn’t turn out great. This was a project Leigh Whannell abandoned many years ago, and then returned to it just barely over a year ago with cameras rolling like a month and a half after he rejoined, meaning he had just a little over a month to write this thing. I think if they had pushed it back even more and given him more time to flesh out the script and themes he was going for, it would have turned out much better. Still love the dude and will still very much look forward to what he does next
Dang, was hoping for a wolf classic to go back to year after year like Werewolf in London or Ginger Snaps. Appreciate the in-depth but still not spoilery review, Cody!
@@JesseJ588Definitely my favorite of the Chipmunks films next to The Chipmunk Adventure (which I put on my favorite 90's movie list on Cody's video about 90's nostalgia films)
Damn. Sucks that people aren’t liking this, I loved it, not perfect, but I found it to be tense, and had some thrilling sequences. Human Characters interacting with each other was a bit cringe, seemed to be a lack of chemistry, but the wolf stuff kept me intrigued throughout and unlike many movies these days, I didn’t feel like it dragged on and on. Just a simple get in and get out wolf man movie. That’s the wonders of opinions I guess! Great review as always, all points were thought out well and explained.
Wow I was looking to see if you uploaded a review yet. Didn’t see one but less than a min later you uploaded. Woo hoo🎉. Going to see this tomorrow night with my husband.
I thought this film was a good modern take. Everyone is pissed about the monster design but it’s not meant to be a full on werewolf. The title is Wolf Man, with a space between the two words, meaning a wolf-man. For what it is, they did a nice job making this film and keeping it focused on how he transitions into the monster throughout the run time. It’s a good contained story just focusing on this family and how they deal with Blake changing. Although I liked it, I would have loved to see the original Ryan Gosling plot play out. He was supposed to play a news anchor that reports on the deaths of the people he killed when he turned into the monster at night. It was supposed to be inspired by Nightcrawler and I think that idea would have been more fun and made people happier than what this new film came to be.
Thanks for saving me a few hours of time watching it. I didn't realize it was made by the Invisible Man writer/director. That one was dumb as hell imo. Rich guy creates tech that could make him billions, or that he could do anything with, but decides to fake his death so he can mess with his ex.😮💨
So, funny thing is that when I saw the thumbnail for this video, it had Cody looking like he was imitating a werewolf. I looked at it again, I saw he had this "eh?" look to him and wanted to find out if he enjoyed "The Wolf Man" and yeah, as someone who wanted to see this, I might have to lower my expectations. Hopefully, I'll still enjoy it. 🐺
My parents and I all thought it was pretty good. Solid 7-8 / 10. The pacing really helped with that, though I do think it could’ve been 10 minutes longer just to flesh out the characters a bit more.
He's a stay at home Dad. I think it's more about the fears felt by parents for the safety of their children than inner rage. The problem is that the film goes nowhere.
I agree with a couple of people saying this would've been better as a 40 minute fan film ...... I'm sure if someone on you tube edited it that way it would be wayyyyy better 👁
January has always been the dumping ground for poorly made films. However, over the years, this is improving. I think The Invisible Man was released in January. As I recall it was the last film in cinema before lockdown. It's unfortunate as this film held such high hopes. I had the feeling things were heading south when my cinema only played 3 showings in one day and it was in the smallest screen way down the end of the complex. Got that, Oh Dear, feeling.
So, in the video, you said that you don’t know if you’ve seen him anything else, and I can confirm you have. He was in It Comes at Night and Possessor.
As soon as I saw that design of the wolfman I was like yeah no I'm good, also if this is gonna be his direction for the universal monster reboot then I ain't here for it.
I definitely agree with the points you made Cody but this was not a disappointment for me. Would it have been better if they fleshed out everything you said, 1000%. I just know I walked into it without the Whannell expectations in the back of my mind and I loved it. You can love it and not have it be perfect in the slightest don’t get me wrong but I’ve been starving for an at least fresh and decent werewolf movie and it delivered at least that.
