The Wolfman

Aroooooo, Werewolf in London...

The Wolfman, this time round directed by Joe Johnston (Hildago, Jurassic Park III), stars Benecio Del Toro as Lawrence Talbot - and the aforementioned wolfman, and one of my favourite actors, Anthony Hopkins, as his dad, John. Why they put someone like Anthony Hopkins in this movie will be one of those unanswered questions. Maybe they were trying to recreate the authoritative intelligence he lent to Van Helsing in Dracula? I don't know, something was off. It just didn't suit him.
Lawrence Talbot returns to his father's home from his time on the stage in America after the death of his brother, Ben. Lawrence's relationship with his father is strained after the death of his mother when he was young. Ben's grieving widow Gwen (Emily Blunt) stays at the Talbot house while Lawrence investigates.
The usual band of suspects are blames for Ben's gruesome death; escaped deranged mental patients, a recently arrived group of Gypsies, some wild animal. But, as this movie is called The Wolfman and not Escaped Deranged Mental Patients or Savage Gypsy Killers, it's obvious a werewolf was responsible.
Lawrence sets out to hunt down the beast and is, in turn, scratched by it's claws. We all know what happens after that, Lawrence himself turns into the beast whenever the moon is full.
News of the investigation reaches Scotland Yard and they send Inspector Francis Aberline (Hugo Weaving), who was recently involved in the Jack The Ripper case in Whitechapel. He didn't catch The Ripper, will he have better luck in catching Ben's killer?
Mostly shot at night and on cloudy days, The Wolfman is suitably dark and gloomy. The recreation of the streets of London around the turn of the last century is well done. Lawrence's transition from man to wolfman is practically seemless, but did he still wear his clothes in the original after he'd changed? I thought that was odd. I was waiting for some kind of Hulk-esque pants-ripping sequence but it never came, unless I missed it? And as for Gwen, any girl who falls for her dead husband's brother a mere three months after his death must be of a questionable character and not to be trusted even if she does run a classy antiques store.
There was one moment in the film, frightfully predictable, where poor old Lawrence is chained up and being examined by a psychologist with his back to Lawrence. It's a full moon, Lawrence changes, the psychologist keeps on talking even though his audience is clearly agitated. I felt like I was watching a kiddies pantomime and wanted to yell out 'Heeee's beeeehiiiiiind yooooouuuuuu!'
The action sequences were aptly bloody and gory, my movie-going companion had to shield her eyes a few times. How cute. But there was something missing, again. I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it fell prey to the curse of the horror remake. More hair than scare.
Six out of ten.