Wolf Man: 4K UHD Review
Arriving on 4K UHD this week is Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man. I found the filmmaker’s decision to follow up 2020’s The Invisible Man with another updated Universal monster movie. Given how successful his previous film was, it made sense, and I think it was a better way to go then rushing out a sequel to The Invisible Man. Being a fan of not only the Whannell, but the werewolf subgenre, I was looking forward to Wolf Man. However, after viewing it, I was honestly left with mixed feelings.
The film opens in 1995 at a remote cabin in Oregon. A young boy named Blake and his father survive an attack from some sort of human-like creature in the forest. Cut to thirty years later, Blake (Christopher Abbott) is now living in San Francisco with his wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner) and their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). Blake’s issues with his temper (which he inherited from his father) have put a strain on his family. When Blake learns of his estranged father’s death, he decides to bring his family up to his childhood home for a vacation and hopes to mend his marriage as well.
Just before the family arrives at the cabin, they pass someone that knew Blake’s father, who offers to help them find their way on the dark road. Unfortunately, before they can get very far, a creature drives them off the road, killing the new passenger and scratching Blake in the process. While the family does make their way to safety, it isn’t long before Blake starts to show signs of infection. From here, Blake’s slow transformation goes sort of the Cronenberg’s The Fly route, but just not as grotesque.
There are quite a few things I did appreciate about Whannell’s version of the classic Wolf Man story. Much like The Invisible Man, I liked that it was set in the present. I loved the practical make-up effects that were used and Garner is as good as always. However, I just didn’t find Abbott’s performance compelling. He was fine, but he just didn’t draw me in. One thing I truly loved were the sequences where the camera would pan from Charlotte’s POV to a transformed Blake’s POV and we would either hear English morph into unrecognizable sounds or human vision morphed into wolf vision. It was cool and unlike anything I had seen before. The biggest disappointment here was that Wolf Man just wasn’t scary at all. Whannell is a gifted filmmaker, and he did successfully bring some new ideas to the werewolf genre, but the film didn’t quite work as a whole.
The 2160p presentation with HDR10 is really strong for such a mostly dark film. While the scenes early on in the film set in daytime San Francisco are sharp with a detailed city buildings, it are the scenes that take place within the forest that are most impressive. Even in the darkly lit shots, the trees and grass look crystal clear. The make up effects, especially in the film’s final act are also really detailed with the 4K presentation. You can see every crease in the facial features of the monster, as-well-as every bloody rip in the clothing. Just as impressive is the Dolby Atmos track, which to me is one of the film’s biggest assets. The sound design, from the score down to the multiple battles/attacks. We get fully immersed in the action taking place. While I was not in love with Wolf Man, fans of the film should be pleased with this 4K release.
Bonus Features:
- UNLEASHING A NEW MONSTER – Explore Leigh Whannell’s dark and gritty take on one of horror’s most iconic monsters. Learn what inspired the visionary director to create this tragic tale of family, loss, and a night of absolute terror.\
- DESIGNING WOLF MAN – Director Leigh Whannell and prosthetic designer Arjen Tuiten, set out to create a Wolf Man unlike any seen before. Take a closer look at the conceptual designs, sculptures and prosthetic make-up that aided in the creation of a monster that stays with you long after the credits roll.
- HANDS ON HORROR – Strap in for a breakdown of the film’s most thrilling action sequences. Cast and crew discuss how practical effects enabled them to capture raw and realistic performances of the most terrifying, heart-pounding scenes in the film.
- NIGHTMARES AND SOUNDSCAPES – Transition into Blake’s perspective and witness the world through the eyes of an animal. Learn how sound design and VFX came together to highlight the enhanced hearing, vision, and complete abandonment of humanity that materialized during the transformation from Man to Wolf.
- FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR/CO-WRITER LEIGH WHANNELL
By: Marc Ferman