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I watched this again last night on SyFy, and I still cannot believe this movie bombed at the box office.
Not only is it the best werewolf movie ever made IMO, but a classic in it's own right.
It's obvious Benicio Del Toro is a huge fan of the original, because he literally channels Lon Chaney Jr. at times as the doomed Lawrence Talbot. Anthony Hopkins is fantastic as Sir John...his curse compounded by the fact that killing his own wife has driven him completely mad.
The plot is close enough to the original yet different enough to make it feel fresh, but the most amazing part of the entire thing for me is the atmosphere. It really succeeds as a period film, and certain scenes, like the villagers all scrambling to lock their doors and windows when they hear the Wolfman's howls echoing across the moors harken back to those old classic horror films of the 40's.
Lastly, there's Danny Elfman's fantastic score. This is my favorite work he's ever done. I bought the CD as soon as it came out and listen to it regularly...it's up there in my top five favorite film scores ever.
I can't help but feel if Universal had marketed this film correctly it would have been a huge hit. Instead of releasing it during Halloween of 2009, they waited until Valentine's Day 2010 and opened it against a romantic comedy. Even two weeks earlier would have been better...Friday, January 29, 2010 was not only a full moon, but the largest one in 100 years and a WOLF MOON!! For crying out loud, just THINK of the marketing that could have been.
Not only is it the best werewolf movie ever made IMO, but a classic in it's own right.
It's obvious Benicio Del Toro is a huge fan of the original, because he literally channels Lon Chaney Jr. at times as the doomed Lawrence Talbot. Anthony Hopkins is fantastic as Sir John...his curse compounded by the fact that killing his own wife has driven him completely mad.
The plot is close enough to the original yet different enough to make it feel fresh, but the most amazing part of the entire thing for me is the atmosphere. It really succeeds as a period film, and certain scenes, like the villagers all scrambling to lock their doors and windows when they hear the Wolfman's howls echoing across the moors harken back to those old classic horror films of the 40's.
Lastly, there's Danny Elfman's fantastic score. This is my favorite work he's ever done. I bought the CD as soon as it came out and listen to it regularly...it's up there in my top five favorite film scores ever.
I can't help but feel if Universal had marketed this film correctly it would have been a huge hit. Instead of releasing it during Halloween of 2009, they waited until Valentine's Day 2010 and opened it against a romantic comedy. Even two weeks earlier would have been better...Friday, January 29, 2010 was not only a full moon, but the largest one in 100 years and a WOLF MOON!! For crying out loud, just THINK of the marketing that could have been.
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