This and The Bride, aka the remake of Bride of Frankenstein are the 2 movies top of the list on what I'm looking forward to seeing this year, so before clicking on this video, I knew that I'm going to see it. Yeah, the 2 remakes of classic Universal Monster Movies. Hopefully I don't find myself disappointed with this like you did, but we shall see. Still, did enjoy your video. Thank you, Cody.
People need to stop going to Blumhouse with their ideas imo. After looking at a long list of their movies, it’s very certain directors that are able to make magic under their production
Hey Cody! Have you seen Howl (2015)? It’s a pretty good Werewolf movie from the guy who did effects on The Descent and the girl who played Sarah in it! Check it out if you haven’t, I believe it’s still on Shudder :)
Not sure if you ever reviewed Hemlock Grove on Netflix. Still haven't seen a modern horror top those werewolf transformation scenes, especially the beginning of season 2.
I liked the movie and only later connected the director to his other films. The only real flaw that stood out for me was waiting for the mother and daughter to finally bond. They never closed that loose end either. Julia Garner was held back the whole film as far as letting her act. She was sleepwalking.
In my opinion, The Wolfman (2010), starring Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, is arguably the better film. It features a great balance of practical effects and CGI, especially in the transformation scenes. The look of the Wolfman was fantastic, with some truly striking moments, though there were a few missteps, like the dream sequences, Emily Blunt being relegated to a secondary role in the third act, and a couple of CGI kills, including the bear, which didn't quite hit the mark. That said, most of the scenes with the Wolfman were spot-on, even the kills, despite the occasional CGI blood. There were also some excellent practical effects in the kills, which really added to the tension and horror.
The asylum sequence and the escape through London were executed flawlessly, and the film's finale could've wrapped things up in a satisfying way but I prefer the 3rd ending, and yes there's 2 other endings. The background score was also well done, enhancing the eerie atmosphere throughout the film. It’s unfortunate that the movie didn’t receive the audience it deserved upon its release. Overall, I think The Wolfman is an underrated remake of the classic, offering a compelling mix of horror and an early 2010s monster movie charm.
Which of the 3 endings are you referring to, specifically?
@MrImastinker the 2nd alternate ending where the wolfman bites Gwen THEN Gwen shoots the wolfman. and the 3rd alternate ending where the wolfman kills Gwen.
@
Thank you!
I didn't love the 2010 version but it got a lot of undeserved hate. I'm in agreement with you with just about everything you said.
I liked it enough to get the DVD when it came out. And liked it enough to get it on Google TV not too long ago.
I've only seen the film the 3 times I purchased.
If you like that you should check out Frankenstein 2015 directed by Bernard rose (Candyman) it has Tony Todd in it too. (As well as Carrie-Ann Moss and Danny Houston.) I haven't seen the actor who plays the Monster.(Xavier Samuels) But he did a good job.
In my opinion it's how they should be remaking these universal Monsters. Instead of "The Dark Universe" or whatever the hell Leigh Wennell is doing with it.
funny thing, the original Wolfman movie had a great commentary: the original Wolfman was written about soldiers losing humanity during ww2 but you didn't notice because good commentary is subtle and never spelled out
nope commentary can be not subtle and still good actually!!
they should’ve done a movie about a wendigo because the monster looked and felt more like a wendigo than a “wolf man”
@@cinematicsterling6897 yeah like the wendigo from the until dawn game
@@NadeemShekh-uy9zn honestly how did they act like wendigos, if they were actually like the wendigos the characters would have been fine all you gotta do is just be quiet... the whole movie it was displaying signs of a natural predator
Antlers tried to do that but it was very underwhelming.
It was a zombie
@@justsumidiot.6426 Antlers was disappointing, but I'd take it over Wolfman.
