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Special Features
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The mist rising over the moors feels right, and so does the slant of moonlight coming over a Victorian village-scape. And if the moon is full, this must be The Wolfman, Universal's 2010 attempt to revive one of the crown jewels in its deservedly legendary horror stable. Benicio Del Toro takes on the old Lon Chaney Jr. role of Lawrence Talbot, an American visitor to his ancestral home in England. Talbot's brother has recently been torn to bits by a beast in the forest, leaving behind a grieving fiancée (Emily Blunt) and a not-visibly-grieving father (Anthony Hopkins). This central situation seems drained of blood even before the full-moon transfigurations begin to bloom, and Del Toro's Talbot--an actor by trade, which raises interesting possibilities for a story of a man divided by different personalities--is mystifyingly blank. The intriguing casting of Del Toro (what an opportunity for a cool werewolf!) comes to naught as Talbot seems to languish on the periphery of his own story. Hugo Weaving tries to generate some interest as the police inspector on the case, but he too is defeated by the combination of mechanical storytelling and bland computer-generated werewolves. The script skips from one exposition scene to the next, but nothing registers long enough to create character, tension, or the slimmest desire to see what happens in the next scene. Every once in a while director Joe Johnston (Jumanji) finds a grand staircase or CGI fog that conjures up the atmosphere of the old Universal horror classics, but otherwise this is a clueless affair--not as bad as Van Helsing, but flat-out dull. The movie can't even find a way to get the old Gypsy lady (Geraldine Chaplin stepping into Maria Ouspenskaya's tiny shoes) to deliver a proper recitation of screenwriter Curt Siodmak's great "Even a man who is pure in heart" doggerel from the 1941 film. Instead, it's thrown away in a voice-over at the beginning--one hairy way to start the movie. --Robert Horton
Product Description
Academy Award® winners Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs) and Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) tear up the screen in this action-packed thriller. Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) is lured back to his family estate to investigate the savage murder of his brother by a bloodthirsty beast. There, Talbot must confront his childhood demons, his estranged father (Hopkins), his brother’s grieving fiancée (Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada) and a suspicious Scotland Yard Inspector (Hugo Weaving, The Matrix Trilogy). When Talbot is bitten by the creature, he becomes eternally cursed and soon discovers a fate far worse than death. Inspired by the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror, The Wolfman brings the myth of a cursed man back to its iconic origins.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
84 of 92 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The mysterious, Gothic feel of The Wolfman was really well-done. First of all, it was great of Universal Pictures to release this film on a full moon. Unfortunately the full moon hit Valentines' weekend. *shrug* What do you do??
Unlike the 1941 Lon Chaney, Jr. version, which took place in the then-contemporary pre-WWII Europe, this picture takes place in 1890s England, apparently right outside of London, in the inevitably named "Blackmoor." Nice.
Benicio del Toro seems a bit miscast at first glance. But viewers find out early in the film that Sir Talbot married a Latin woman, so Benitio's Latin looks makes sense. Without the "Why me?" look of Lon Chaney, Jr., Benicio had the fear of God in him instead.
This fear seemed real and sincere, as he discovers he is cursed. Cursed from the bite of a werewolf. He implores the local gypsies to help him but this version of Maleva is not much help. Her advice is to put Larry Talbot out of his misery. Silver bullets no extra charge.
Quite a surprise as to who the other werewolf is (no spoilers here). The duo werewolf smack-down will make any WWE fan proud.
Larry getting captured and locked up in a mental asylum was quite intense. The director's view of psychiatry as a barbaric science with its use of ice-baths to cure delusion and sticking him with some kind of drugs has, unfortunately, not changed that much in 21st century psychiatric practice. We've graduated to electro-shock treatments from ice-baths. A true horror story.
The transformation of the man to wolf is great. Memories of The American Werewolf in London will come to you, and naturally so, because Rick Baker had something to do with both films. But where to the wolfman's clothes go? Does he pick up after himself after each transformation? But I digress.
As in the first Universal picture, there is a mild love interest. It's a subdued, subplot however.
Anthony Hopkins (chewing up enough scenery to gorge on!) is delightfully demented as Sir Talbot, Sr. The gothic mansion atop the hill with moon shining down in its full glory is so iconic -- and the fake time-lapse movement of our lunar neighbor as it glows through the dead tree branches and storm clouds brings back more memories of Universal pictures past.
Example: The usual villagers with torches marching through the forest (with the baying dogs and such, reminiscent of Frankenstein). The deep howl of the wolfman as he bays at the moon, as he gorges on the liver and intestines of his latest victim. Oh, the hopping from the rooftops, again reminiscent of Henry Hall's wolfman, Werewolf of London (which predates Chaney's version).
