A One Mann’s Movies review of “Wolf Man” (2025).
I complained a lot in my “Review of the Year” post about the number of lacklustre horror movies filling the cinemas through 2024, most of which were insipid non-events. “Wolf Man” is the latest from Blumhouse and, from the trailer, I was expecting it to be a bust. But I was pleasantly surprised for once. It’s not great… but it had a few really good moments.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“Wolf Man” Plot Summary:
Blake (Christopher Abbott) must travel into the wilds of Oregon to sort out his father’s farm after he is finally pronounced dead. He takes his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and young daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). But after a shocking incident on the forest roads, the family must fight to survive against an aggressive predator.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong horror, gore, violence, language”.)
Talent:
Starring: Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Matilda Firth, Sam Jaeger, Benedict Hardie, Zac Chandler.
Directed by: Leigh Whannell.
Written by: Leigh Whannell & Corbett Tuck.
Running Time: 1h 43m.
“Wolf Man” Summary:
Positives:
- Builds a good atmosphere of tension in its opening scenes.
- Julia Garner is once again an excellent presence, elevating the story.
Negatives:
- We’ve seen this type of film soooo many times before.
- A little predictable with where the story goes.
Review of “Wolf Man”:
A strong opening.
The opening of the film sees a young Blake (Zac Chandler) on a hunting trip with his militaristic and hard-nosed father Grady (Sam Jaeger). The hunters predictably become the hunted, but it is done in a solid and sinister way, the identity of ‘the beast’ (in true Jaws fashion) being hidden until way later in the film. Its presence at one point is defined by the steam from its breath, switching ominously from one side of a hide to the other (“IT’S BEHIND YOU!”).
A slow and steady build up.
We actually spend a surprisingly long time (for a film of this type) building up the relationship between Blake (now Christopher Abbott) and Charlotte (Julia Garner), which is good. The couple are in a marital low-spot, with the affections of young Ginger clearly with her daddy rather than her mummy, a dynamic neatly exploited by the story as it develops.
Gets very predictable.
Sadly, we end up in very familiar territory with people in peril in a cabin in the woods. We were recently at a cabin in the wilderness in the Halle Berry thriller “Never Let Go” and a year before that in the Oregon woods for the very similar “Significant Other“. So, in this regard, there is nothing very novel about this story. However, this does have the dynamic (as spoiled by the trailer) of an ‘enemy within’ and I guess this does add an element of uncertainty as to which way the plot will go. But it does ultimately descend into rather predictable loop of action sequences in one location before running and screaming to another location… (rinse and repeat).
One neat trick, that we see a few times is having the camera pivot between a ‘human side’ view and a ‘wolf side’ view. This is done very effectively by director Leigh Whannell (who did the very interesting version of “The Invisible Man” a few years ago).
Elevated by strong performances.
While it feels a well trodden road, this one is at least elevated by some strong performances.
Leading in that regard is the wonderful Julia Garner whose unique look and strong acting ability has always lifted her films up above the norm.
Christopher Abbott as Blake also does well, needing to do a lot of acting with his eyes as he flips between different mental states. Abbott has had a really strong year in the movies. He was Alfie Blessington in “Poor Things“; an assassin as ‘The Foreigner’ in the recent “Kraven the Hunter“; and is absolutely brilliant as the lead in the excellent Irish film “Bring Then Down“, coming soon to UK cinemas.
Also worth a mention is young Matilda Firth who does a very creditable job as the young girl.
Summary Thoughts on “Wolf Man”
It’s nothing terribly special, so if you are wanting a classy and different horror movie (and haven’t done so yet) go and see “Nosferatu“. However, it’s certainly not as bad as I feared and had some good moments of tension. A relatively fun Saturday night popcorn movie.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Wolf Man”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAw4PH2IQgo.
Subscribe
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to One Mann’s Movies to receive future reviews by email right here. No salesman will call!