Man I had such high hopes for this movie. So the best Werewolf content we recently got is still "Werewolf by Night" from Marvel and Michael Giacchino
The problem with werewolf movies is that all of them have yet to get out of American Werewolf in London’s shadow 44 years later
I liked the Wolfman movie with Anthony Hopkins and Benicio del Toro.
Dog Soldiers is a superior werewolf movie that came out afterwards but sure. American werewolf is wildly overrated imo.
I feel like that's the fault of the fans of that Movie. Comparing everything to THAT Movie does a disservice to those other Films. We gotta let go of that, or every Film about Werewolves will suffer this exact same fate.
Wolfman n Howling were good as well.
Yessss
Also, why is no one talking about the fact that the daughter’s name is Ginger in the movie….. 🤭
Immediately thought of Ginger Snaps
@@char6481hints all over the movie I hear 😂
nickname?
@@char6481me too!! LOL
Reference to Ginger Snaps?
I didn't like it sadly the wolfman design is disappointing looks too much like a zombie not a werewolf
Stone cold take, the design was great
@TheKingOfAllHorror I disagree strongly
I haven’t seen the film but from the images and the trailer I think it looks like a mutant from Wrong Turn over a Wolf Man or zombie lol.
@@NadeemShekh-uy9zn That's because you have bad taste
@@TheKingOfAllHorror I was being nice why are you being mean
Cody I suggest giving the movie "Wolfen" a chance. It's a decent more overlooked werewolf movie from the 80's.
Yeah it’s a good one!
@@dertodesking8379 I saw it for the first time not too long ago and like it just as much as Howling and AAWIL. I love the werewolf povs.
Wolfen vision was totally referenced in this movie. Wolfen deserves more respect than it gets. A classic in my view.
It’s not a werewolf movie.
Don't overlook Silver Bullet or the Wolf of Snowhollow
I said that I thought this entire movie just felt "hollow" like a beautifully made outside with absolutely nada in the middle. A solid IDEA for a movie that turns out to be a nothingburger snoozefest
That’s how I felt about it I loved it visually and really liked the way it used sound design and tension but the characters were paper thin.
@austinwillis5982 at my screening people were consistently laughing at the dialogue and checking their phone. I'll stick with Upgrade 😂
I didn’t believe the wife dynamic at all. That was an entire 8-9 year difference and it borderlines on the creepy if you timeline it.
@@Blast2224 I said the same thing. Love Julia Garner as an actress but didn't believe the casting at all as his wife. Felt more like a second daughter
That’s almost exactly what Stephen King said about Kubrick’s The Shining. “A big, beautiful Cadillac with no engine inside”. He was and is correct.
I applaud him for tackling this. To say the transformation scenes are not on “American Werewolf in London” level says so much and really how all werewolf films are judged by both the 41/81 films.
First Jeremy Jahns and now Cody Leach? Darn, I was really excited for this movie.
Just saw it like two hours ago. I loved it, so it just depends on who you ask. 😂
@@KrystleLovesHorror I'll still see it, but I might wait until it's online.
lts bland
Fish Jelly liked it. Simple story but enjoyed it. Not an action movie.
You shouldn’t go by what a couple of TH-camrs say. You should form your own opinion
I dig the scenes where we get the perspective of the transforming husband/father when he's listening to and seeing his wife and child.
As disappointed as I was, I will say that is such a cool concept and idea for a werewolf movie. Literally seeing the perspective of a transforming werewolf as they slowly lose their understanding of human language and human sights.
Regarding the script- people in the know have said that the underlying themes and nuances in ‘Invisible Man’ were largely influenced and developed by Elisabeth Moss when she took the lead role.
The script for ‘Wolfman’ was not so lucky, although I believe Christopher Abbott really tried to dig more out of the subtext than was originally there. It read as though someone had written it during a 12 hour flight.
The director knows how to use a camera and has interesting ideas visually, but he is not a great writer and this film is the result.
