Werewolves Review: One Heck of a Fun Ride!

Last Updated on December 9, 2024

PLOT: A supermoon event has triggered a latent gene in every human on the planet, turning anyone who entered the moonlight into a werewolf for that one night. Chaos ensued and close to a billion people died. Now, a year later, the Supermoon is back…

REVIEW: It feels like werewolves are going through a bit of a resurgence. It may not be as crazy as slashers in the early 80s or zombie films in the 2000s, but it’s hard to deny. From The Beast Within, Werewolves Within, to The Wolf Man, lycanthropic endeavors seem on the rise. And who better to lead some Werewolf mayhem than action star extraordinaire, Frank Grillo! In Werewolves, a supermoon event turned anyone who touched moonlight into a werewolf one year prior. Billions of people died and it was a global tragedy. Now, the Supermoon is back and the world must prepare for the monster mayhem to come.

I’ve really been enjoying this place that Frank Grillo has taken up in cinema. When you need an action hero who can bring a ton of levity to a role, there’s no one better suited these days. And Grillo appears to be having an absolute blast here, blasting away werewolves and acting as the de facto leader. His character Wesley is trying to aid scientists as they research the werewolves but he also has his brother’s family at home, who he must protect. Outside of Grillo, no intriguing character’s really exist. But that doesn’t really matter because this is mostly about following Wesley and his journey back to his family. Or well…his brother’s family. I assume this was done in an attempt to avoid a more stereotypical plot thread. Wesley is making the choice to save them, it’s not an obligation.

What starts as an event the government is hoping to study and learn from becomes a fight for survival as they quickly learn they’re no match for these werewolves. There are some interesting ideas like Katrina Law’s scientist character being in love with one of the Werewolves. Or the group of civilians used to test the effects of the Full Moon. But neither of these concepts is really developed to a satisfying conclusion. They’re more just elements that get lost once the story gets going.

Oddly enough, I actually found some parallels between Werewolves and The Purge (a different series that Grillo has appeared in). This is one night of the year when chaos reigns supreme and our lower classes are the most vulnerable, while the rich just wait for the night to pass in their bunkers. The big difference is when the actual insanity begins, there’s a lightness to the werewolf mayhem. These aren’t human beings killing others for some kind of revenge/political gain, these are just animals out for blood.

One of the most satisfying elements of Werewolves is the practical FX. There’s nothing worse than a fun werewolf story getting brought down by CGI monstrosities. And even practical can be a hard line to walk, as they have to be shot correctly to still maintain any sense of realism. Thankfully, the Dog Soldiers approach is used here, with large, suited monsters that are hinted at sometimes, and fully shown at others. Usually we just get one or two monsters but there’s a line that seems to indicate there are billions of them. Obviously, we don’t see them nearly to that scale but it’s clear that nearly every inch of earth, walks a lycanthrope. There are so many different werewolves that I lost track of all the different designs. A good problem to have.

Director Steven C. Miller feels like he’s leveled up with his filmmaking, shooting a very tight and well-paced action film. He’s really able to stretch a dollar and put it all in the frame. I was consistently impressed with how large-scale the story got, while never feeling overly hampered by its lack of money. This was a perfect balancing act of an indie film trying for a larger scope and scale. And it never lets its low budget hamper its main mission: to entertain. Whether it’s limbs being ripped off, a massive Gatling gun, or a racist neighbor clearly set up to be a shithead, the name of the game is fun.

I had an absolute blast with Werewolves to the point where I was grinning ear to ear throughout the duration. Werewolves have always gotten the short end of the stick yet this finally feels like they’re getting their due. They’re prominently featured and never treated as a joke, giving us some fantastic visuals. This is still very much an indie film so don’t go in expecting a $100 Million blockbuster. But doesn’t mean you won’t have blockbuster levels of fun. This reminded me how much I love those big Bad Moon/Dog Soldier-style creatures and I hope this results in more of them. Because Werewolves is one helluva ride.

WEREWOLVES RELEASES ON DECEMBER 6TH, 2024.

werewolves

GREAT

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