Werewolf by Night review

Marvel has a sure winner with their recent one-shot project called Werewolf by Night which is directed by Michael Giacchino and stars Gael Garcia Bernal, Laura Donnelly and Harriet Sansom Harris!

Werewolf by Night Trailer

The fun part about this TV movie is that you don’t need to know jackshit about Marvel. It flows and bobs like its own horror movie that doesn’t rely heavily on past Marvel Studios movies.

In this film, a mysterious stranger (Bernal) joins an equally mysterious “hunt” with the prize being the powerful artifact known as the Bloodstone. This is going to be passed around because the former owner of the amulet, Ulysses Bloodstone had recently passed away. Among the attendees is Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly) who is Ulysses’ estranged daughter.

Going back, the film is straightforward in terms of storytelling. No complicated fast forwards or flashbacks. We do get some nice camerawork here and there like that moment when Jack officially transforms to his wolf form.

I love the acting on both Donelly and Bernal’s performances here. Donelly as Elsa Bloodstone has this air of mystery to her that you just can’t get enough. Bernal’s Jack Russell is a man that’s determined to accomplish to do and through most of the first and second act, we see bits and pieces of how dangerous a man he is.

Sadly, there’s a crutch to the format that Marvel chose here. It’s not enough to give us a good number of details and exposition. Instead, we are treated to bite sized details like who’s lurking inside Jack or why he’s doing this. But barely anything to Elsa Bloodstone, what pulled her away from her father.

The action was entertaining with most of them being hand-to-hand combat. I even spotted the familiar Black Widow move being done by Elsa. It can also be brutal and violent and something the Disney-brand isn’t known for but I like how they are starting to let loose Marvel with their mature content and visuals. Between this and the upcoming Deadpool 3, we know that Marvel has a new appreciation for all things bloody.

I also have to mention how nice it felt to watch a film that’s grainy and got the old school cinema vibe right down to those Q markers they put to signal the projectionist that it’s time to swap reels. For this movie though, it serves as a signal that it would be the next act of the movie.

And then there was Man-Thing…

All the scenes featuring the big guy was awesome. That’s such a great way of introducing the character to the general audience. Ted didn’t really talk much but Marvel and Giacchino did a great job of conveying emotions and communications with other characters through the use of visuals. One obvious example was when Elsa Bloodstone and Man-Thing meet for the first time and the moment she does what she was told (which was treat Ted like an old friend), you can see the facial expression of the creature change from angry to curious.

SCORE: 10/10

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