He is the best director Blumhouse has but the script should have been much better, but here we are
I personally loved it. The werewolf design being more of a hybrid wof human rather than just a large, upright wolf is a huge plus for me. The story is great, acting is good, effects are fantastic
The few clips of the werewolf designs in the trailers had me worried. I was hoping that we weren’t gonna be shown the full transformation until later in the film and the trailers didn’t want to spoil it. After seeing the movie, I was so disappointed that what we saw in the trailers is what we got. I get trying something new but this didn’t really work. Beauty cinematography tho.
Leigh Whannell’s got some explaining to do for how this and Insidious: The Red Door are the only movies he’s worked on since The Invisible Man back in early 2020. I’m a bit nervous on what the future holds for him.
Cap, this was amazing
@@TheKingOfAllHorror to cinephiles and we see how thats been working
Red door was a extremely poor for being the "finale" of the insidious franchise 😢
and both were bad lol
He barely had anything to do with Red Door, just foundation for the story
40+yrs. ago,two movies were released that completely changed the landscape of the werewolf/wolfman genre of movies. The Howling & American Werewolf in London not only took the transformation sequences in groundbreaking new directions,they also cast differing views on being/becoming a werewolf. American Werewolf looked at these changes through the lens of being the unlucky survivor of a werewolf attack,& having to endure the physical changes your body goes through,as well as the psychological trauma of the brutal death of your best friend,as well as being haunted by the restless spirits of the victims of your newfound culinary preferences. The Howling,on the other hand,looks at being a werewolf from the point of view of the person/persons,that have embraced & revelled in being a werewolf,& all it's blood soaked savagery. It also looks at different aspects of society from the seedy underbelly of the red light district to the more"average" middle class as well as how media uses differing optics to sell a point of view. Both of these movies,as well as others,served to set the bar,not only in creature effects,but the intangibles of film making...character arc,plot design,etc.,which is why they have stood the test of time. This is probably the main reason for my disappointment that all 2025 offers is less than stellar creature effects,supposed generational trauma,& a weak take on toxic masculinity. Hopefully, sometime soon,someone can make their version of The Howling,or American Werewolf in London,that can stand on it's own merits.
I gotta be honest I enjoyed this movie there were some things I definitely didn’t like like the CGI moments in the movie but overall I liked this new take on the wolfman. Mind you this is coming from someone who isn’t huge on vampire/werewolf horror so I liked this new take on the wolfman and I didn’t hate the design esp since it had to be different for this interpretation of the wolfman since it’s treated as an infection. While it definitely could’ve done some more on the werewolf aspect and developing the family dynamic more to have a better impact I enjoyed the movie. For me it was a 7.5/10. So I think people who really enjoy the werewolf subgenre aren’t gonna be lovers of this movie. The ending was very anticlimactic esp since another wolfman was in the finale.
The wife had no emotions, just the same facial expressions in every scene
She's the most overrated actress working today. She's half the reason I stopped Ozark right in the middle of the show. She's so one note and annoying.
Until later in the trailer, I thought the wife was the guy's daughter.
@@JesseJ588I haven’t seen Ozark but I wasn’t very impressed by her in this film. I hope she does better as The Silver Surfer in the Fantastic Four film later this year.
The reason werewolf movies are so rare is that good creature effects especially the transformation are way more expensive than other types horror
I personally liked this movie. I saw this as a tragic tale of a Dad trying to protect his family, but due to a sickness, he can no longer do that. I love how this movie does that in the fantastical world of Werewolves in Leigh Whannell's take on it. Even though this movie doesn't beat the quality of "The Invisible Man" or "Upgrade," I still think this is a solid film from him in his career.
I thought so too. I thought the first 20 minutes was solid buildup and then when it kicks into gear I thought it was a super solid thriller with fun wolf action even if it took a scene or two to get used to the way the Wolf Man looked. The gore was great and the emotional core was strong.
In particular the complaint it drops the commentary in the second half, I think it did a mediocre job setting it up (with bad acting) in the first act and then it makes sense that it becomes less overt because it's still a Wolf Man thriller it can't be AS restrained as say Invisible Man. But the fact that he never does come back to them but has to be put down, it really is a tragic tale and I liked how dark it went.
