Werewolf By Night review

 

As someone who has never seen the original Universal monster movies, Werewolf By Night is the best choice to relive or be introduced to the black-and-white horror that traumatized audiences all those years ago. However, Marvel Studios' first Halloween Special is one hour of tight-to-the-belt storyline that may recapture the magic or at least the gruesomeness that made such flicks iconic the best they could. 

As previously mentioned, Werewolf By Night is adapted from the forgotten run of comics that introduced the supernatural and the macabre to Marvel comics in the first place, introducing the likes of the Bloodstone family and Jack Russel's ability or 'curse' to transform into a lycanthrope every full moon. This less-than-an-hour special deals with all of this exposition and exploration in less time than any Phase 1 MCU feature could ever exploit. Despite the tight runtime, this deep dive into Marvel's supernatural roots is effective enough to let audiences be comfortable with how the franchise wants to move forward, a feat where the Doctor Strange sequel failed. 

Black and white movies may not be everyone's thing these days because a lot of us Millenials and Gen Z'ers try to avoid this side of movie history, but what makes this short Marvel film so appealing is how these characters and visuals pop from their screen due to Michael Giacchino's chosen direction. I have seen enough black and white movies, whether, in comedic, dramatic, or horrific ways, to allow Werewolf By Night to have a place for audiences who have the capability of pinpointing Giacchino's appreciation towards classic horror as well as including a niche of violence and expensive visuals while having most of the things you see onscreen is practical. However, there is some room for improvement as a debut director, but there is no doubt that the infamous composer-turned-director has talent on his hands, and Kevin Feige will, without a doubt, let him helm yet another project but with better supervision. 

There is no way Giacchino would have let someone else compose a feature he handled on his own and luckily, this was a choice for the better. Unlike his recent work on Thor Love and Thunder which might have been Giacchino's lesser composition as it only focused on one somewhat memorable theme. Luckily, he returns to the experimental expertise he is usually known for by preying on the lost themes that would immediately assure audiences that music is essential to cinematic horror. Unlike its bombastic themes, Werewolf By Night does not reminisce about classic melodrama which is another instance to laud for that was what turned me off from most black-and-white movies altogether. 

Each performance was memorable but due to the runtime, the script did lack meat. What did confuse me was how the special does not spend too much time on Gael Garcia Bernal's titular character when instead, the real scene stealer is Laura Donnelly's performance as Elsa Bloodstone. Yes, she is not the supernatural hunter die-hard fans have come to love but fleshing out a beginning to yet another iconic Marvel character after being sidelined for years is a win. Besides, this is her first appearance. Don't get lose hope just yet.  Even if Jack Russell isn't the prominent focus, Bernal's focus on warmth and empathy despite having donning an animalistic alter ego makes him just as loveable as any misunderstood monster. 

With tiny surprises, easter eggs, and a creature from the larger Multiverse lore (referring to Man-Thing, of course) Werewolf By Night, is a true Halloween feature that widens the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a new format while paying tribute to classic horror. Many may be disappointed due to it not being as scary as one would expect due to the lack of monsters but Marvel is finally brave enough to push the boundaries of the PG-13 rating by portraying the most gore you have ever seen in an MCU feature.