Why ‘Wolf Man’ Struggles to Engage: A Predictable Plot and Lackluster Characters – Daily Bruin Review

In the dead of night, beware of the “Wolf Man.”

Leigh Whannell’s latest horror film hit theaters recently, marking his second take on a classic monster story. After his father’s death, Blake (Christopher Abbott) takes his wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), and their daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth), to his old home in rural Oregon. They seek to reconnect as a family, but soon discover that a terrifying creature lurks nearby. As if that weren’t enough, Blake himself starts to change in alarming ways.

This film isn’t Whannell’s best effort. He’s known for his impactful work on the “Saw” series and the successful “Invisible Man,” but this time he tries something different with Universal’s 1941 classic, “The Wolf Man.” Instead of sticking closely to the original story, he simplifies the plot, focusing on a man’s return to his roots and his chilling transformation.

One interesting idea is the shift from romantic struggles to family conflict. Imagine a story where a person’s monstrous change symbolizes their falling marriage. Unfortunately, this film doesn’t fully explore that potential. The first half hour tries to set up themes of family trauma and conflict, but the dialogue feels clunky, and the characters lack chemistry. It’s as if they don’t really know each other, which makes their relationships hard to believe. Also, the idea that Charlotte could support a family in San Francisco solely through her job as a journalist stretches credibility.

When the action kicks in, it doesn’t carry much weight. Blake’s downfall feels inevitable, robbing the story of its intrigue. There’s a bit of suspense around when Blake might see his family as threats, but the tension fades quickly. Charlotte becomes the emotional anchor of the film as she navigates her husband’s changes and their daughter’s fear. Garner delivers a solid performance, bringing depth from her previous roles, but the weak writing reduces her character to just being anxiously supportive of Blake.

As Blake, Abbott has a slightly richer character arc. He tries to make his relationship with Ginger engaging, but the body horror aspects don’t quite hit the mark. The film struggles to create effective moments of transformation, and Blake’s lack of urgency about his own fate makes the narrative feel flat.

Other elements of the film are equally disappointing. The plot is predictable, allowing even casual viewers to see most twists coming. The music is generic and forces emotions instead of allowing them to flow naturally. The sparse action scenes stand out as the only redeeming parts, simply because there’s little competition.

This leads to a big question: how did this happen? How did a director known for tense body horror deliver such a bland film? It seems that behind-the-scenes turmoil mirrored Blake’s tragic plight. The project has been in development for over a decade, changing writers and directors multiple times. Big names like Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Gosling were attached at different points but eventually dropped out. All this shifting caused the film to lose its potential and end up as a disappointing final product, released in January, a time often reserved for struggling films.

“Wolf Man” ultimately feels lifeless. It tries to revive a classic character without adding anything new to the genre, despite the talent involved. With predictable plots and flat characters, the film lacks stakes, resulting in no real thrills or chills.

Even when “Wolf Man” shows its teeth, it’s more sheep than wolf—a hollow effort that seems like a spare offering during Hollywood’s slow season.