Wolfen

Rating:
Summary: How far I can change a story for film
Review: Gregory Hines was perfectly cast as the medical examiner, the scene at night in Central Park filmed near the Central Park Zoo was a nightmarish delight and the use of infra-red photography in parts and human body sounds amplified was a nice touch BUT in 3 words, READ THE BOOK ! Save the ecology lesson for NEVER CRY WOLF, a Carroll Ballard masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing political horror movie, but short on scares
Review: 1981 was "The Great Werewolf Year," when three major films heralded a revival of the legendary monster. "The Howling" and "An American Werewolf in London" have both become classics, while the third, "Wolfen," remains an oddity. It is definitely the strangest of the three and makes unusual changes to the werewolf mythology to the point that it might not be about werewolves at all. The usual standards of the genre -- silver bullets, wolfsbane, transformations, curses -- are nowhere to be seen, although there are hints of spiritual powers and cunning intelligence beyond the natural world. And while "American Werewolf in London" and "The Howling" contained extensive comedy and many genre-references along with their horror, "Wolfen" plays its story straight and dead serious. It has social issues mixed into its thrills 'n' chills premise: a police detective (Albert Finney) investigating murders in New York City that point toward a wolf-like killer, or possibly a whole pack of them. Director Michael Wadleigh (his only other film is the classic concert documentary "Woodstock") uses the horror movie backdrop as a venue for commentary on class, environmentalism, industrialization, and Native American politics.

This is an ambitious bill to fill, and "Wolfen" doesn't quite manage to pull it off. You can appreciate Wadleigh's goals, but he often trips over trying to do too much. The political grandstanding makes for a thoughtful horror movie, but it also slows the film down and overbalances it. Sometimes, you just want action and scares, and "Wolfen" frequently drags. It would have rocked at ninety-minutes, but at nearly two hours, it goes on for too long. The open moves rapidly, and the ending delivers the right amount of apocalyptic violence you expect, but in the center the spaces between the wolf attacks start feeling longer and longer.

Some of various elements never fit together, and a few plot points just left on the ground. The mystery surrounding the creatures is, however, appropriate -- sometimes it's better for a horror film to avoid spelling out everything for you.

Where "Wolfen" works best is in Wadleigh's superb visual style and the realistic performances. The use of a polarization effect and a steadicam to represent the wolves' POV is quite stunning and eerie. Wadleigh also expertly films New York City and its run-down slums. The film absolutely breathes with a battered, decayed atmosphere. Wadleigh really goes all out with unusual visua; approaches, and it gives the film a polished and inventive feel. Albert Finney and Diane Venora are both good in their roles; Finney especially projects a wonderful world-weariness that matches the setting around him. The film thankfully doesn't load him down with excess psychological baggage. We don't need to have his troubles explained to us; we can SEE them in the world in which he lives. Edward James Olmos is also memorable as a Native American who draws Finney's suspicions early in the movie. Gregory Hines, however, is too exaggerated in his semi-comic role (the only comedy in the film) of the coroner working with Finney. The movie also has an excellent early score from James Horner (composer of "Titanic" and "Aliens").

The DVD has an extremely good transfer, which is surprising considering the film's age. The print looks almost pristine and is gorgeously formatted in widescreen. Warner Bros. usually doesn't put this much effort into back catalog movies like this. The Dolby Surround Stereo is adequate (I occasionally noticed some synch problems) and a bit low in volume. The extras are skimpy: the trailer, a page listing the cast and crew, and a few screens of text on the history of werewolf movies. (An earlier edition advertised audio commentary on the back of the snap case, but this was a misprint.)

"Wolfen" is worth a look for horror fans, or people who want some social commentary and intelligence with their thrills. If you can make it through the slower sections, you'll find it a rewarding viewing experience.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing political horror movie, but short on scares
Review: 1981 was "The Great Werewolf Year," when three major films heralded a revival of the legendary monster. "The Howling" and "An American Werewolf in London" have both become classics, while the third, "Wolfen," remains an oddity. It is definitely the strangest of the three and makes unusual changes to the werewolf mythology to the point that it might not be about werewolves at all. The usual standards of the genre -- silver bullets, wolfsbane, transformations, curses -- are nowhere to be seen, although there are hints of spiritual powers and cunning intelligence beyond the natural world. And while "American Werewolf in London" and "The Howling" contained extensive comedy and many genre-references along with their horror, "Wolfen" plays its story straight and dead serious. It has social issues mixed into its thrills 'n' chills premise: a police detective (Albert Finney) investigating murders in New York City that point toward a wolf-like killer, or possibly a whole pack of them. Director Michael Wadleigh (his only other film is the classic concert documentary "Woodstock") uses the horror movie backdrop as a venue for commentary on class, environmentalism, industrialization, and Native American politics.