The music evokes a mood and the plot moves along quite swiftly. At times, the audience is surprised as if the director says "boo" out of a closet or something. He does this a bit too often, but it's still fun to do.
If you are any kind of a Universal fan and have waited for a more adult treatment of this film, then you really should watch this film. See how many iconic pictures you can spot as Universal digs deep into its vault of horror.
So don't be a cynic -- turn off your brain, don't think, and enjoy this bit of entertainment.
Warning: much gore and decapitations ensue!
I understand Bride of Frankenstein is coming soon. Pray it ain't Anne Hathaway!
Recommended - 4.5 Stars!
Of course, you can always pick up the originals:
American Werewolf in London Special Edition
The Wolf Man (Special Edition) (Universal Legacy Series)
Werewolf of London [VHS]
Unlike the 1941 Lon Chaney, Jr. version, which took place in the then-contemporary pre-WWII Europe, this picture takes place in 1890s England, apparently right outside of London, in the inevitably named "Blackmoor." Nice.
Benicio del Toro seems a bit miscast at first glance. But viewers find out early in the film that Sir Talbot married a Latin woman, so Benitio's Latin looks makes sense. Without the "Why me?" look of Lon Chaney, Jr., Benicio had the fear of God in him instead.
This fear seemed real and sincere, as he discovers he is cursed. Cursed from the bite of a werewolf. He implores the local gypsies to help him but this version of Maleva is not much help. Her advice is to put Larry Talbot out of his misery. Silver bullets no extra charge.
Quite a surprise as to who the other werewolf is (no spoilers here). The duo werewolf smack-down will make any WWE fan proud.
Larry getting captured and locked up in a mental asylum was quite intense. The director's view of psychiatry as a barbaric science with its use of ice-baths to cure delusion and sticking him with some kind of drugs has, unfortunately, not changed that much in 21st century psychiatric practice. We've graduated to electro-shock treatments from ice-baths. A true horror story.
The transformation of the man to wolf is great. Memories of The American Werewolf in London will come to you, and naturally so, because Rick Baker had something to do with both films. But where to the wolfman's clothes go? Does he pick up after himself after each transformation? But I digress.
As in the first Universal picture, there is a mild love interest. It's a subdued, subplot however.
Anthony Hopkins (chewing up enough scenery to gorge on!) is delightfully demented as Sir Talbot, Sr. The gothic mansion atop the hill with moon shining down in its full glory is so iconic -- and the fake time-lapse movement of our lunar neighbor as it glows through the dead tree branches and storm clouds brings back more memories of Universal pictures past.
Example: The usual villagers with torches marching through the forest (with the baying dogs and such, reminiscent of Frankenstein). The deep howl of the wolfman as he bays at the moon, as he gorges on the liver and intestines of his latest victim. Oh, the hopping from the rooftops, again reminiscent of Henry Hall's wolfman, Werewolf of London (which predates Chaney's version).
The music evokes a mood and the plot moves along quite swiftly. At times, the audience is surprised as if the director says "boo" out of a closet or something. He does this a bit too often, but it's still fun to do.
If you are any kind of a Universal fan and have waited for a more adult treatment of this film, then you really should watch this film. See how many iconic pictures you can spot as Universal digs deep into its vault of horror.
So don't be a cynic -- turn off your brain, don't think, and enjoy this bit of entertainment.
Warning: much gore and decapitations ensue!
I understand Bride of Frankenstein is coming soon. Pray it ain't Anne Hathaway!
Recommended - 4.5 Stars!
Of course, you can always pick up the originals:
American Werewolf in London Special Edition
The Wolf Man (Special Edition) (Universal Legacy Series)
Werewolf of London [VHS]
55 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I LOVED IT!
Of course, we all know the basic Wolfman story, from the outstanding portrayal of the creature by the late Lon Chaney. This time, we have a remake with Anthony Hopkins (as Daddy Talbot) and Benecio De Toro (as Laurence Talbot), plus some special effects that we not available in the old days.
We begin on a full-moon night in England, in 1891. Daddy Talbot's other son is walking through a wooded area and attacked by a horrible monster that slashes him apart. The Talbot man's fiancé writes his brother (Larry), who is living in New York. Expressing concern for her fiance's disappearance, she asks Larry for his help.
Larry arrives at the family estate, an old English manor in disrepair and finds his estranged father alive and well, accompanied by the family dog and a man-servant from India. The son/brother's body had just been recovered. Larry travels through the English countryside to a small town to see his brother's body, which is being kept in a meat house pending the burial service. Of course, Larry has to pull back the sheet, and sees the body looking pretty bad.
