Wolf Man

1/19/2025

Following Leigh Whannell’s reimagining of The Invisible Man, he returns for Wolf Man. Originally intended to be part of Universal Pictures Dark Universe, which was scrapped after Tom Cruise’s The Mummy failed to meet expectations at the box office, reinterpretations of Universal monster movies are still planned, but as individual stories on a much smaller scale. In Wolf Man, we’re introduced to a young boy who goes hunting with his father. Their relationship is strained, mostly due to the father’s intimidating parenting. They encounter something on their hunt—not fully animal but not quite man—and nearly succumb to the creature’s bloodlust. 30 years later, that boy is now a man named Blake (Christopher Abbott) who now lives in New York City with his journalist wife Charlotte (Julia G

1/22/2025

Well give him his due, Leigh Whannell made sure his name appears on screen often enough, but sadly what's he striven to churn out here is nothing remotely innovative. It's all about "Blake" (Christopher Abbott) who's been estranged from his rather militaristic dad for as long as he's been an adult. He lives, albeit increasingly distantly, with his wife "Charlotte" (Julia Garner) and daughter "Ginger" (Matilda Firth) in the big city but when his father is declared legally dead, decides it's a great opportunity to visit the wilderness of Oregon to sort through his belongings. Off they set through the forest driving a removals van, in the dark, with no real idea where they are going. By pure fluke, they encounter "Derek" (Benedict Hardie) who remembers "Blake" as a child and offers to guide t

1/26/2025

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://movieswetextedabout.com/wolf-man-review-a-hollow-howl-in-the-dark/ "Wolf Man turns out to be a missed opportunity for Leigh Whannell, who fails to replicate the technical and narrative success of The Invisible Man. While it features solid performances, particularly from Julia Garner, and some technically impressive moments, the movie suffers from a shockingly superficial script, a shocking lack of emotional impact, and incomprehensible levels of darkness. It feels fragmented and hollow, failing to explore its thematic potential or create a meaningful connection with its audience. Praise is due to the makeup, sound design, and practical effects teams, but unfortunately, they aren't enough to overcome the bleak letdown." Rating: C-

5/5/2025

**_More man than wolf in the Oregon wilderness_** A couple living in San Francisco (Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner) with their little daughter inherit a farmhouse in remote central Oregon. They decide to go there to reconnect as a family, but it turns out that the local talk of a mysterious animalistic humanoid lurking in the forest is real. “Wolf Man” (2025) is Universal’s attempt to rekindle their classic 1941 monster utilizing Leigh Whannell as writer/director, fresh off his success with “The Invisible Man.” Unfortunately, it bombed at the box office. What went wrong? The prologue and first act are great, but the last hour morphs into a slow-burn ‘confined location’ flick, similar to the farmhouse situation in the classic “Night of the Living Dead.” Yet “Night” had severa

1/16/2026

55/100 A man goes to his childhood home in the wilderness and encounters the local wildlife. Big fan of Whannell (writer/director) but he relied on too many horror cliches: wrecking a car while looking away, dragging his family to the wilderness to bring them together, etc. Chris Abbott & Matilda Firth were great but Julia Garner's stone-faced expression rarely changed. Great transformation to wolf; unlike other films that do it quickly, this one had it occurring gradually over time making it intensely horrific and utterly tragic but beyond that, this was basic wolf man 101. -- DrNostromo.com