Universal Pictures, 2010. Based on the 1941 screenplay by Curt Siodmak. Written by Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self. Special make-up effects by Rick Baker. Music by Danny Elfman. Directed by Joe Johnston. Starring Benecio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Anthony Hopkins and Rick Baker as "Gypsy Man/First Killed."

    By Stephen Pytak 

     While not my favorite werewolf film, I didn't hate Universal Pictures' 
latest attempt to revive one of its horror icons.
     "The Wolfman" is a beautiful-looking flick, really a treat for the eyes. The 
writers have given "Lawrence Talbot" some interesting depth, and Benecio 
Del Toro carries it off with a pretty decent performance. 
     But this rather expensive-looking affair isn't as fun, as say, "An
American Werewolf in London (1981)," "The Howling (1981)" or even
a campy Paul Naschy flick. It's an okiedokie matinee which leaves you 
wanting a little more out of it. 
     It obviously doesn't carry the stamp of an auteur, like John Carpenter, 
"Halloween (1978)." While there are a few nice personal touches here
and there, it's clearly a studio product (something that was most certainly
a group effort). That's not always the worst thing in the world. I mean, 
"Gone with the Wind (1939)" was like that. But this isn't "Gone with the 
Wind." Rumors swirled on the 'net about this being a troubled production.
I heard there were numerous versions. More than one music composer was 
hired and so forth. Makes you wonder why. I mean, jeez, it's just the wolf
man (or, excuse me, wolfman).
     But the thing made a few good impressions on me.
    We have a fantastic "Lawrence Talbot." This character is actually better
than his hairy alter ego (if anyone cares to take note). The writers made
the guy an actor. We see scenes of him perform "Hamlet" on stage near
the top of the show. Fits, considering ol' Larry becomes a bit of a 
melancholy Dane. 
     While I always liked the original "Lawrence Talbot," played by Lon 
Chaney Jr. in the 1941 original, we really never knew all that much about
him. I mean, he looked like a big dude from New York. If you picked him
up by his heels and shook 'em, I bet a few baseball cards would fall out of
his jacket. But what was classic for me about Chaney's protrayal is how he 
became this tortured soul. He always played it dead seriously, even in "Abbot 
and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)."  
     While I credit the writers with the character upgrades, I think Del Toro
did a great job pulling it off. He makes it his own, but at times I actually 
thought he was trying to channel Lon Chaney Jr. Interesting to watch. Decide
for yourself. 
     The make-up effects are O.K. Not the best I've seen. Not the worst. I really 
tried to keep an eye out to try to distinguish Rick Baker's work from the CGI. 
We've seen many many werewolf transformations in films over the years.
I didn't think I'd see something I hadn't seen before. But maybe I did. 
There's a scene where Lawrence raises his head so we can see the roof
of his mouth. And you can see the upper teeth moving, changing position to
accomodate more teeth. I liked that.
     The movie also had its share of gore. There are dismemberments and
a beheading. Fun! Then again, I think a film like this needs a good dose of
red.
     The story was all right. I thought some of the attempts to freshen it up 
were kind of interesting. I wasn't too keen on Act III tho'. That was
a bit too predictable. Nuff said on that.
    One thing I did pick up on was that the writers and filmmakers were fully 
aware of the many werewolf films done over the years. It seemed like they 
really inspired by 1981's "American Werewolf," so much to the point that I 
swear the mythology of that film crept into this one. I swear the gypsies in that
camp had that film on DVD.
     Maybe I'm nuts. Maybe I've seen too many films. Maybe it's all starting to
run together in my head. I dunno. But some lines sounded like they were 
taken straight out of  the 1981 John Landis classic. Once the gypsies started
talking about how to kill a werewolf, this scene ran thorugh my head: 

David: Did you ever see The Wolf Man?
Alex: Is that the one with Oliver Reed?
David: No, the old one.
Alex: I don't think so.
David: Bela Lugosi bites Lon Chaney Jr and he turns into a werewolf.
Alex: Why are you telling me this?
David: No, listen. Claude Rains is Lon Chaney's father, and he ends up 
killing him.
Alex: So?
David: Well, I think that a werewolf can only be killed by someone who 
loves them.
Alex: What are you talking about?
David: I don't know what I'm talkin' about.