Back at the family estate, Larry begins having flashbacks about seeing his mother dead from what appeared to be a suicide when he was a young boy. After her death, Daddy sent him to an asylum for a year and then sent him off to live with a relative in New York.
Larry is determined to find the beast that attacked his brother and decides to visit the gypsy camp one night. (Duh--would you go out at night when you knew there was a werewolf in the area and it was a full-moon night to boot? I hope Larry doesn't tell "blond" jokes :-). Of course, you don't have to be a rocket-scientist to guess that Larry gets attacked and bitten by the wolfman. And so it begins--once bitten. . .
Larry is sewn up by the gypsy woman and returns home. A Scotland Yard detective shows up at the manor to investigate and a few unpleasant comments are expressed by both men. Shortly afterwards, Larry begins to change. He has some scary nightmares and he begins to develop sight, hearing, and smelling sensitivities. His body begins to change before our eyes one night and he goes on a killing spree. The change is done well, too. Needless to say, the local villagers are severely spooked and the story continues to reveal some additional information.
I really enjoyed the movie. I thought it was well done and added a few new things just to keep the story fresh. Anthony Hopkins was wonderful in his part, but don't let this worn-out but classy gentleman act fool you. He is a not a very nice guy. Benecio De Toro was also wonderful in his role. The orchestra music added to the film and the visual effects were wonderful. There were also some nice scenery shots of London and the English countryside.
This is NOT a movie for your young and impressionable children. There is blood, guts and gore for shock value, murders, and asylum torture. Heads and body parts are ripped off and people are gashed open. Your children will have nightmares over this stuff. If you can take that stuff yourself, then this was a really good movie. (Normally, I won't go to this kind of violent film either, but, I grew up with the Wolfman, Frankenstein, and Dracula stories, so I had to see it.)
Of course, we all know the basic Wolfman story, from the outstanding portrayal of the creature by the late Lon Chaney. This time, we have a remake with Anthony Hopkins (as Daddy Talbot) and Benecio De Toro (as Laurence Talbot), plus some special effects that we not available in the old days.
We begin on a full-moon night in England, in 1891. Daddy Talbot's other son is walking through a wooded area and attacked by a horrible monster that slashes him apart. The Talbot man's fiancé writes his brother (Larry), who is living in New York. Expressing concern for her fiance's disappearance, she asks Larry for his help.
Larry arrives at the family estate, an old English manor in disrepair and finds his estranged father alive and well, accompanied by the family dog and a man-servant from India. The son/brother's body had just been recovered. Larry travels through the English countryside to a small town to see his brother's body, which is being kept in a meat house pending the burial service. Of course, Larry has to pull back the sheet, and sees the body looking pretty bad.
Back at the family estate, Larry begins having flashbacks about seeing his mother dead from what appeared to be a suicide when he was a young boy. After her death, Daddy sent him to an asylum for a year and then sent him off to live with a relative in New York.
Larry is determined to find the beast that attacked his brother and decides to visit the gypsy camp one night. (Duh--would you go out at night when you knew there was a werewolf in the area and it was a full-moon night to boot? I hope Larry doesn't tell "blond" jokes :-). Of course, you don't have to be a rocket-scientist to guess that Larry gets attacked and bitten by the wolfman. And so it begins--once bitten. . .
Larry is sewn up by the gypsy woman and returns home. A Scotland Yard detective shows up at the manor to investigate and a few unpleasant comments are expressed by both men. Shortly afterwards, Larry begins to change. He has some scary nightmares and he begins to develop sight, hearing, and smelling sensitivities. His body begins to change before our eyes one night and he goes on a killing spree. The change is done well, too. Needless to say, the local villagers are severely spooked and the story continues to reveal some additional information.
I really enjoyed the movie. I thought it was well done and added a few new things just to keep the story fresh. Anthony Hopkins was wonderful in his part, but don't let this worn-out but classy gentleman act fool you. He is a not a very nice guy. Benecio De Toro was also wonderful in his role. The orchestra music added to the film and the visual effects were wonderful. There were also some nice scenery shots of London and the English countryside.
This is NOT a movie for your young and impressionable children. There is blood, guts and gore for shock value, murders, and asylum torture. Heads and body parts are ripped off and people are gashed open. Your children will have nightmares over this stuff. If you can take that stuff yourself, then this was a really good movie. (Normally, I won't go to this kind of violent film either, but, I grew up with the Wolfman, Frankenstein, and Dracula stories, so I had to see it.)