I dunno, I've seen 28 Werewolf movies (according to my handy dandy Letterboxd list lmao) and thought that this was a fresh fun take and really enjoyed it.
Same
@@gamerkingfmc863 agreed, it gave me what I'd want out of a film this premise, and did it well
I'm skipping this one. The "werewolf" design alone killed my excitement for this film. I know story and character are far more important but to me if the werewolf design doesn't land for me in a werewolf movie then you lose me whether the movie is good or not.
I hope we can just get one more werewolf movie on the same level as American Werewolf in London just once before I die
I think Howl was the only one I saw come close, only for wild, monsterish the werewolves were
@@robbieracer3294 Howl is pretty average
It would be nice, wouldn't it.
Watched it last night in IMAX
I really enjoyed it. Was really invested and the sound effects were great . 👍🏼 I’ll definitely check it out again. Good review 👍🏼🍿
Same! I loved it and want to see it again! 😁👍
That Thumbnail is glorious 😂🙌
Interesting. Some of the reasons on why it’s a negative for you, is very much a positive for others. You said the themes in the film that you said didn’t come around in full swing, I personally didn’t get that reaction & many other commentators like yourself didn’t get that either. While yes I did notice that the characters speaking about the situation in the film do become a bit heavy handed. But, it didn’t take away my overall experience of the film. Yes, the wife did spoke about exactly what we, as the audience, already know about. But, she’s conversing with her child, who wouldn’t know what exactly was going on. So I get it in that context. Again, it didn’t take away my overall experience. I personally enjoyed it. It’s not my favorite werewolf movie of all time (The Wolf Man (1941) still holds that title). But, I still enjoyed it overall. I expected it to be different. All I can do is embrace it.
Underworld has always been my guilty pleasure.
Kate Beckinsale as a kick ass vampire in neck to toe tight latex? What's not to love?
I was excited for this because it looked like the same type of slow body horror transformation that The Fly did. Watching all the different stages of a slow painful metamorphosis is so cool… I realize now that’s all this has to offer though and I’m better off just watching The Fly again
I would love to see Creature from the Black Lagoon. That's a movie that could be really cool updated.
At this point, the. Creature will probably have mommy issues 😂
In the shape of water is the closest we'll get to that
I always felt, "The Shape of Water" was pretty much a reimagining of the Black Lagoon. Check it out if you havn't.
I saw this last night after a long week at work and whilst I agree with most of the things you said I needed to be entertained for 100mins without having to overthink too much and so I thoroughly enjoyed it..best wishes from the UK
I’m hoping Leigh will make a sequel to Upgrade
All the reviews I've been seeing are so 50 50 and it bums me out cause I was really looking forward to this. If I had more confidence I'd write an idea i have for a werewolf movie that borrows some from folklore, stuff from the Batman comic "Moon of the Wolf" and stuff from some different eras of "The Incredible Hulk" along with some nasty body horror with torn bloody skin in the transformation scenes. I just wanna see werewolves get a badass and gruesome adaptation
“Woof, man”
The wolfman 2010 was the best in my opinion. I never understood the hate of that movie. Also everyone start rioting until we get the craven cut of cursed
UPGRADE was probably his masterpiece
The whole point of a movie is to entertain you and to have a great time, and this movie for me and my daughter was great. I love jump scares thats the whole point of a horror movie. Now keep in mind this is not a Wolf Man movie, its more of an infected creature that hunts at night.
I really enjoyed Upgrade and Invisible Man, hopefully I’ll enjoy this one.
You will, it was awesome
Always tuning in to every video Cody nice review ❤
Leigh Whannell wrote the scripts on his own since Saw. On Wolfman, he had a cowriter. Perhaps this explains what the script wasn't full fleshed out.
