Let me start this review by saying that this movie was a highly-anticipated, long-overdue, hugely satisfying horror flick.
The film begins by following the same basic path as the original: a man is missing/dead, Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) comes home to find an unwelcoming family, and history is made. However, for modern times, the film adds much more depth. The man that is missing is Lawrence Talbot’s brother, Ben Talbot, and is found dead in a ditch, having been eaten alive by this werewolf character. Great, Lawrence came home for nothing. Now he has to deal with his psychotic father, played by a very hairy Anthony Hopkins and his dead brother’s beautiful fiancee Gwen Conliffe, played by Emily Blunt, and of course there’s the matter of avenging his brother’s death. Could things get any worse? Oh yes, they could. And they will.
Upon investigating his brother’s demise, Lawrence visits a gypsy camp, which is subsequently attacked by said werewolf. Other than the appearance of Ben’s mangled corpse, this is the first real glimpse of horror we get in this film, which gives us a hint into the tone of the rest of the movie. Heads are torn off, backs are eaten, bellies are scratched open. This werewolf is quick, mean, and hungry. Lawrence chases after the thing and, of course, is bitten but not killed. He lapses into delirium for several days as he recovers from his neck wound. At this point, we are given a much deeper insight into Lawrence’s past and his reason for being so freaking melancholy. Apparently, his mother killed herself when he was just a boy and thus… he is scarred for life.
From here, the plotline is familiar: wound healing too quick, strange changes happening, weird references being made by Anthony Hopkins. There’s also the police detective, played here by Hugo Weaving, who thinks that Lawrence is full of shit. Yes… very, very familiar. As we knew he would, Talbot then turns into a werewolf and goes and eats some people, wakes up the next morning confused, and his father is the one to spell it all out for him. You’re a werewolf, my boy, and by golly, I’m proud of you!
Of course, within the movie is the budding romance between Lawrence and Gwen, which is so very wrong but, because this is a werewolf movie and werewolves are sexy, turns out to be so very right. Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro turn out to be a very good-looking couple. Too bad he wants to eat her, and not in the good way.
The movie takes a turn when it is decided that Lawrence is definitely crazy and needs some shock treatment, like the kind he received when he was a kid. His dad pulls some strings and we get a crazy little montage of torture and hallucinations. We come out of it when father dearest visits his son and tells him a deep dark secret which now makes Lawrence really crazy. Time for revenge.
The rest of the movie is a great clusterfuck of killing, detective work, and romance, three things that go great together in a horror flick. Personally, I was supremely impressed by the look of the wolfman himself, looking not like black face nor pure wolf, but instead like half wolf and half man (I think that’s what they were going for…). I liked the special effects and it seems like a lot of thought and energy was put into making these wolf-people look real (did I say people, as in plural? Oops….)
Overall, the flick is a great update of a classic. Great original idea + Modern actors and special effects + a whole lot of new drama = a riveting remake. I now make a petition for Benicio Del Torro to start dating Jenna Fischer. Then my world will be complete!
The film begins by following the same basic path as the original: a man is missing/dead, Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) comes home to find an unwelcoming family, and history is made. However, for modern times, the film adds much more depth. The man that is missing is Lawrence Talbot’s brother, Ben Talbot, and is found dead in a ditch, having been eaten alive by this werewolf character. Great, Lawrence came home for nothing. Now he has to deal with his psychotic father, played by a very hairy Anthony Hopkins and his dead brother’s beautiful fiancee Gwen Conliffe, played by Emily Blunt, and of course there’s the matter of avenging his brother’s death. Could things get any worse? Oh yes, they could. And they will.
Upon investigating his brother’s demise, Lawrence visits a gypsy camp, which is subsequently attacked by said werewolf. Other than the appearance of Ben’s mangled corpse, this is the first real glimpse of horror we get in this film, which gives us a hint into the tone of the rest of the movie. Heads are torn off, backs are eaten, bellies are scratched open. This werewolf is quick, mean, and hungry. Lawrence chases after the thing and, of course, is bitten but not killed. He lapses into delirium for several days as he recovers from his neck wound. At this point, we are given a much deeper insight into Lawrence’s past and his reason for being so freaking melancholy. Apparently, his mother killed herself when he was just a boy and thus… he is scarred for life.
From here, the plotline is familiar: wound healing too quick, strange changes happening, weird references being made by Anthony Hopkins. There’s also the police detective, played here by Hugo Weaving, who thinks that Lawrence is full of shit. Yes… very, very familiar. As we knew he would, Talbot then turns into a werewolf and goes and eats some people, wakes up the next morning confused, and his father is the one to spell it all out for him. You’re a werewolf, my boy, and by golly, I’m proud of you!
Of course, within the movie is the budding romance between Lawrence and Gwen, which is so very wrong but, because this is a werewolf movie and werewolves are sexy, turns out to be so very right. Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro turn out to be a very good-looking couple. Too bad he wants to eat her, and not in the good way.
The movie takes a turn when it is decided that Lawrence is definitely crazy and needs some shock treatment, like the kind he received when he was a kid. His dad pulls some strings and we get a crazy little montage of torture and hallucinations. We come out of it when father dearest visits his son and tells him a deep dark secret which now makes Lawrence really crazy. Time for revenge.
The rest of the movie is a great clusterfuck of killing, detective work, and romance, three things that go great together in a horror flick. Personally, I was supremely impressed by the look of the wolfman himself, looking not like black face nor pure wolf, but instead like half wolf and half man (I think that’s what they were going for…). I liked the special effects and it seems like a lot of thought and energy was put into making these wolf-people look real (did I say people, as in plural? Oops….)
Overall, the flick is a great update of a classic. Great original idea + Modern actors and special effects + a whole lot of new drama = a riveting remake. I now make a petition for Benicio Del Torro to start dating Jenna Fischer. Then my world will be complete!
-Melissa Bonta
No comments:
Post a Comment