Wolf Man,Leigh Whannell’s follow-up to his beloved re-imaging ofThe Invisible Man(2020), hits theaters Friday. Today, reviews began pouring in for the hairy creature feature that takes the classic Universal monster movie from 1941 and brings it into modern times.
Whileearly reactions online were glowing, critics have not been nearly as kind.
Wolf Man Debuts With 56% Rotten Tomatoes Score
Reviews for Wolf Man officially hit Rotten Tomatoes on Wednesday, with the picture debuting with a 56% rotten score based on 54 initial reviews. While the coming days could see the score go up as more reviews are published, horror movies tend to be front-loaded, meaning this monster movie could fall into the 40s when all is done.
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Bad reviews for Wolf Man shouldn’t affect its opening weekend prospects, which currently have ittaking the top spot with $20 million plus. If audiences feel the same way as critics, however, this wolf won’t go the distance and will be lucky to get past $40 million domestically.
Made for areported $25 million, that would still give Leigh Whannell another monster hit. The Invisible Woman made $70 million in the USA and Canada with a $7 million budget.
Critics Say Wolf Man Is Gory But Lacks Bite
Wolf Man follows the story of a married couple with a young child who escape to a cabin in the woods to work through their domestic problems. Oh, yeah, the husband, played by Christopher Abbott, is also slowly losing his mind and turning into a werewolf.
Critics appreciate horror as a lens to study the modern domestic issues of couples, although the on-the-nose metaphor falls flat as Whannell leans into the gore without providing an emotional bite.
Emma Kiely ofCollidergave Wolf Man a 4 out of 10, writing:
“Wolf Man doesn’t reach the heights of Whannell’s feature debut. It dissolves into the sea of similar hollow, glossy big-budget horrors that have become more and more frequent (and almost always come from Blumhouse).”
Screen Rantcouldn’t help but compare Wolf Man to The Shining:
“Part of what makesThe Shiningso frightening is that, even with the ghosts and the alcohol, Jack’s growing evil feels intrinsic. This is supposed to be the potency of the werewolf metaphor inWolf Man, too, but even if Blake’s body is changing, his lycanthropy always feels like anexternalforce.”
Peter DeBruge ofVarietywas unimpressed by the film’s transformation:
“Whatever its strengths or weaknesses, every werewolf movie is ultimately judged by how well it handles the transformation and creature effects, and in that department, Wolf Man is a dud.”
Despite its flaws, some critics defended Wolf Man. Pete Hammond ofDeadlinewas a big fan, writing:
“We have see numerous variations on all this over the years… The list goes on and on since the 1930’s and it is to Whannell’s credit that it still works to the degree it does.”
Leigh Whannell might not have turned Wolf Man into a critical darling like he did with The Invisible Man, but that shouldn’t stop you from heading to the theater this Friday to judge for yourself. After all, how often do audiences really agree with critics when it comes to horror movies?
