Directed by Steven C. Miller (Line of Duty, Silent Night) from a script by Matthew Kennedy (Inheritance, Canary Black), Werewolves is edited by Austin based Greg MacLennan (Margaux, The Pale Door). You may remember Frank Grillo from The Purge movies and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Some of us may remember him in The Grey (2011) alongside Liam Neeson, and Wheelman (2017). He can be seen in a myriad of films and no stranger to action, he is on the frontlines facing another dilemma.
About: A supermoon event triggered a latent gene in every human on the planet, causing anyone exposed to the moonlight to transform into werewolves and kill millions overnight. A year later, the world attempts to prepare for another supermoon.
In this script, the second supermoon event is expected to again set off a dormant genetic mutation in every human being and transform into werewolves. Survivors from the prior year are preparing to stay indoors and close their homes for survival. Among them is Wesley Marshall (Grillo) who is helping his widowed sister-in-law Lucy (Ilfenesh Hadera, “Godfather of Harlem” TV series) and niece Emma (Kamdynn Gary, “One Piece” and “Panic” TV series). He ensures their safety is in place before he reports to the city to work as a scientist for the anticipated challenges of the supermoon. Wes works with Dr. Aranda (Lou Diamond Phillips), head of the laboratory and scientists. Phillips does not have very much screen time; in case his fans are looking forward to seeing him in this role.
Although the world communities have done their best to prepare humanity for this, things in the lab go wrong, as well as in the cities. Humans transform and their howls can be heard in the dead of night. The once-human creatures cause deaths and are on the prowl. There are a number and variety of humans who have turned into werewolves, appearing in different shapes and sizes. In this film, each werewolf is designed to keep remnants of their human self, including behavior and personality. Some appear to be ready to go on the hunt almost immediately, especially Lucy’s neighbor, Cody (James Michael Cummings) who wears a vest printed with words and his guns are loaded.
Some humans have a shoot to kill mentality about the werewolves. They are uninformed or unaware (or don’t care) that transformed individuals can regain their human forms at dawn. Other humans decide to make immediate decisions about not killing the werewolves and subdue them somehow.
When Wes (Grillo) bolts into action, he is accompanied by another lab scientist, Amy (Katrina Law, “Arrow” TV series) to make a run for safety. It is good to see a female character in this role (mentally and physically capable) instead of another usual portrayal over so many years. Law, Hadera and Gary are all given opportunities to show their preparedness for survival in the face of challenges. Filmmakers, keep this going.
The special effects team provides the work of werewolf transformations, including the suits and prosthetics (quite hairy) for key characters. There are impressive scenes of the laboratory when volunteers for transformation are shown with bones cracking, muscles distended, and lots of fur. I anticipated the film to have so much more horror to it and was glad the level remained as it is. There are a couple of scenes that could have used some bolstering to elevate the suspense.
For other horror fans, there may be a bit of disappointment in the script. I recommend viewing this at a matinee price if you are not sure if you will have the right level of horror for your taste. Who knows, someone may still be thirsting for this type of film as an option to the holiday movies and totally love it.
It is rated R for violence, so if action/horror is not your favorite, save the movie bucks for what you like.
Source: Burke Management, Monty the Dog Productions, Solution Entertainment Group
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