For a film which has faced production troubles, re-shoots, and release date delays, The Wolfman is almost exactly what you'd expect. The screenplay is littered with loose threads, the pacing is off, and the actors don't seem into their roles. There are a few nice references to classic horror films, but when mixed with more contemporary action scenes the tone is inconsistent. The Wolfman is nothing despicable, but it is almost instantly forgettable.
     The story begins in the small English village of Blackmoor, which is experiencing a slight werewolf problem. Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro), an American stage actor who grew up in Blackmoor, returns to his home when he hears news of his brother's grisly demise. Waiting for him is his emotionally distant father (Anthony Hopkins), and his brother's former fiancee, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt). Lawrence promises to uncover the truth about what happened to his brother, and that investigation brings him face to face with the scourge that is plaguing Blackmoor. Eventually a Scotland Yard investigator (Hugo Weaving) shows up and gives the film a bit of a Sleepy Hollow feel (although without the Burton-esque atmosphere). The wolfman is eventually set loose on London, which unfortunately brings to mind the preposterous scenes in which a T-Rex stomps through L.A. in The Lost World.
     Director Joe Johnston should have taken a cue from Martin Campbell's The Mask of Zorro on how to revive a classic franchise in an entertaining fashion without losing touch with its roots. The two films have one other striking similarity--both feature Anthony Hopkins handing over the reigns of a classic character to a new generation. Unlike Zorro, The Wolfman declines to include any sort of comic relief. While The Mask of Zorro was half action, half comedy (as most entertaining popcorn films are), The Wolfman is all dark horror. That's not to say that it's tonally consistent--it starts out with nods to 1930's horror films and devolves into modern gore, but it certainly starts dark and stays dark. This humorless approach makes for a less than enjoyable experience, for the actors and the audience.
     It's a pity to see such a wonderful cast gone to waste. We haven't had the pleasure of seeing Anthony Hopkins work much as of late, and we still haven't after seeing this film. He wanders around delivering flat line-readings, with the screenplay excusing this by telling us he's "dead inside." Benicio Del Toro should have been an inspired choice to play the title character, but as it turns out anyone could have done what he was asked to do. He looks vaguely morose for the first half of the film, and spends the latter half howling, werewolf form or no. Emily Blunt is the only one to escape unscathed, performing her duty of looking beautiful with ease and managing to conjure up tears regarding even the most inane plot developments.
     The Wolfman is not without its brief joys. The gore is thankfully R-rated, with multiple beheadings and intestines strewn about. But even that amount of entrails feels tame compared to many modern horror films, and the special effects involved only do more to distance The Wolfman from a retro tone. The makeup effects of the Wolfman himself move the film towards B-movie territory. The werewolves are mostly CGI-free, featuring the actors in wolf suits and masks. It looks a bit hokey, but in a fun, campy sort of way. It also allows the actors' performances to come through the faces, without any need for a complex James Cameron "performance capture" process.
     Given the already low expectations, The Wolfman is only a minor disappointment. There was potential for a good action/horror film, especially given the cast, but that potential goes unrealized. What remains is a moderately enjoyable slasher film with little depth. The atmosphere is suitably dark, but lacks any sort of flair that would set this film's look apart from lesser genre flicks such as Van Helsing or Underworld. Only devoted fans of the monster genre should take the time to view this uninspired adaptation.