39 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Plagued with delays, reshoots, on set bickering and changed release dates Director Johnston's remake/homage makes it to the silver screen, and is a good old fashion scary movie.
Interestingly, the DVD and Blu-Ray release will feature a further 17 minutes of footage, aka "Directors Cut" which according to an interview with the director is mostly in the first half of the movie to build tension, and fill in some back story.
It was said that here (the cinematic) release wanted to be concise and get to the first transformation sequence in as soon as possible to keep the audience attention. This ideal I can understand, as all too often one must sit through an hour of build up to get to the meat of the action (no pun intended) and see what has been teased in trailers and TV spots. Time will tell as to whether these 17 minutes make a whole lot of difference, my view is that it will be a nice to have, rather than a need to have. For me the picture felt pretty complete.
Del Toro is great from the first scene as the grieving brother summoned by his late siblings fiancé to the funeral, to try to find out what happened after his mangled remains are found in a ditch near the family's stately home.
There's an air of a troubled past about from the get go, as he reunites with his estranged father Anthony Hopkins. We learn in flashback that he witnessed his mothers apparent suicide and was committed to an asylum and suffered untold horrors by his father at a young age, in hopes of cleansing him of something.
Hopkins as always is masterful, and more than distracting as the brooding Lord of the manor, with more than a few secrets to hide.
Hugo Weaving, as Inspector Abberline also puts in a fine performance, as does Art Malik in a nice cameo role.
The similarities to the original Lon Chaney are hinted at more than played out, but it feels, and looks good as he begins to delve into the history of Blackmoor, the nearby gypsy encampment, and the family "curse".
They did a great job with filming locations. Chatsworth house (The Blackmoor stately home) is actually in a lot better condition than they made it appear with a dreary run down CGI touch up, and may be familiar to viewers of many movies like Pride & Prejudice. Actually about 160 miles from London, for the purpose of the movie it's setting is supposed nearer to the capital, as Del Toro walks there from London towards the climax of the movie. Castle Combe in Wiltshire is used extensively for the village scenes, and creates a perfect period feel for the late 19th century setting. Those who have actually been to that part of England will know that "yes, it actually looks like that today" an obvious reason why it was chosen.
Emily Blunt is captivating but deliberately understated as the grieving fiancé, slowly drawn to Del Toro's gentle handling, and the romantic connection is thoughtful without being overplayed.
So to the special effects and make up, well those familiar with Rick Bakers talents, particularly in the excellent American Werewolf in London Special Edition (which is seen by many as still the benchmark for the most realistic depiction of the transition from man to wolf) will not be disappointed. Here however, we get more of a direct reference to the original, in that Del Toro is an upright Wolf Man, sort of 50/50 as opposed to being completely lupine or monstrous as in the recent Underworld movies for example.
It was also interesting to read that the makeup took only two hours to apply, and one to remove, with Baker remarking that the hirsute Del Toro was easy to change from his current form, to "just a more hairy version of Del Toro with teeth and claws"!
You can complain about the constant full moons, the question of where Del Toro's clothes disappear to and reappear when he changes back, and a number of artistic flaws in the story, but the pace and suspense of the movie keep you viewing. This is escapism after all.
There are some graphic scenes during the numerous changes and attacks, but the strength of the tension lies more in the good old fashioned scary moments, plenty of searching of dark rooms, and roaming around at night in forests, and more than a few "Boo" moments to make most people alarmed.
It's a relatively predictable story, I saw the end coming a mile away, as I'm sure most did, and of course the filmmakers have the left the door open for a sequel. That said, it's an impressive piece of gothic horror well presented with today's technology and sure to do well at the box office, and on DVD. 4 Stars.
Interestingly, the DVD and Blu-Ray release will feature a further 17 minutes of footage, aka "Directors Cut" which according to an interview with the director is mostly in the first half of the movie to build tension, and fill in some back story.
It was said that here (the cinematic) release wanted to be concise and get to the first transformation sequence in as soon as possible to keep the audience attention. This ideal I can understand, as all too often one must sit through an hour of build up to get to the meat of the action (no pun intended) and see what has been teased in trailers and TV spots. Time will tell as to whether these 17 minutes make a whole lot of difference, my view is that it will be a nice to have, rather than a need to have. For me the picture felt pretty complete.
Del Toro is great from the first scene as the grieving brother summoned by his late siblings fiancé to the funeral, to try to find out what happened after his mangled remains are found in a ditch near the family's stately home.
There's an air of a troubled past about from the get go, as he reunites with his estranged father Anthony Hopkins. We learn in flashback that he witnessed his mothers apparent suicide and was committed to an asylum and suffered untold horrors by his father at a young age, in hopes of cleansing him of something.
Hopkins as always is masterful, and more than distracting as the brooding Lord of the manor, with more than a few secrets to hide.
Hugo Weaving, as Inspector Abberline also puts in a fine performance, as does Art Malik in a nice cameo role.
The similarities to the original Lon Chaney are hinted at more than played out, but it feels, and looks good as he begins to delve into the history of Blackmoor, the nearby gypsy encampment, and the family "curse".
They did a great job with filming locations. Chatsworth house (The Blackmoor stately home) is actually in a lot better condition than they made it appear with a dreary run down CGI touch up, and may be familiar to viewers of many movies like Pride & Prejudice. Actually about 160 miles from London, for the purpose of the movie it's setting is supposed nearer to the capital, as Del Toro walks there from London towards the climax of the movie. Castle Combe in Wiltshire is used extensively for the village scenes, and creates a perfect period feel for the late 19th century setting. Those who have actually been to that part of England will know that "yes, it actually looks like that today" an obvious reason why it was chosen.
Emily Blunt is captivating but deliberately understated as the grieving fiancé, slowly drawn to Del Toro's gentle handling, and the romantic connection is thoughtful without being overplayed.
So to the special effects and make up, well those familiar with Rick Bakers talents, particularly in the excellent American Werewolf in London Special Edition (which is seen by many as still the benchmark for the most realistic depiction of the transition from man to wolf) will not be disappointed. Here however, we get more of a direct reference to the original, in that Del Toro is an upright Wolf Man, sort of 50/50 as opposed to being completely lupine or monstrous as in the recent Underworld movies for example.
It was also interesting to read that the makeup took only two hours to apply, and one to remove, with Baker remarking that the hirsute Del Toro was easy to change from his current form, to "just a more hairy version of Del Toro with teeth and claws"!
You can complain about the constant full moons, the question of where Del Toro's clothes disappear to and reappear when he changes back, and a number of artistic flaws in the story, but the pace and suspense of the movie keep you viewing. This is escapism after all.
There are some graphic scenes during the numerous changes and attacks, but the strength of the tension lies more in the good old fashioned scary moments, plenty of searching of dark rooms, and roaming around at night in forests, and more than a few "Boo" moments to make most people alarmed.
It's a relatively predictable story, I saw the end coming a mile away, as I'm sure most did, and of course the filmmakers have the left the door open for a sequel. That said, it's an impressive piece of gothic horror well presented with today's technology and sure to do well at the box office, and on DVD. 4 Stars.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Modern Classic
Due to other issue's,I did'nt get to see this movie at a theater,but that's okay,my 70" HD does just fine. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Mr John C. Griffin,Jr
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome!
If you are a movie buff and like this sort.........Get this movie! Guaranteed to be a great experience! Read more
Published 14 days ago by Laurie
3.0 out of 5 stars
Better than average visuals and production values, otherwise it's just...
Actually this film gets a 10 for sets, atmosphere and scenery. All were superb. The acting is right on par but nothing to write home about. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Natja Kristy
4.0 out of 5 stars
A family affair among werewolves
The interest of the film is not the legend about werewolves. It is not the connection of these mythical animals with the gypsies who are supposed to come from India where very old... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Jacques COULARDEAU
2.0 out of 5 stars
Save Your Money
I am so surprised that Anthony Hopkins would even want to be associated with this film! It was horrible! The only entertainment quality was that it helped me go to sleep.
Published 23 days ago by Lois Curry
3.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Production. Fine Acting. Weak Story.
One of my recent late-night movies was "Wolfman" (Unrated Director's Cut) starring Benicio Del Torro and Anthony Hopkins. Read more
Published 29 days ago by Gary Peterson
2.0 out of 5 stars
The wolfman
This remake of the 1940 wolfman was in my view not good A young man on the way home is attacked by what appears to be a large animal. Read more
Published 1 month ago by john ward
4.0 out of 5 stars
i thought this would suck but it didn't
it's a variation on hamlet; it is patricide, it is "get thee to a nunnery", and it's probably how benicio del toro feels about himself. Read more
Published 1 month ago by susan weber
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best werewolf production PERIOD
I wasn't sure about it at first but it unravels to be a great mystery behind the savage werewolf attacks
All in all I loved this show, it really captured a great essence... Read more
All in all I loved this show, it really captured a great essence... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lou
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hey, this a great movie!
If you're a fan of horror, and a fan of cinema, then you will like this movie. Perhaps the movie would have been better if directed by Mark Romanek as originally intended, instead... Read more
Published 1 month ago by D.S.