I want a full on transformation into a 4 legged savage beast like in American Werewolf in London. Now THAT was a scary werewolf! Even the sounds were scary and the attacks were savage. I hate when werewolves are on two legs and look like a jacked man in a wolf head who just tosses you around like a wrestler. Not scary!
How far we've come (not in a good way) from Ryan Gosling starring as Wolfman
Yeah seems like a Leigh film on autopilot. Even last year’s Werewolves was a bit more entertaining but this wasn’t terrible.
I actually really enjoyed this film I thought it was a lot of fun
I also liked it more than most people I’m seeing but I also did find some of the problems expressed about telling instead of showing and the characters feeling undercooked.
They tried with Benicio del Toro but it never took. I'm sure I spelt name wrong and no I'm not gonna Google it lol. I did like the look of the one in Monster Squad
Ryan Gosling was going to play the lead in this film. I wonder how it would’ve turned out had they kept him. I think he’s still a producer if I’m not mistaken.
You are correct. Ryan Gosling is one of the several Executive Producers.
I've never heard anything but praise for The Invisible Man, so I really need to get on that one.
I was able to predict what was going to happen. I don’t know if that’s bad or I’m just used to tropes and clichés. But I enjoyed it for the most part. You totally nailed it with the criticism about the father and his “anger” and that reveal that happens at the end lol
I saw the movie last night, had a more positive opinion. The setting, atmosphere & tension were all very well executed imo, especially loved the opening scene. I do understand some of your criticism but that didn't bother me.
I do wish the wolf man design was better. There's some shots it looks creepy when obscured by lighting etc. but when it gets shown up close later in the film just looks like a deformed zombie/LOTR orc that needs a shave. If that aspect of the movie was improved I would have really loved it.
So would you prefer this over the 2010 del Toro version? I didn't think that one was that bad
I couldn’t wait to hear your take on this!
You have seen him before, he was in Kraven.
Nobody has topped American Werewolf in London.
I actually really liked this movie! It made me cry a few times, but I think it’s because it reminded me of my relationship with my dad. And being someone who has a lot of health issues, it was a great depiction of the change your body goes into … obviously in a fantastical way … but I connected to that a lot. It’s crazy how this movie has such a big difference on people’s views of it, but that’s why people need to check it out for themselves. 😁👍
I also liked this movie. I saw it as a tragic tale of a Dad trying to protect his family, but due to a sickness, he can no longer do that. I love how this movie does that. Even though this movie doesn't beat the quality of "The Invisible Man" or "Upgrade," I still think this is a solid film from him in his career.
@ I totally agree! I definitely liked Upgrade and Invisible Man better, but this story was different and very tragic. Watching the dad not be able to protect his family or stop what’s happening to him … plus his wife and daughter having to just watch and have no way to help … it really did hit something for me. Glad you liked it, too! ☺️🫶
I agree. I liked it for what it was. The critics had bigger expectations and wanted more.
@ You know, watching the reviews ahead of time may have bumped my expectations down to make me like it more when I actually saw it. 😆 Plus being Blumhouse, I still had that little voice in the back of my head thinking … grrr, Blumhouse. 😤 lol.
I hated the Invisible Man remake, and Blumhouse has been so disappointing the past few years that I knew the Wolf Man was in trouble. As soon as we started getting looks at the monster and interviews with Leigh Whannell saying he wanted to do away with everything that makes a clasic werewolf movie recognizable as such, I was already done. The original Universal Wolf is my favorite classic monster movie, and this does nothing but disgrace its legacy.
Guy makes nothing but shit movies .best remake of invisible man is hallow man
This has nothing to do with universal wolfman. Its simply a werewolf movie. No Talbots, no curse..
Same with invisible man. Should call it something else.
Upgrade was the most underrated movie of the last decade.
