Wolf Man (2025)
The foundation holding up Wolf Man's fun horror spectacle, amazing practical effects, and mesmerizing light gags is the film's weakest link. Every time it has a scene that tries to showcase a deeper meaning to the story, it feels like it flips a coin of what it wants its subtext to be.
Sometimes it seems to be a story about the cycle of abuse akin to Stephen King's The Shining. Other times it seems to be a story about the pain and suffering you witness as a loved one slowly passes from illness, forcing you to make a decision on when to pull the plug. There are even a few scenes where the story tries to do a parlor trick and make the coin land on its side: Are the werewolf instincts the abuser lashing out (which kind of removes accountability of the metaphorical abuser in question), or are the damages he causes a representation of the emotional and/or financial pain a family can go through when they're not sure if it's time to grieve or have hope?
In the end, the film picks the second option as its subtext: To be a story about the pain and suffering you witness as a loved one slowly passes from illness. The weak execution of this moment is a huge juxtaposition in quality than the spectacle that preceded it, and the decision to land on this subtext boggles the mind regarding the story decisions in the first half. After all, if it becomes a climax that relies on us to be sympathetic, why are most of the interactions with Christopher Abbot's character dedicated to him being an asshole? If the goal was to make the relationship between him and Julia Garner more complex, why is none of the complexity paid off in the second half giving Garner moments of contemplation on if Abbott's life is even worth saving?
Where Whannell's The Invisible Man is rich with subtext, Wolf Man feels like someone else trying to recreate that depth but with no knowledge of the themes it's trying to convey. As fun as the ride is, I couldn't help but feel disappointed clearly seeing how much untapped potential Wolf Man has.
That all said, Julia Garner can do no wrong.
Side Note: I kept getting distracted thinking this was shot in the same house as A Quiet Place, but apparently it's not. Ironically, my entertainment value between Wolf Man and A Quiet Place are completely inverted, Wolf Man being that I dislike the first half, like the second half, and dislike the ending.
1.5/5