Movie Review: Wolf Man (2025)
Synopsis: Decades after leaving his family's off-the-grid farm in Oregon, Blake Lovell receives notice his father has been declared dead after going missing some time earlier. Needing to clean out his father's house and seeing it as an opportunity to reconnect with his wife, Charlotte, and for Charlotte to reconnect with their daughter, Ginger, he travels to Oregon with the intention of spending the summer there. However, as they near the farm, they are attacked by a wolf-like creature that walks on two legs. They manage to make it to the farmhouse and lock themselves inside, but the creature continues to try to get in and Blake, who was scratched in the attack, grows sick and begins to change.
Who's in it? The movie stars Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Matilda Firth, Sam Jaeger and Ben Prendergast.
Review: It had been some time since my wife and I last had a date night, so despite the cold, we decided to have one last night. My first plan was to go out for karaoke but sensing she wasn't really in the mood for that, called an audible and had a dinner/movie night instead. After scanning our choices at the theater, I settled on Wolf Man.
I didn't know a whole lot about this movie but since I wasn't a big fan of the 2010 remake of The Wolf Man, I did wonder it would turn out to be a waste of my money. After seeing it, however, I had no regrets about purchasing the tickets.
I think the thing I liked most about this film was how it managed to build the suspense throughout. Anytime they were outside, it felt as though the wolf-like creature (Prendergast) would pop out at any moment and even when they were inside the house, it seemed like they weren't safe from it. Frankly, I was a little surprised the house wasn't more secure considering Blake's (Abbott) father (Jaeger) lived in fear of a similar creature thirty years earlier. Since they were in the middle of nowhere, with no cellphone service (of course) and their vehicle stuck in a tree (following a scene that reminded us of Jurassic Park), escape seemed pretty much impossible as well.
Blake's slow but steady transformation after getting scratched added to this because it was unclear just what that meant for Charlotte (Garner) and Ginger (Firth) as he became more animal-like and began to forget they were his family, seeing them more as potential prey. Just to warn you, some of the scenes involving his transformation are a little on the gross side. I know at least one caused my wife to stop eating popcorn for a bit.
Another thing I liked about this movie was the mystery surrounding Grady's disappearance. I've seen enough films like this to know it was one of three things - he was killed by the Wolf Man, he was the Wolf Man, or he was still alive and just in hiding until it became important to the plot. The movie does a great job keeping the answer a secret until late into the film.
My wife and I weren't huge fans of the ending, which was both depressing and added a bit more finality than a movie like this should have. I did, however, appreciate the writers not filming it in a way that presumes there will be a sequel.
The movie also didn't make any real effort to explain what was causing people to turn into wolves. Was it a virus? Something supernatural? A government experiment? This makes me wonder if maybe those details were being saved for a prequel. I think I'd watch it if they were to make one.
Final Opinion: The Lon Chaney, Jr. original still remains my favorite, but this Wolf Man reboot was entertaining and scary. It was also one I was glad I saw in the theater.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other werewolf movies:
Movie Review: The Wolf Man (1941)
Movie Review: Werewolf of London (1935)
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