Wolf Man (2025)

Director Leigh Whannell is no stranger to Universal’s history in horror films.  He successfully resuscitated their brand of horror (after the plans for a cinematic universe went tits up) with his handling of Invisible Man.  The film - and its reception from both audiences and critics - was quite good.  So, it’s no surprise that they entrusted him with the task of bringing the Wolf Man back from the dead.

And it mostly works. 

Okay, so it is not nearly as fun as Invisible Man is but the ride through the Oregon mountains and surrounding forests is pretty tense and dramatically dark as a young man, Blake (Christopher Abbott), returns to the woods of his youth to collect his missing father’s stuff from his childhood home.

"far too serious for its own good"


The chore is not going to be easy.  Along for the ride is his wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner, who is a bit wasted here), and their daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth), who absolutely loves her father.  There is some tension in the family as the two adults are struggling to find an effective way to communicate with each other and Charlotte, who is busy with her job, is not the best at relating to their daughter. 

But, thanks to an effective opening, in which the idea of the Wolf Man is introduced with an engaging hunting trip as we walk with a young Blake and his very strict father in the woods, we get the sense that this trip back to home territory is not going to go so well.

And it doesn’t. 

Blake’s father has been missing for quite some time and the rumors of a wild beast-like man continue to plague the withdrawn community choosing to live out in the boonies where there’s no cell phone coverage of any kind thanks to all the tall, tall trees.  Obviously, the audience already suspects there’s a connection here but how it is set up - with a charged-up crash in a mover’s truck which introduces some unique camera angles - is fraught with tension and suspense.

Unfortunately, the message about families - because Blake’s father (while strict) doesn’t seem like the type to warrant Blake’s fear of him and because this really isn’t Charlotte’s tale to tell - is kind of washed out and stays lost.  Perhaps this should have been presented from Charlotte’s point of view all along?Wolf Man (2025)

But I digress. Because, yes, there is something out there and it has attacked Blake!

Soon enough, Blake is nursing an infection that is taking over his entire being and having to protect his family from the monster in the woods which scratched him.  Monsters battling each other?!  Yes, please. 

As the night descends, the family has taken emergency shelter in Blake’s father’s house.  The attacks by whatever is beating on the house continues.  Blake is also becoming more animal-like, losing teeth, gnawing on his wound, and losing the ability to understand his wife as she talks to him.  It’s quite an interesting dilemma and, it seems, only the audience is aware that he is becoming - drumroll - the titular Wolf Man.

The film concentrates wholly on the dynamics of family and continues to roll out the drama as we become more and more immersed in how Blake sees his new world as this beast.  These scenes are cool and effective and continue to highlight the differences driving a wedge between Blake and his wife, especially when he transforms into the beast and starts his attack.

We just don’t feel much for his daughter, who watches as her father slips away into the form of something else.  So, yes, there are definitely missed opportunities - or moments - to showcase both the reaction of Blake’s daughter and his wife as they lose him his new form . . . forever.  And there are moments where a lot more fun could have been injected into the narrative because this one - from beginning to end - is far too serious for its own good.

But it’s not a disaster of a movie.  Not at all.  There are some great transformation moments, some slight nods to the werewolf movies of the past, and interesting situations which develop as Blake - ever so slightly becoming more animalistic while having to save his family - becomes that which he is trying to save his family from.

Wolf Man works more often than it doesn’t.  It won’t leave you howling at the moon with appreciation, but it provides plenty of teeth-sharpening bones to gnaw as the darkness descends.

 3/5 stars

Film Details

Wolf Man (2025)

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime:
103 mins
Director
: Leigh Whannell
Writer:
Leigh Whannell; Corbett Tuck
Cast:
Julia Garner; Leigh Whannell; Christopher Abbott
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:
Protect Your Own
Memorable Movie Quote: "Mommy, he wants this to be over."
Distributor:
Universal
Official Site: https://www.facebook.com/WolfManMovie
Release Date:
January 17, 2025
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:

Synopsis: A family at a remote farmhouse is attacked by an unseen animal, but as the night stretches on, the father begins to transform into something unrecognizable.

Art

Wolf Man (2025)