I wonder what’s this movie about? Is it about a quirky but tough escort falling in love with a rich asshole? And then that asshole just eats her up but not in a good way? Well, I think I’m way off with that one. Behind another generic title Werewolves, hides a B horror action movie featuring great practical effects but subpar pretty much everything else. A barely watchable creature feature for fans of the genre and those looking to kill eighty minutes. I remember reading the initial reviews which were almost all positive and thinking this can’t be right. Still, I was willing to suspend my belief and give this movie a chance.
Werewolves features a surprisingly decent story as humanity braces for the second night of the Supermoon. The last time this happened, everyone who was touched by the moonlight turned into a vicious and bloodthirsty beast. A group of scientists then tried to come up with an antidote and this is how we meet Wesley Marshall, who’s not only a molecular biologist but also an ex-soldier. And I swear I’m not making this up and that this movie is not a parody. However, it seems like it is most of the time. We will get so many stereotypical situations and dumb decisions that you might as well just laugh at the whole thing. The script is ridiculously cheesy and not in a good way.
Because of this, lack of authenticity and realism, the tension is almost nonexistent. Luckily, the story takes place over the course of just one night. I would simply turn off the movie if I had to sit through more of that bullshit character development. So we open with the good old “let’s board up, put up traps, and brace for the worst” scenes. Frank Grillo, playing Frank Grillo, gave the movie the edge it needed to make it watchable. If he believes all of this shit is happening and is willing to do all of that stuff, I’m willing to watch it. Actors like this usually don’t get the credit they need. I should mention the legend of eighties and nineties B action movies Lou Diamond Phillips. He plays Dr. Aranda here.
The best thing about the movie Werewolves are the juicy, old school practical effects. Even the CGI used during the transformation sequences was pretty good. Of course, it’s nowhere near the glory of An American Werewolf in London from fucking 1981. Considering all of this, it’s quite surprising that there wasn’t that much gore or graphic violence in Werewolves. I mean, the movie has an R rating but we won’t the usual decapitations or limb tears. At least the shootouts were cool, especially the one with the minigun. I just wish they didn’t use the lens flares so much. At certain times, they were so prevalent that you couldn’t see what was going on.
While this trick worked quite well during the late 2010s, now it feels just annoying. Just like the superficial treatment of a solid main story. If they needed a bit of filler, that was the perfect place. Just explain how all of this came about or why. The viewers could also connect better with these one-dimensional characters. Werewolves is so generic and stereotypical that the finale is exactly the same as in Wolfman, another werewolf movie that was released just a couple of months later. And that’s what the whole thing so frustrating. There’s clearly a thirst for these types of movies and yet no one seems to be making them.
We’re still waiting on the “real Wolfman” starring Ryan Gosling. However, that will be a big and serious movie and not a lean and mean B creature feature. Well, at least we can go back and watch the movies we grew up with. Of course, if you’re looking for more movies like this, you can check out our Subversive Rabbit selection of Werewolves Movies worth watching. Enjoy.
Director: Steven C. Miller
Writer: Matthew Kennedy
Cast: Frank Grillo, Katrina Law, Ilfenesh Hadera, Lou Diamond Phillips, Kamdynn Gary, James Kyson
Fun Facts: The original title for the movie Werewolves was Year 2 as the story follows the events during the second Supermoon, one year after the first event that turned people into werewolves. However, producers thought this would confuse the viewers, making them think this is a sequel.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15041836/
