Remake This: The Wolfman (2010)

Hey, we should remake The Wolfman, said someone 15 years ago.
Hey, we should remake The Wolfman, said someone a year ago.

This is, well, The Wolfman, the 2010 Remake specifically.  I'm a fan of the Universal Classic.  In fact, it is literally my Mouse Pad!

This is honestly a case where I'm not opposed to a Remake, as it had been nearly 80 years since the 1941 Original.
Well, 77 years to be exact, as the Film was actually made in 2008.  It just sat in limbo until 2010.

The Plot hits all of the same beats, but changes many, many things.  For better or worse, it is a loose Remake.  It also seems to borrow elements from another Werewolf Film (or two).

Joe Johnston- who has a great niche as Guy Who Can Direct Modern Film that is Set in the Past- did his best here, I think.  If you don't know the name, he did Captain America- The First Avenger, October Sky, Jumanji, Hidalgo and The Rocketeer (all of which fit the Theme mentioned in many ways).

He also Directed Jurassic Park III, but let's not hold that against him.

Can Benicio Del Toro take over for Lon Chaney Jr?
To find out, read on...

In a rare Syfy Opening for a Theatrical Film, a man is chased and killed by a Wolfman!

Oh no!

Said man turns out to be the Brother of our Hero- Del Toro- who meets a man on a Train (an uncredited Max Von Sydow).

Said man tells a tale of a Werewolf and gives him a silver can- complete with hidden blade- before disappearing forever.

That is if you watch the Director's Cut- which I did.
I'm a sucker for Director's Cuts.  I need help!

He returns home to his Dad...who is somehow Anthony Hopkins (just go with it!) and he's clearly bonkers.

This is a change from the Original, where his Dad- more famous as The Invisible Man- is the voice of reason.

You don't hire Hopkins to play subtle though, unless it is real Oscar bait.

As the next Full Moon approaches, Del Toro gets friendly with his dead Brother's fiancée (Emily Blunt) which isn't weird at all.

He goes to the Romani in the area and is there when the Wolfman returns to pick random people off like a Shark.

Our Lead saves a kid from him, but gets bitten on the neck before the creature is run off.

The Inspector from London is suspicious of him, given his family connections to the deaths and his presence there.

They made him a version of a real life Detective, which is neat...but mostly pointless.  It only really informs one exchange.

Either way, I'm a bit jealous of that beard.

Come next full moon, he turns into the Wolfman.

This transformation is full CGI, but still pretty cool.  He's practical in the rest of it, so we're good.

Like the other Wolfman, he kills a bunch of people and then runs off.

This time, the mob and the Detective just show up as he wanders back to the House in shredded clothes and covered in blood.

They throw him in a Sanitarium- like he was in earlier- and do all sorts of mean, old-timey stuff to him.

He later learns that his Dad was that Wolfman and he killed his own Son to keep him from leaving.  Don't follow that logic to any end point.

He also confirms that he killed the Mom, which Del Toro suspected for a Decade or so.

He transforms in the full moon again because the Psychiatrist is convinced that it is not real.
It ends poorly.

Another chase- reminiscent of the Mr. Hyde one in Van Helsing- and he eventually gets back home.

Wouldn't you know it, it is ANOTHER full moon when he arrives and both parties transform to fight.

He kills the Dad, but Blunt shows up- as do the Detective and some men.

He wounds the Detective- setting up, well, nothing- and chases down Blunt.

Depending on which Ending you watch, he either 

A) Doesn't bite her and dies.
B) Bites her and then dies
C) Bites her and doesn't di.

Yes, this Film has THREE possible Endings to pick from.  Thanks, Clue.

A Film that mostly does a good job of updating the source material.

The Plot is- for better or worse- quite a bit different than the 1941 Film.  I like many of the changes.  I don't love some of them.

I just found it very distracting that Hopkins was Del Toro's Dad.  The fact that he went full on Cartoon Villain at the end didn't help.

The Effects here are really good.  The CGI is mostly used sparingly.  The make-up work, by Rick Baker, is great as always.

Many people- Baker included- would have liked more time to shoot the transformation(s) practically, but there was none.  That's ironic, given that the Film then sat completed on a shelf for two years!

As far as modern Remakes/updates go, this one is pretty darn good.  It has lots of melodrama and is played 100% seriously, so just bear that in mind.

This Film also has the weirdest case of 'Wait- That's What I Know Him From?!?' in a long time.

Art Malik plays Hopkins' Sikh Manservant...

...but you would know him as the bad guy in True Lies!

Next up, a Film that moved up my list after a personal recommendation.  Let's see what kind of teeth it has!