After being delayed a few times from release last year Universal's updating of their 1941 classic The Wolfman has finally hit the big screen and while it does have a few shaggy tufts of fur that need cutting off there's enough good points to make it a watchable, if not entirely successful, creature feature that stays fairly faithful to its source material (that being Curt Sidomak's screenplay) and has the added bonus of NOT being directed by Stephen Sommers who managed to piss on almost every iconic Universal monster with Van Helsing.

In the hands of Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, Jurassic Park III), The Wolfman is certainly a great looking movie. The production design captures late 1800's Britain in an accurate fashion with plenty of solid stone buildings, horse drawn carriages, and cobbled streets. It's not difficult to tell the money and effort put into making the film reflect its time period and it's balanced fairly well by Johnston's stylish direction that gives the werewolf attack set pieces (and the bloody carnage that comes with them) just the right strong visual punch.

The story starts off with Broadway actor Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) returning home to the small town of Black Moor, England when he gets word from his brother's girlfriend Gwen (Emily Blunt) that his younger sibling has gone missing. Not long after getting back to the foreboding family mansion Lawrence is informed by his gruff, game-hunting father Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins) that his brother's corpse has been found mutilated in a ditch. This leads to Lawrence setting out to investigate the murder of his brother which takes him to a Gypsy camp and his first encounter with a beast possessing the strength of many men that runs on four legs and kills in many brutal ways. After being bitten by said beast, Lawrence soon begins to suffer from flashbacks to his youth (which Johnston stages using "ghosting" - an effect I found distracting) including the night he found his father cradling his mother after her apparent suicide.

From there the script by Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self escalates as Lawrence becomes a blood-lusting werewolf when the moon is full, there's a completely worthless romantic subplot with Gwen that hits its peak of nadir early when they're skipping stones together, Scotland Yard inspector Abberline (Hugo Weaving) arrives to try and track down the source of all the murders happening, and Hopkins' father figure starts playing mind games with his son - since he's the one who caused him to become what he is. There's also the inevitable father/son showdown which is just completely silly and feels like a WWE wrestling match.

It's truly unfortunate that they've decided to put too much focus on the romance angle of the story as Blunt's character is bland at best but the film also stumbles whenever Hopkins is on screen, as he tends to chew scenery and deliver a whole bunch of overbearing dialogue. I say unfortunate because there's a lot of stuff in-between all this that's worthwhile. Whenever Del Toro transforms into the wolf there's enough bloodshed to please and his escape from an asylum provides the most exciting moments as our beast rampages through the streets. The effects are also decent here and much better than I was expecting with the blend of traditional make-up and non-intrusive CG working well - it also helps having maestro Rick Baker (who created the Academy Award winning transformation in An American Werewolf in London) on hand.

The Wolfman isn't close to being perfect. It's lacking the emotional impact and pathos this timeless tale deserves and suffers a tiny bit from some less-than-stellar performances by Blunt and Hopkins. Del Toro handles the title role fine and Weaving is suited in his role, even if he's a tad underused, but the main reason you'll get some enjoyment out of this admittedly disappointing adaptation is its decently done action sequences, scenery, and Johnston's steady work behind the camera. (Chris Hartley, 2/17/10)

Directed By: Joe Johnston.
Written By: Andrew Kevin Walker, David Self.

Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving.