A few months after The Wolfman came and went from theaters, there were rumblings that Universal was already planning some kind of reboot. But then those plans seemed to fade from memory – that is, until Werewolf: The Beast Among Us was officially announced.
As it turns out, director Louis Morneau's Werewolf: The Beast Among Us is not really connected to The Wolfman. Instead, the proposed spin-off was reworked as a stand-alone direct-to-video feature that plays as a sort of wolf-centric variant of Universal's last movie monster mash-up, Van Helsing. Unfortunately, the DTV effort is a mess of dull, cliched storytelling, bad acting, embarrassing computer effects and somewhat amateurish, rushed direction.
The sporadically paced, flat narrative revolves around a band of werewolf hunters who recruit a new member to their clan in order to hunt a particularly nasty werewolf. What follows is a series of mindless action cues, thin characters and bland storytelling.
Beyond a few sparks here and there, performances are wildly mediocre, fit for some kind of porn spoof of the werewolf subgenre. The lifeless, blank characters barely even register, largely because there's almost no development to our primary leads. This is definitely the sort of movie that begs you to multitask while watching it.
Visual effects are also a bit of a letdown. A few moments here and there are decent, but generally they're cheap and embarrassing, on par with other ultra-low-budget efforts. But the film isn't all-bad. There are a few moments of inspired thrills and a decent twist here and there. Costumes are pretty good, too, considering the budget. A few bits of gore work as well.
That said, the film's minuscule strengths are simply not enough to save the picture. The story is littered with heavy padding and weak plotting, leaving a film that relies far too heavily on needless scenes of characters often doing nothing.
Werewolf: The Beast Among Us isn't a total misfire. It's just not a very memorable, or potent, chapter in the werewolf subgenre. Instead, it's a dull, lifeless retread of tired werewolf cliches and sloppy DTV junk. Still, it should make a decent enough midnight movie for hardcore werewolf fans. At least it's better than most of the low-budget dreck you can find on SyFy.
Werewolf: The Beast Among Us comes to Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The film is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen, encoded in 1080p/AVC, with audio mixed in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The two-disc combo pack also includes a DVD, a Digital Copy and an UltraViolet cloud streaming digital copy of the film.
Shot in crisp HD, Werewolf doesn't look very cinematic. It certainly doesn't help that the film is poorly shot and somewhat poorly made. With that in mind, though, the encode is pretty clean, with striking details and shadows, fine textures and plenty of depth to the image, even during low-light settings. Other than a slight hint of noise, this is a pretty gorgeous transfer, especially considering the cheap source material.
Audio is also strongly mixed, with aggressive surround cues, moody bass and crystal clear dialogue. No hiss, crackles or distortions were noted. Despite the low budget, this mix is strongly designed. It's just a shame the film's score, from Michael Wandmacher, is so damn terrible. There's nothing more annoying than to hear slight rock/techno riffs in an intentionally dated picture. Still, for what it is, this track is quite effective.
Extras are actually pretty decent. The film gets two cuts -- an extended, unrated version and a "theatrical" rated version. Why do studios even bother giving fans the R-rated cut of a DTV film? Seems pointless. It's not like anyone's chomping at the bit to see the cut version of a DTV film that really didn't need to be rated in the first place.
There's also a commentary with director Louis Morbeau and producer Mike Elliot. It's a pretty dry track, with quite a few pauses and a lot of stammering. There is some insight to be had, but it's a chore to get through. Other extras include a deleted scenes reel (4 minutes, HD) and a trio of bland EPK featurettes (20 minutes, HD) that dive into the production, effects and Universal's monster legacy. The disc also includes the usual BD-exclusives from Universal, like BD-Live and pocketBlu.
Werewolf: The Beast Among Us isn't as terrible as it may seem; it's just really boring, visually unimpressive and bland on nearly every level. If you're looking for a werewolf flick to tide you over, though, check it out. But don't expect a masterpiece.
Source : ign[dot]com
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