This is an ambitious bill to fill, and "Wolfen" doesn't quite manage to pull it off. You can appreciate Wadleigh's goals, but he often trips over trying to do too much. The political grandstanding makes for a thoughtful horror movie, but it also slows the film down and overbalances it. Sometimes, you just want action and scares, and "Wolfen" frequently drags. It would have rocked at ninety-minutes, but at nearly two hours, it goes on for too long. The open moves rapidly, and the ending delivers the right amount of apocalyptic violence you expect, but in the center the spaces between the wolf attacks start feeling longer and longer.

Some of various elements never fit together, and a few plot points just left on the ground. The mystery surrounding the creatures is, however, appropriate -- sometimes it's better for a horror film to avoid spelling out everything for you.

Where "Wolfen" works best is in Wadleigh's superb visual style and the realistic performances. The use of a polarization effect and a steadicam to represent the wolves' POV is quite stunning and eerie. Wadleigh also expertly films New York City and its run-down slums. The film absolutely breathes with a battered, decayed atmosphere. Wadleigh really goes all out with unusual visua; approaches, and it gives the film a polished and inventive feel. Albert Finney and Diane Venora are both good in their roles; Finney especially projects a wonderful world-weariness that matches the setting around him. The film thankfully doesn't load him down with excess psychological baggage. We don't need to have his troubles explained to us; we can SEE them in the world in which he lives. Edward James Olmos is also memorable as a Native American who draws Finney's suspicions early in the movie. Gregory Hines, however, is too exaggerated in his semi-comic role (the only comedy in the film) of the coroner working with Finney. The movie also has an excellent early score from James Horner (composer of "Titanic" and "Aliens").

The DVD has an extremely good transfer, which is surprising considering the film's age. The print looks almost pristine and is gorgeously formatted in widescreen. Warner Bros. usually doesn't put this much effort into back catalog movies like this. The Dolby Surround Stereo is adequate (I occasionally noticed some synch problems) and a bit low in volume. The extras are skimpy: the trailer, a page listing the cast and crew, and a few screens of text on the history of werewolf movies. (An earlier edition advertised audio commentary on the back of the snap case, but this was a misprint.)

"Wolfen" is worth a look for horror fans, or people who want some social commentary and intelligence with their thrills. If you can make it through the slower sections, you'll find it a rewarding viewing experience.

Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant, Thought-provoking Horror Film
Review: A thriller that really packs a bite, "Wolfen" is one cool flick. With Albert Finney, one of the screen's most gifted actors, heading a cast that includes Gregory Hines and late character actor Dick O'Neil, the movie holds interest from beginning to end. Especially effective is the use of Native American folklore. Although given the Hollywood treatment, it is still refreshing to see a film that, at least, melds myth and horror. The camerawork and an early James Horner score are added bonuses.

Rating:
Summary: A Howling Good Film...Sorry Bad Pun!
Review: Although the film is totally different from the book (which I have also read), it is still a damn good film. Albert Finney is brilliant as the burnt out Detective trying to solve several gruesome deaths in the heart of the New York slums. The camera work is fantastic, almost as scary as the film itself, and the fleeting glimpse of the elusive Wolfen are tantalizingly few until near the end of the film. I almost jumped out of my skin on several occasions and Gregory Hines (the Coroner) describing how heads when decapitated suddenly might just be aware that they are dead freaked me out completely. Watch the end scene when Finney finally confronts the Wolfen and you will know what I mean! Watch this film and enjoy, it's a cracker and well worth the Goosebumps!

Rating:
Summary: Read The Book Instead
Review: As much as I would like to say this was a great horror movie, it, unfortunately, falls far short of the potential of the genuine feeling of fear created by the book it was based on. I have no objection to the actors, they all did a good job with the script they were given, and the adaption was even acceptable. My major problem with this movie wasin the use of GERMAN SHEPARDS, for god's sake, to represent the canine equivalent of man on the evolutionary scale. The whole point of the story was that a branch of canines had evolved as far as man had evolved from apes, and had kept themselves hidden from mankind for all these years, feeding on the weak and the sick among us, never allowing themselves to be discovered except in the legends of werewolves and devils of the night. Tn the book, it was presented as though it were both possible and likely. In the moviy, the wolfen were no more frightning than a pack of feral dogs hanging around a city dump.

