and says his prayers by night,
may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms,
and the autumn moon is bright.”
No, Abbot and Costello were not in this one.
Just Benecio del Toro, Hugo Weaving, Anthony Hopkins, and Emilt Blunt.
Considering such a superb cast I think they could have done a little bit better but nonetheless it was still a fantastic film.
First of all I never would have picked Benecio out of thin air for the role of The Wolfman. Yet it was an excellent choice. He has a surprisingly similar presence to Lon Cheney Jr. that I never would have known. It's not so much that they look or sound the same; it's that they have the same sad eyes. This is essential for The Wolfman. It's not essential for a werewolf in general but it is for The Wolfman specifically.
The movie was very classic. The cinematography and art direction was superb. It really felt like it was created when it took place. They didn't over modernize. I think a modernized version would be neat as well but that's a whole different monster, literally.
If I may quote my own paper-- "Film werewolves are represented in three ways: the classic wolf man, the genuine wolf, and most cinematically friendly—the monster werewolf."
Examples of these are: The Wolfman (1941)as the classic, The Wolf (1994)as the genuine, and American Werewolf in London as the monster.
This new Benecio werewolf is the first incarnation I've seen of a combination classic and monster werewolf. It was a really brilliant way to keep it looking classic and believable (as far as monsters go) while making it more appealing and less ridiculous to the 2010 audience as opposed to the 1941 audience.
Yes, it's slow as some of the reviews have said but that's part of the charm. There is essentially nothing thrilling about Mr. Talbot....except when there's a full moon. That is the essence of what makes the story of The Wolfman a classic.
Any one of us can keep a monster within us, no matter how pure at heart we are.
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