Joe Johnston sets his remake of the 1941 Lon Chaney Jr. classic The Wolf Man in Victorian England, a fitting backdrop for a Jekyll and Hyde–esque tale of men battling beasts within. This version actually has two Wolfmen: one who celebrates his bestial nature (Anthony Hopkins) and one who rejects it (Benicio Del Toro).
The script dallies with the duality of man and a romance subplot but never settles, preferring endless action sequences to decent dialogue. And the romance between Del Toro and Emily Blunt is eclipsed by clichés: multiple montages of moon phases, sudden noises, and splashes of gore that don't fit the script's sulky introspection.
Horror fans won't be impressed by The Wolfman's crude editing; romance fans will feel unfulfilled. But the transformation sequences almost make up for the rest, turning the Wolfmen into horrible creatures who deserve a better movie.
