The Wolfman (2010)/ Cursed (2005)

158. The Wolfman (2010)
159. Cursed (2005)

The Wolfman (2010) is the latest take on the tale of the werewolf. This one, however, is classified as a remake to the 1941 movie starring Lon Chaney Jr.

Lawrence Talbot is a widely renowned Shakespearean actor. He is performing in London when he receives word that his brother Ben is missing. Upon returning to the family estate, he learns that his brother's body has been found the day before his arrival. Locals suspect that a group of gypsies might be responsible for Ben's death. So, Lawrence decides that he is going to pay the gypsies a visit. While he's there, all hell breaks loose and he winds up being attacked and bitten by the same creature that killed his brother. As we all know, being bitten by a werewolf turns you into one. Now, Lawrence is transformed into the titular wolfman.

I really wanted to like this movie. Admittedly, when it was out in theaters, I wasn't all that excited about it. However, as the video release came closer, I began to greatly anticipate it. Maybe I let the hype get to me too much. Ultimately, I just didn't care for this one all that much. Perhaps it was because I saw the unrated "director's cut", but the movie just seemed to drag on forever. There were some good aspects though, don't get me wrong. I like how they changed the story just enough from the original movie to make it stand on its own. The cast is decent with Benicio Del Toro having been born to play a werewolf. Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt are pretty good as well.

Overall, this one just really didn't click with me. Skip it.


In keeping with the werewolf motif, my next film was Wes Craven's Cursed.

This one tells the story of brother and sister Jimmy and Ellie. While driving home one night, an animal hits their car causing them to careen into another vehicle. The impact causes the other vehicle to leave the road. While attempting to rescue the driver, Jimmy and Ellie are both slashed by the claws of a wolf-like creature. As the days pass, they both show signs of becoming something less than human.

Cursed is the re-pairing of Scream series director Craven and that series' writer, Kevin Williamson. This was their attempt to capture lightning in a bottle a second time. This time out, they failed pretty badly. First off, the movie suffered through script and production issues and was shut down for over a year. Due to this, many actors who'd been cast had to pull out. Because of these scheduling conflicts, scenes that had already been filmed were scrapped.

The story here is nothing special. Typical werewolf stuff, really. Williamson tries a bit too hard to re-capture the hipness of Scream but doesn't quite pull it off, seeming forced. The cast that actually survived the production are pretty good, all things considered. Christina Ricci, Jesse Eisenberg and Joshua Jackson are solid. Support comes from Shannon Elizabeth, Mya, Milo Ventimiglia and Judy Greer.

Overall, this is a pretty bad movie. Almost comically bad at times. Skip it.