I’m not totally surprised that this one didn’t turn out great. This was a project Leigh Whannell abandoned many years ago, and then returned to it just barely over a year ago with cameras rolling like a month and a half after he rejoined, meaning he had just a little over a month to write this thing. I think if they had pushed it back even more and given him more time to flesh out the script and themes he was going for, it would have turned out much better. Still love the dude and will still very much look forward to what he does next
That unfortunately makes sense when I read how fast his turnaround was. Shame.
Dang, was hoping for a wolf classic to go back to year after year like Werewolf in London or Ginger Snaps. Appreciate the in-depth but still not spoilery review, Cody!
BRO ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS HAD A BETTER WOLFMAN DESIGN
BRO YOU ARE AN IDIOT, THIS FILM ROCKED
Man that's so funny I literally just watched that tonight with my son. He loved it!! Lol
@@JesseJ588Definitely my favorite of the Chipmunks films next to The Chipmunk Adventure (which I put on my favorite 90's movie list on Cody's video about 90's nostalgia films)
This kind of sounds like Kit Harrington's recent Werewolf movie, "The Beast Within".
Anyone else think the same?
Off to see this tomorrow afternoon.
Although I do respect and enjoy Cody’s insights, I’ll and forget everything he just said for the moment lol
Can’t wait for the shrouds soon though. More cronenberg is always welcome
THIS movie should have kept to the roads and steered clear of the moors!!!🐺
I was very impressed with the cinematography and the muted color pallet in Wolf Man, which really sets the dreary mood throughout the flick.
Damn. Sucks that people aren’t liking this, I loved it, not perfect, but I found it to be tense, and had some thrilling sequences. Human Characters interacting with each other was a bit cringe, seemed to be a lack of chemistry, but the wolf stuff kept me intrigued throughout and unlike many movies these days, I didn’t feel like it dragged on and on. Just a simple get in and get out wolf man movie. That’s the wonders of opinions I guess! Great review as always, all points were thought out well and explained.
I bet Blumhouse meddled with this a lot to try and push it towards the lowest common denominator
I’m gonna miss the green screen type reviews but this new layout looks professional so I get it, time for a good change👍🏼
I feel like there are so many good pieces in werewolf movies you can just take the good and glue them together.
Thanks for the heads up. Guess me and the wife will stay in and watch Abbot and Costello meet the killer
Wow I was looking to see if you uploaded a review yet. Didn’t see one but less than a min later you uploaded. Woo hoo🎉. Going to see this tomorrow night with my husband.
It's well worth watching
Yes, it’s worth a watch! I really liked it! ☺️
I thought this film was a good modern take. Everyone is pissed about the monster design but it’s not meant to be a full on werewolf. The title is Wolf Man, with a space between the two words, meaning a wolf-man. For what it is, they did a nice job making this film and keeping it focused on how he transitions into the monster throughout the run time. It’s a good contained story just focusing on this family and how they deal with Blake changing. Although I liked it, I would have loved to see the original Ryan Gosling plot play out. He was supposed to play a news anchor that reports on the deaths of the people he killed when he turned into the monster at night. It was supposed to be inspired by Nightcrawler and I think that idea would have been more fun and made people happier than what this new film came to be.
Thanks for saving me a few hours of time watching it. I didn't realize it was made by the Invisible Man writer/director. That one was dumb as hell imo. Rich guy creates tech that could make him billions, or that he could do anything with, but decides to fake his death so he can mess with his ex.😮💨
So, funny thing is that when I saw the thumbnail for this video, it had Cody looking like he was imitating a werewolf. I looked at it again, I saw he had this "eh?" look to him and wanted to find out if he enjoyed "The Wolf Man" and yeah, as someone who wanted to see this, I might have to lower my expectations. Hopefully, I'll still enjoy it. 🐺
My parents and I all thought it was pretty good. Solid 7-8 / 10. The pacing really helped with that, though I do think it could’ve been 10 minutes longer just to flesh out the characters a bit more.
He's a stay at home Dad. I think it's more about the fears felt by parents for the safety of their children than inner rage. The problem is that the film goes nowhere.
