After the big hit of 2020’s The Invisible Man, Leigh Whannell seemed ready to bring another classic Universal Monster back to life with Wolf Man. Sadly, this effort to reconnect with the creature’s roots lacks impact, resulting in a movie that feels more like a missed opportunity than a spine-chiller. Wolf Man finds itself stuck in a frustrating place—not terrible enough to be memorable, but not good enough to stand out. With its muted emotions and shallow characters, it’s the kind of film that fades from your mind almost as soon as it ends.
Interestingly, Wolf Man could have turned out quite differently. Before Whannell got involved, Universal was looking at a version featuring Ryan Gosling and directed by Derek Cianfrance, known for films like Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines.
Although we can only guess what that might have looked like, Cianfrance’s focus on themes like masculinity and fatherhood might have fit nicely with the story. In Whannell’s version, those themes are hinted at but never really explored, much like many other aspects of the film.
The movie kicks off with a father (Sam Jaeger) sharing his hunting knowledge with his young son, Blake, during an uneasy stroll in the woods. A tense encounter in a deer blind hints at something lurking in the dark, but then the story jumps ahead several years to introduce us to an adult Blake (Christopher Abbott).
Now a writer and stay-at-home dad to his daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth), Blake is facing struggles in his marriage to Charlotte (Julia Garner), who feels more like a sketch than a fully formed character. One of the film’s biggest shortcomings is how little Whannell and co-writer Tuck give their actors to flesh out their roles. It’s hard to watch a talented actress like Garner look so confused about her character.
The issues begin right away, starting with a poorly executed jump scare in the woods that results in Blake being scratched by a wolf-like creature. Soon after, Blake, Ginger, and Charlotte find themselves holed up in Blake’s late father’s cabin, trying to protect themselves from the beast outside while the real threat—Blake’s transformation—grows within him. Whannell seems to enjoy exploring the grotesque scenes of Blake’s change, packed with body horror meant to shock the audience. However, these gripping moments are few and far between.
Visually, Wolf Man doesn’t match the sleek, tense atmosphere of The Invisible Man. Cinematographer Stefan Duscio’s work feels rushed and poorly lit, almost in a comical way. Even the potentially scary scenes lack the setup needed to build suspense, and whenever the film tries to dive into horror or action, its execution falls flat. A fight between werewolves, which should have been a highlight, is so awkwardly filmed and edited that it leaves no impression. Much of Wolf Man seems hurried, possibly due to a tight production schedule, making it feel more like a chore than a passion project.
On a thematic level, Wolf Man disappoints even more. Where The Invisible Man sparked discussions about control, abuse, and gaslighting, Wolf Man touches on elements like family trauma and gender roles only to quickly move on, leaving these ideas feeling like mere decorations on a muddled film.
Not every movie needs to convey a deep message, but Wolf Man seems to want to be profound while shying away from actually committing. By the end, it offers little to ignite any meaningful conversation, almost resembling a cautionary tale about the struggles of being an unemployed writer. There’s a primal part of us all, but unfortunately, it’s absent in this film.
Ultimately, Wolf Man is a frustrating letdown—a film that had the chance to be something more but never really decides what it wants to be. It serves as a reminder that even talented filmmakers can stumble when trying to recreate past successes.
While it’s not a total waste of time, it’s difficult to recommend to anyone except the most devoted fans of Universal Monsters.
