Relativity Media, Stuber Productions, and Universal Pictures.

Written By: Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self, adapted from the 1941 screenplay by Curt Siodmak.

Like Frankenstein and Dracula before it, “The Wolfman” has long been remembered as one of the definitive classic horror/thriller features that Universal Pictures churned out in and around the WWII years. A strong box office draw for years, the Wolfman character and its lone actor, Lon Chaney, Jr., appeared in numerous films during the 1940′s and became an iconic monster in the history of motion pictures. Enter Oscar-winning actor, Benicio del Toro, himself an avid collector of Wolfman memorabilia, who brought forth the idea of revamping “The Wolfman” to Universal in 2006. Since pre-production on the film began in 2007, there have been several directors and screenwriters removed from the project or those who left due to “creative differences”. Numerous reshoots and a well publicized recutting of the film led to countless delays and postponements of the film’s release, causing buzz to grow that the film was an expensive and epic disaster.

In February 2010, we finally get a look at what all of these folks have been up to all these years. The results? A disappointing, albeit at times entertaining, blood-soaked mess of a film.

The story is largely unchanged from the 1941 classic, with one major exception. Summoned home following the murder of his brother, Lawrence Talbot (del Toro) attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding the details of his brother’s demise. His investigation leads him into a camp of gypsies and the unwitting victim of a werewolf attack. Following the attack, Talbot is now a werewolf himself and prone to those animalistic flourishes triggered by a constant and unyielding full moon. As Talbot’s transformations lead to deadlier and deadlier consequences, the truth begins to surface as to what happened to not only his brother, but also his late mother as well. I’ll stop the description here, because the film adds in a twist that left a couple of Wolfman purists uttering a profanity behind me. Needless to say, things end a bit differently here than in the 1941 original.

Truth be told, I’m not entirely sure what the vision really was with this incarnation of “The Wolfman”. The main cast is impressive enough. Joining del Toro is Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins as del Toro’s father – the crazed and demented Sir John Talbot. Emily Blunt, while rather poorly underwritten, shines again – this time in the role of the suffering Gwen, whose fiancee was murdered and mutilated in the woods of Blackmoor by someone…or some thing. Hugo Weaving, most notable perhaps for his work as Agent Smith in “The Matrix” films, offers a brooding and at times, rather comical talk on Abberline, the Scotland Yard Inspector tasked with determining all of the strange goings on in Blackmoor.

Artistically, the film is tremendously accomplished. The art direction and set decoration are pitch perfect with ominous fog and smoke creeping into much of the film and a dark pall cast over the proceedings. Although there is plenty of CGI on display here, Rick Baker’s makeup work on del Toro and other creatures is a welcomed throwback to the old days of motion picture filmmaking. In certain closeups, you can appreciate the painstaking and now sadly old school process of applying each individual hair and wrinkle and scar to del Toro’s face.

The film stumbles and breaks down virtually everywhere else. In a film that wishes to pay homage to such a classic film, there is a lot of distracting CGI work here, hardly seamless in its execution and presentation. The film is also excessively bloody. No prude when it comes to violence on screen, there are just a few too many beheadings, disembowelings, and severed limbs for my liking. I also find it surprising that as a producer of the film, and as such a renowned Wolfman devotee, Benicio del Toro didn’t have a problem with so much bloodloss on screen. Danny Elfman’s score, palatable for awhile, begins to dominate the film and in hindsight I think Elfman’s music was present in virtually every scene of the film. At times, I felt like this was some kind of long-form music video experiment on display.

There are moments of humor spliced in and the film utilizes several 1940′s style jump cuts to try and ratchet up the “gotcha” factor. Yet, as I watched the film I could not help but feel as if somewhere in its journey from page to screen, “The Wolfman” lost its way. Perhaps the prior involvement of so many, fragmented the final product.

Should I See It?

Fans of the original “Wolfman” film will be interested to see this modernized version.

The film’s pacing is more in line with the classic monster film from decades past. There are some attempts made to keep this as an old-fashioned style monster movie, which are rather appealing.

Very meticulously crafted and detailed, the film is quite impressive to watch on an aesthetic scale.

If you have a queasy stomach for blood and gore.

Like the couple that sat behind me, if you are a fan of the original, you may very well hate the changes and specific twist added to this version.

This may do strong box office, but after seeing it, this movie is going to have a pretty limited appeal, probably along gender lines.

No character is really all that likable, so it is very hard to make any connection.