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Review: Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner are stuck in a howler of a ‘Wolf Man’

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Title “Wolf Man” implies an uneventful, body-horror experience predominantly set within a single residence from dusk till dawn. The abundance of interior creaking and heavy breathing, coupled with minimal dialogue or narrative progression, makes it feel like the film could be mistaken for a romance movie featuring dogs if one were to close their eyes during a change of reels in another genre.

Leigh Whannell, who collaborated on the script with his spouse Corbett Tuck, has a knack for serious psychological distress rather than traditional horror show antics. His recent directing work includes “The Invisible Man” from 2020, a film that innovatively flipped roles and transformed H.G. Wells’ novel into a contemporary thriller focused on stalking and domestic violence.

This work represents an effort to blend traditional Universal monsters with modern concerns, creating a post-pandemic lockdown narrative exploring the difficulty of shielding children from fear. The protagonist, Blake (Christopher Abbott), portrays a modern, nurturing father figure from the 2020s, often referred to as a “gentle parent.” He expresses his worry, saying, “As a dad, you can sometimes become so afraid of your children being hurt that you end up causing them harm yourself.

Three decades ago, young Blake was a timid child. Growing up in rural Oregon, Blake (Zac Chandler) lived with his father, Grady (Sam Jaeger), who was a survivalist and former soldier. Grady was an intimidating figure, having psychological wounds from his military past, often threatening Blake by saying, “Do you want to get hurt?” in a manner that seemed like a gruff suggestion of taking the boy’s life himself.

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On Tuesday, the Los Angeles debuts for ‘Unstoppable’ and ‘The Wolf Man’ were called off because of worries about strong winds and the escalating wildfire in Pacific Palisades.

Blake hurriedly made his way to Manhattan, seeking a fresh start. He endeavored to become a more compassionate and gentle father towards his daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth), despite the city’s own share of intimidating characters lurking on its streets. He’s at ease with acting playful in red lipstick to bring laughter to her, and he strives to avoid swearing in her presence: “Shivers!” instead.

Currently, Blake, accompanied by Ginger and his aloof wife Charlotte (played by Julia Garner), finds himself back on his childhood farm. However, upon arrival, he contracts a vicious strain of rabies that causes him to turn into a werewolf. As suggested in the title, this story unfolds just as one might expect, but with a grittier and more prolonged depiction. The actor, Abbott, demonstrates his remarkable talent by portraying agony through his expressions rather than dialogue. This film explores the audience’s fear of losing control, with the concern that Blake is adopting his father’s temperament. It remains uncertain whether Blake is conscious of the impending irony regarding his character’s fate.

I find the overall concept of the film relatable, as it portrays a world fraught with terrors such as pandemics, gun violence, natural disasters like floods and fires. These fears are not just figments of our imagination; they are real-life nightmares that parents strive to shield their children from. However, the film seems to only present half of the idea and is filled with excessive tension. It lacks substance, similar to a tweet seeking sympathy but offering little more than empty words like “thoughts and prayers.

Whannell explores the fringes of cultural conflict subtly woven within the storyline. Given the flag bearing a skull, evident in Grady’s basement, it seems the secluded areas of the Pacific Northwest are inhabited mainly by reclusive, militia-aligned men with questionable social skills. In this setting, as Blake confides to his spouse, “Darling, everyone here carries a gun.” Shortly afterwards, one of these gun-owning Oregonians (played by Benedict Hardie) discovers Charlotte’s status as a city journalist and gives her a wary glance.

The contrast between urban and rural settings has been extensively discussed, yet it remains perplexing that the narrative doesn’t clearly define Blake’s allegiance to either. Despite his upbringing in the wilderness, learning hunting and foraging skills from his father, these experiences seem irrelevant to the movie, with no hint of poisonous mushrooms or similar foreshadowing. Similarly, although we know Blake encountered a Wolf Man as a child and that this event is well-known locally under the names Hills Fever and the indigenous term “the face of the wolf,” his adult behavior suggests he’s unaware of such an occurrence. Could it be that he has suppressed his traumatic memories, or perhaps he has simply forgotten about the encounter?

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In a similar vein, the distinction between wolves and humans seems almost indistinct, failing to captivate our attention. This awkward, leg-losing, browless beast with its strange frog-like growl echoes a vague impression, leaving one to ponder if Whannell is subtly implying that werewolves could be the precursors of zombies and Bigfoot in some far-reaching cosmic scheme.

Are these creatures purely instinctual or are they capable of using a doorknob? It’s quite questionable when a family starts up a noisy generator in a silent forest, almost as if they were luring sharks with chum – Jaws-style. However, if it matters, we can’t discern the difference. For a short period, closing doors appears to be effective. As the movie reaches its desperate moments, trying to come up with something new, the monster mysteriously learns how to infiltrate silently and lurk in the shadows, a repetitive jump scare that feels like a cheap trick.

In this story, there’s no mention of full moons or silver bullets. The moon isn’t clearly depicted in any scene I can recall, and our first werewolf encounter happens past sunrise. It seems as though turning into a werewolf is more like a button being pressed, perhaps once, or even twice for clarity. When Blake gets attacked initially, the camera work is so confusing that he gets attacked again a short while later to ensure the audience fully grasps the situation.

What primarily captivates Whannell’s attention is the transformation process viewed physiologically. If werewolves could only mutate once, they aim to make this transformation as agonizing as possible, featuring symptoms like loosening teeth, falling hair, churning knuckles, and brittle fingernails. The result is truly gruesome yet commendable, particularly when Blake forcefully pulls his jaw in a painful tug. It’s unclear what he might be contemplating, but the movie cleverly immerses us into Blake’s perspective with Werewolf-O-Vision, a digital effect that makes trees glimmer and Ginger’s capillaries seem as appetizing as red licorice. In an amusing twist, his enhanced hearing turns a rustling spider into as noisy as Riverdance’s Michael Flatley.

Interestingly, it appears only Garner’s Charlotte possesses a knack for handling firearms, first aid, and car repair – skills that many New Yorkers I encounter lack when it comes to driving. Remarkably, this character can replace a car battery without needing to consult YouTube tutorials. However, she doesn’t seem to have much depth or personality beyond these practical abilities. Essentially, she serves as prey, an enticing yet shallow character, much like the script, which is mostly a series of inconsistent choices rather than a well-rounded narrative.

Garner has earned three Emmys for her role as a ruthless drug dealer in “Ozark”, yet she excels at delivering subtle performances in contemporary horror series like “The Assistant” and “The Royal Hotel”. Her character’s seemingly zombie-like approach to danger is a striking metaphor for maintaining normalcy during troubled times.

In this scenario, Blake expresses concern about dying, but she remains emotionless. To begin with, their dialogue in the movie resembles that of strangers, so it’s not surprising that they struggle to communicate later on. However, even when Blake accidentally urinates on the floor, she still manages to react, albeit with a scolding tone. “Bad dog!” is her response.

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2025-01-15 20:31

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