I'm not a big fan of the werewolf mythos in general, so it should come as no surprise that I didn't think much of Universal's The Wolfman, a big-budget relaunch of the classic horror franchise. Directed by Joe Johnston (Honey I Shrunk The Kids, Jumanji), The Wolfman is an atmospheric period tale that gleefully lifts elements of the old classic films, amps up the violence and special effects, and still manages to come off as boring and muddled. The flaws here are many, but they begin with the star; Benicio Del Toro (The Usual Suspects, Che) is an actor I usually love, but he somehow fails at playing a famous actor bitten by a strange beast and turned into one himself. Though The Wolfman strives for Gothic terror, Del Toro's performance proves the most horrific thing in the movie.
This article appears in Feb 10-16, 2010.