The Wolfman

 

Limping into cinemas after a notoriously protracted and problematic shoot, The Wolfman seems to be defeated almost before it has begun. Having lost original director Mark Romanek, the project has ended up in the unimaginative hands of Joe Johnston, and that's just the start of the film's problems. Underwritten and horribly edited, The Wolfman lurches from one scene to the next without ever establishing a consistent pace or tone, and for all of the cheap shocks and bloodshed, it is never scary. Benicio Del Toro, who seemed like perfect casting, is a subdued figure in his surprisingly passive leading role, while Anthony Hopkins serves up prime ham (again) and Emily Blunt struggles with a dull character. Only Hugo Weaving comes close to striking the right note, playing his part with a wry self-amusement, but he is disappointingly underused. The Wolfman is uninspired, barely coherent and often remarkably boring; it is a mongrel of a film, and the scars of its troubled production are all too visible.