Wolf Man

Review by Mark Woodring

Another Leigh Whannell adaptation of a classic Universal monster movie. 2020’s The Invisible Man reinvigorated the mythology of that classic horror, and now he returns in 2025 with an updated take on the classic werewolf mythos with Wolf Man.

**NOTE: this post may be updated with audio once we actually have the chance to talk about it. Until then, you can read Mark’s review below. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**

Wolf Man - Review
Wolf Man (Universal)

103 Minutes, Rated R

Written by Leigh Whannell & Corbett Tuck, Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo
Directed by Leigh Whannell

Synopsis:

A family at a remote farmhouse is attacked by an unseen animal, but as the night stretches on, the father begins to transform into something unrecognizable.

 

Let’s get the easy stuff out of the way: yes, I quite enjoyed The Invisible Man, and the small-space/limited cast construction of Wolf Man intrigued me such that I thought Whannell might go 2-for-2 on these reboots.

While I realize I may wind up in the minority on this, I feel like he has…mostly.

On the plus side:

  • Wolf Man strikes a great tone, utilizing its remote setting and uncertain family status to ramp up the tension throughout the film’s runtime.
  • The initial mythos of Wolf Man is laid out in some titles, which is limiting.
  • The creature design is pretty good, convincing us of father Blake’s devolution from family man to fantasy creature bent on destruction, and a lot of it seems practical, which is always a plus.
  • I loved the use of camera work to illustrate Blake’s deterioration; whether it was a canted framing or the rotation of the shot from AT him to FROM him, with coordinated sound changes, I enjoyed that aspect of it. Heck, we even get shots of the creatures ability to see in the dark. A very cool addition that I don’t recall seeing used this way before.
  • The performances were generally good, but… (see below)

On the down side:

  • (from above)…the performances were often subject to some clunky or overly-expositional dialog. Not a complete deal-breaker, but not a plus, either.
  • Whannell takes too long to get us into the action. Or at least it felt that way. I didn’t check the clock, but even with a sub-2 hour run time, he could have picked up the pace a bit.
  • The overall sound design works, but often borders on overwhelming the audience.
  • Yes, like most horror movies, there are plot holes and bad decisions. It’s a rare film that avoids those.

All that being said, I (and here’s where I think I find myself in the minority) enjoyed Wolf Man more than most of my fellow critics.

Again, is it perfect? Nope; far from it. But it’s still pretty enjoyable.

So, while Wolf Man is a step down from The Invisible Man, I find myself looking forward to Whannell’s next foray into Universal’s monster-verse. Maybe he’s planning yet another iteration of The Mummy, or perhaps a prequel to Russell Crowe’s Jekyll/Hyde from that OTHER Mummy film (the absolute best part of that one, to be sure).

Heck, vampires are hot [See: Nosferatu], so why not a stripped-down Dracula film?

I’d watch that.

Wolf Man attacks theaters Friday, January 17, and stars Julia Garner, Christopher Abbott, and Matilda Firth.

And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.

Please don’t forget to LIKE, SHARE, and FOLLOW us on:

And please, if you like what we do, consider helping us keep on entertaining you. You can use this handy link:




Or, you could check out the merch in Our Store:

VSMP Merch Store

Not only will you be helping us out if you pick up some merch, you get cool stuff to wear around (including the coveted WTFWT? logo!)


 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,