Sunday, February 21, 2010

'The Wolfman' Review


Which one is he now? Benecio Del Toro stars as The Wolfman. Watch the preview: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-wolfman/25526/main
This movie has been getting mixed reviews as one expects with a horror film. It's praised for the impressive Victorian production values complimented by dark, moody photography as well as Danny Elfman's score heightening the suspense and thrills. Some reviewers carped about the story line but I think the plot remained faithful to the genre and should not be attacked for it. You can't vary too much from a standard formula without losing its essence. The Wolfman's troubled production history may be part of the reason why reviewers think the plot was disjointed but we didn't notice any obvious plot holes.
>>Anthony Hopkins' character added a twist to the expected doings but I won't spoil it here. Benicio Del Toro at first appears miscast as an Englishman and Hopkins' son, but a portrait of his late dark-haired mother shows where he inherited his looks. And his un-English accent is explained as him growing up in America. Emily Blunt who looked and sounded fine as 'the Young Victoria' (reviewed here) is well cast again as another pretty, independent gal with quiet fortitude standing up against her opponents, this time a werewolf and his hunters instead of politicians (although there's not much distinction between a werewolf and a politician since both have dual lives - i.e. John Edwards, a current example - and will bleed you in different ways....). It's a hoot to see Geraldine Chaplin as a gypsy woman who knows who's responsible for the rash of killings. Art Malik as Hopkins' Sikh servant is wasted in too brief a role.
>>The Wolfman is gory with lots of blood amid the flying limbs & heads. But what else do you expect in this kind of movie? The earliest versions toned down the gore which was mostly done off screen but today's audiences want to see more. If you're on the squeamish side, this movie is not for you.

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