Directed by: Leigh Whannell
Written by: Leigh Whannell and Corbett Tuck
Run Time: 1 hour 43 minutes

---

After the critical and commercial success of The Invisible Man (2020) it’s unsurprising that Leigh Whannell has returned to direct another reimagining of a classic monster movie. Although, even before he so brilliantly breathed new life into H. G. Wells’ iconic horror character, Whannell’s genre credentials were already impressive. Saw (2004) proved his talent as a writer, while Upgrade (2018) confirmed his flair for directing. And with him availing of both for Wolf Man, it would appear that Universal’s latest monster reboot finds itself in very capable hands.

Wolf Man follows a young family of three from San Francisco: Blake (Christopher Abbott), Charlotte (Julia Garner) and their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). When Blake receives a letter confirming that his estranged father – who’s been missing for years – has been confirmed dead, he takes his family to his childhood home in Oregon to sort through his father’s things. However, while travelling to the secluded house in the woods the family gets into an accident involving a mysterious creature infamous in local folklore. Shortly after Blake begins to transform into the titular Wolf Man, eventually turning on his wife and daughter.

Whannell sets the tone for the film expertly, with a tense opening sequence set thirty years in the past. It depicts a young Blake and his father hunting in the woods. Blake’s father is very harsh on him, making sure that he’s prepared to fend for himself. There’s no mention of his mother, yet with his father vocalising his strong convictions about the fragility of life it would suggest that they perhaps lost her before her time. Amidst these intense displays of parenting comes an unnerving sighting of the feral creature referred to as the “face of the wolf” by local communities. 

Fast forward thirty years and Blake is now himself a father too, caring for his young daughter Ginger. He has a much more loving approach while still sharing the overprotective traits of his father, explaining to Ginger that above everything else it’s his job to protect her. Christopher Abbott and Matilda Firth exhibit a wonderful chemistry that creates an especially endearing daddy-daughter relationship. However, Julia Garner’s Charlotte is more consumed with her job as a journalist than with her role as a mother. Subsequently, she struggles with the fact that Ginger is far more taken with her father than her. Blake encourages her that the trip to Oregon is the perfect opportunity to mend this fractured dynamic.

Unfortunately, Charlotte remains a rather underwritten character throughout, leaving Garner very little to do. It’s clear to see where Whannell and writing partner Corbett Tuck were attempting to go with her, forcing Charlotte into the more protective parental role. Yet, this shift and its effect on both Charlotte and Ginger aren’t explored enough to make it a fully realised part of the narrative, somewhat undermining the film’s genuinely interesting musings on parenthood.

Conversely, Blake’s disturbing transformation plays out much more effectively. With the audience already invested in the touching father-daughter relationship it’s far more affecting to see this slowly come undone. After all, what’s more scary than the person who’s vowed to always protect you now trying to harm you? This physical change and decline of sanity – conveyed impressively by Abbott – is regularly referred to as a sickness. And with Blake’s father’s earlier discussion regarding how easy it is to die, the film’s thematic ideas start to explore the losing of loved ones to illness, and more specifically just how sudden and painful that can be.

Whannell continues to expand on this idea by way of several creative techniques throughout the film. As the Lycan virus takes hold of Blake his body begins to change, making him unrecognisable to his nearest and dearest. The creature design will be divisive, it’s certainly more man than wolf, but the use of practical effects keeps the film grounded while still creating rather unsettling imagery.

As he becomes less and less like himself, communication becomes increasingly challenging, with Blake unable to express what’s happening to him while also not being able to understand what Charlotte or Ginger are saying to him. It’s a crushing development that aligns really well with the film’s thoughts on the cruelty of sickness; a thought that’s able to be properly developed by choosing a gradual, rather than instantaneous monster transformation. 

This particular point is made by intriguing use of perspective and is further utilised in the film’s more thrilling sequences of horror and action – maximising its emotional effect. Whannell is certainly no stranger to directing striking sequences of suspense and he proves once more just how good he is at establishing, teasing and fulfilling fear and dread – he even manages to include a particularly nasty throwback to Saw. But perhaps reminding audiences of his other, more accomplished films isn’t one of Whannell’s smartest ideas, as Wolf Man simply isn’t as strong as his previous work.

Unlike Blake’s transformation into the beastly Wolf Man not all of the screenplay’s ideas feel fully formed. This lack of development does stunt the film’s ability to see its vision become complete. Yet even in its infancy, Wolf Man has more than enough meat on its bones to ensure that a thrilling and thoughtful monster movie manifests. Just don’t expect it to be ahead of the pack.

---

Star Rating: ★ ★ ★

---