I have always enjoyed movies that retell stories of mythical creatures from classic literature. Movies such as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Van Helsing, and most recently Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr. all fit into this subgenre, and I have enjoyed all of them. So when I saw a trailer for The Wolfman, another movie set in 19th Europe that fell into this same classification, I was very interested.
I was let down to say the least.
The worst part was the it started off promising. Benicio Del Torro’s (who reminds me of a Leondardo DiCaprio Brad Pitt mix) has some depth, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Anthony Hopkins, because I had forgotten that he was in the film. But just after the first twenty minutes, the movie falls apart. Even at the beginning the action is based on cheap tricks to make you jump from your seat and soon after we are reminded (spoiler alert) that if you need someone to eat humans, Anthony Hopkins is your man.
The climatic werewolf on werewolf fight scene epitomizes the terrible plot as the climax of the movie. The only thing weirder than Hopkins actually accepting this role was the strange slippery slope argument with regards to human life that was more than an undertone in the film. Twice there is mention that killing a man is a sin, but killing a beast is not, the problem is deciding where the line is between the two. One cannot help but think this was some weird attempt at an argument against abortion or euthanasia, but I am still trying to figure out why there was a sign in the movie that said London 18 miles (don’t they use metric in England?)
The plotline in many ways is similar to that of the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast, except the clever characters and catchy songs are replaced with loads of violence and heaps of entrails. A kind old gypsy tells a female character that one who truly loves the werewolf will be able to set him free, and scenes of rose petals falling in the West Wing after the proud prince turned away the beggar in the animated favorite. At the very end of the movie (spoiler alert), we find our heroine in a situation where she has confronted Benecio Del Lobo (bad Spanish joke) and everyone is ready for the big kiss that will turn the pots in pans back into people. Unfortunately the plan doesn’t seem to work and he still tries to kill her. Just when I think things are about to change for the better, he promptly grabs a pistol and blasts a silver bullet through his heart. But I guess that’s what I get for putting my trust in a gypsy.
The Wolfman
(1.5 stars)
-Nuss
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