Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2010

The Wolfman: ©2010 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The violence and gore inherent in today’s mega-movies don’t really mix with good old gothic storytelling, and when you try, you get, well, this. It will not rate high on Benicio Del Toro’s filmography. Plus, Joe Johnson, the SFX-heavy director responsible for Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, forgot to make it scary. His cartoonish attempts at atmosphere are obvious and banal, the script is howlingly cornball, and the dénouement is laughingly maudlin. By turns phony, inert and silly, this lycanthropic misfire is a dog. Also a comically menacing Anthony Hopkins, an underused Emily Blunt and a superfluous Hugo Weaving.