Rating:
Summary: 'Wolfen' not quite sure what it wants to be......
Review: At the risk of adding yet another "this movie was not like the book" review, I will point to "Jaws" as a movie that deviated somewhat from the book, but still maintained the horror and impending sense of doom that the novel skillfully imparted. "Wolfen", on the other hand, comes across as a heavy-handed and absurd treatise on the evils of overdeveloping land. Michael Wadleigh, director of "Woodstock", seems to want to let the world know that he's a tree-hugger and proud of it. While Whitley Streiber's excellent novel portrayed the wolfen as a super-intelligent race of hunters that systematically track down and destroy that which threatens their existence (mainly, Wilson and Neff, investigating the murders of two fellow cops committed by the wolfen), Wadleigh's adaptation blurs the line between survival and political activism. Indeed, halfway through the film you expect the wolfen to show up with "save the rainforests" buttons pinned on their pelts. Streiber's novel made the wolfen's mindset clear: Destroy that which threatens us. In that respect, the murders at the beginning of the book (the two police officers) are a mistake, a rash action by two young cubs which leads to more and more humans closing in on the wolfen. The wolfen have managed to remain hidden for years due to their cunning; attack the old and infirm, those that will not be missed, and destroy the bodies, something which the two cubs ignored and is now threatening the existence of the pack. The movie wolfen, on the other hand, basically attack a celluloid Donald Trump because he is razing over their slums and building an apartment complex. The movie then turns into a neo-political whodunnit, with Native-American Edward James Olmos being considered for the crime, and then local trust-fund terrorists Götterdämmerung being pegged for the deaths. Suffice it to say, the wolfen of the novel would not have risked their existence being revealed by killing a developer; they would have merely moved on and searched for new hunting grounds.

I give the movie two stars mainly because of the acting of the principles involved. Albert Finney makes an impressive George "Dewey" Wilson, and looking back at it now it's hard to imagine anyone else in that role. Gregory Hines' Whittington is a vast improvement over (the book's) curmudgeonly Wilson-hating Evans, and his interaction with Finney is a highlight. Tom Noonan's Ferguson is note for note the Ferguson from the novel, and freshfaced Diane Venora is adequate as Neff (here relegated to a secondary role as opposed to co-headliner in the novel). The scenes with the wolfen are merely OK, with Neff and Wilson investigating the old church and Wilson and Whittington staking out the wolfen as chilling as it's going to get.

I won't go over the absurd ending of the film, but I will say this: See it for the curiosity factor, then read the novel. You'll see where Michael Wadleigh (who also helped write the screenplay) injected his own politics into the film, and destroyed a fine concept in the process.

Rating:
Summary: Wolfen, the other New York
Review: Being a New Yorker I recognize this movie as having perhaps the most haunting and revealing shots of New York locations I've even seen in a movie.

Rating:
Summary: For Them There Can be No Lies
Review: Every once in a while there comes to the horror genre a film that is something more, which leaves the viewer unnexpectedly pondering. Hitchcock was a master at this, and, more recently we have had 'Seven,' and 'Silence of the Lambs.' Coming in the 1980's, when the werewolf film was largely beinng redefined ('The Howling,' and 'An American Werewolf in London') 'Wolfen' truly set itself apart.

Of course, the fact that it is not exactly a werewolf film has a bit to do with that. Set in a New York City that seems almost post devastation, with scene after scene in the worst possible slums it is a revelation of people in woeful straits, and a study of the predators (human and otherwise) that live among them. The film also flirts with Native American reality and myths and the nature of the pressures of urbanization.P>The bleak scene making, the totally believable performances by all the actors and the adept use of just enough violence and special effects combine to provide a compelling experience for the watcher. Michael Wadleigh (who also directed 'Woodstock') displays a sense of timing that uses each discovery to catapult the tension to new levels. This is not a film that permits clinical distance, but which strives to create a tumult of ideas that crystallize into a grand finale.

'Wolfen' is a horror film that begs the question of what really is the true horror, the monster or the man. My only regret is that this disc is pure film with no effort to provide any of the traditional extra features. I was hoping for at least an interview or two, or even a short on the filmmaking, but none of that is provided. Even so, I recommend this as a special treat for all horror buffs.

Rating:
Summary: WOLFEN!!!
Review: First of all I'm going to say that I HATE WEREWOLF MOVIES!!! This was on HBO, so I thought I'd just watch it to make fun of it, but for some reason I didn't I actually got into it and it actually scared me. I was amazed that it actually scared me, and it messed me up for a day or two. The Howling was okay, but it was funnier than scary, and An American Werewolf in London was a big fat joke. This and the Howling are the only werewolf movies I like, but the the other one I've seen, I've hated, but you should see this one. This is authentically scary.