Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man appears to be divisive among film critics.
Wolf Man opens in United States theaters this coming weekend. Directed by Whannell, who previously made 2020’s The Invisible Man, the Blumhouse monster movie stars Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, and more.
With the review embargo for the film having now lifted, some critics seem to have really dug Wolf Man, while others aren’t nearly as high on it.
What are critics saying about Wolf Man?
ComingSoon’s Jonathan Sim gave the movie a 9/10, which equates to an “excellent” score. Sim wrote, “While this film offers non-stop horror, the character moments work splendidly and they never slow down the pace one bit. There’s also a narrative detail that Whannell directs in a way that proves how much he trusts and respects his audience to interact with the film. This movie is cinematic brilliance: a no-frills horror film with wonderful makeup effects. The setups and payoffs are perfect. Watch this movie in the theater.”
TheWrap’s William Bibbiani said that, while Wolf Man isn’t an “instant classic like The Invisible Man,” it’s “still a scary and interesting movie about a wolf man, anchored by a haunting performance from Abbott, who understood the assignment and went for extra credit.”
The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney described it as a “mid, rather than top-tier, Blumhouse entry.” Rooney agreed with Bibbiani in that it’s not as good as The Invisible Man; however, Rooney noted, “There’s no shortage of intensity or gore, not to mention brisk efficiency in the way the script isolates a fragile family unit before plunging them into lycanthropic mayhem.”
Other critics harbored more negative feelings toward the movie. Variety’s Peter Debruge noted that “Wolf Man is a dud” when it comes to the transformation and creature effects, while IndieWire’s David Ehrlich called it a “deeply un-fun creature feature somehow manages to be every bit as dysfunctional as its studio’s other recent attempts to make lycanthropy great again.”
Bloody Disgusting’s Meagan Navarro described it as an “ambitious yet polarizing effort” while also saying, “Whannell is a talented filmmaker with bold ideas, but his Wolf Man is stretched far too thin for its many lofty ideas to the point where it lacks a firm identity.”
Wolf Man will be released in United States theaters on January 17, 2025.