My wife and I just got back from it and we genuinely loved it!
I agree with a couple of people saying this would've been better as a 40 minute fan film ...... I'm sure if someone on you tube edited it that way it would be wayyyyy better 👁
I'm still wondering what happened to the person who use the dog whistle at the beginning with the first wolfman which we never got to see
the January release date was an omen. But i was holding out hope because it’s a Leigh Whanell film. Oh well, guess I’ll be waiting to stream it . 😕
January has always been the dumping ground for poorly made films. However, over the years, this is improving. I think The Invisible Man was released in January. As I recall it was the last film in cinema before lockdown. It's unfortunate as this film held such high hopes. I had the feeling things were heading south when my cinema only played 3 showings in one day and it was in the smallest screen way down the end of the complex. Got that, Oh Dear, feeling.
I went and saw it earlier today. I walked out of the theater feeling "meh" and the more i thought about it driving home the more disappointed i felt
Why is it so difficult to give us a damn good werewolf movie
You said you haven't seen the lead guy in anything else before but he was the Foreigner in your favorite comic book movie, KRAVEN 😝
This movie had the potential to be really good. Really strong setups, but completely fails at the payoffs.
You should check the "Ginger Snap" trilogy. Definatley on my favourite werewolf movies.
So, in the video, you said that you don’t know if you’ve seen him anything else, and I can confirm you have. He was in It Comes at Night and Possessor.
That thumbnail told me everything i need to know....damn
It tells you nothing since he's capping. The film was great
Go Birds! 🦅
fly eagles fly 🦅
As soon as I saw that design of the wolfman I was like yeah no I'm good, also if this is gonna be his direction for the universal monster reboot then I ain't here for it.
Brainless take, the design is great
@@TheKingOfAllHorror keep simping cinephile
@@CynicallyObnoxioususername checks out
@@TheKingOfAllHorror ue right that's brainless
I definitely agree with the points you made Cody but this was not a disappointment for me. Would it have been better if they fleshed out everything you said, 1000%. I just know I walked into it without the Whannell expectations in the back of my mind and I loved it. You can love it and not have it be perfect in the slightest don’t get me wrong but I’ve been starving for an at least fresh and decent werewolf movie and it delivered at least that.
It is great! The SFX is total awesome and well worth the budget.
This and The Bride, aka the remake of Bride of Frankenstein are the 2 movies top of the list on what I'm looking forward to seeing this year, so before clicking on this video, I knew that I'm going to see it. Yeah, the 2 remakes of classic Universal Monster Movies. Hopefully I don't find myself disappointed with this like you did, but we shall see. Still, did enjoy your video. Thank you, Cody.
People need to stop going to Blumhouse with their ideas imo. After looking at a long list of their movies, it’s very certain directors that are able to make magic under their production
3:29 Who wants to break the news to Cody that he played The Foreigner in last month's Kraven the Hunter? Any takers?
You beat me to it 🤣
I was sold on the thumb nail face Cody freaking great 😅
Hey Cody! Have you seen Howl (2015)? It’s a pretty good Werewolf movie from the guy who did effects on The Descent and the girl who played Sarah in it! Check it out if you haven’t, I believe it’s still on Shudder :)
Not sure if you ever reviewed Hemlock Grove on Netflix. Still haven't seen a modern horror top those werewolf transformation scenes, especially the beginning of season 2.
I liked the movie and only later connected the director to his other films. The only real flaw that stood out for me was waiting for the mother and daughter to finally bond. They never closed that loose end either. Julia Garner was held back the whole film as far as letting her act. She was sleepwalking.
He played one of the villians in the classic Sony Movie Kraven the Hunter!
There are amazing themes with the original Universal wolf man. Tragic love story, family drama and gypsies. It felt good. Maybe one day..
Loved this movie!! But I loveee me some werewolves. This has a nice fresh spin on the look.
Great review brother! I’m thinking I will take the 2010 version that few people like but me lol😊