Howling its way into theaters this Friday, I must say that I was thrilled to go see The Wolfman. Upon leaving the theater however, I couldn’t help but feel let down. The movie was overall mediocre and never elevated past that level.

With a cast consisting of Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving, and Emily Blunt, you would expect to see a spectacular remake to the 1941 horror movie of the same name. However, the film’s weakness does not lie within its actors, although I could honestly say that this was not Del Toro’s best performance.

Rather, the film’s flaws lie within its storyline and in its attempt in trying to blend two genres together. I understand that the film is trying to maintain its horror roots, and in many ways it does, but when director Joe Johnston thought of horror for 2010, I think gore came more to mind. Surely gore is entertaining; especially in horror, but only when it is used correctly and at many times throughout the film the gore seems a bit unnecessary. The story for the movie also seems to be a bit too much. Anthony Hopkins is without a doubt a legend, but I feel that his role was used incorrectly. The movies storyline clearly reveals how writers have trouble successfully adopting older films into modern times.

To be fair, The Wolfman has overall good graphics, and I even admire that the graphics are not completely CGI like many movies today. I respect the fact that they tried keeping the appearance of the Wolfman traditional, and when he’s finally revealed, he looks amazing. The wardrobe and scenery also adds to The Wolfman’s gothic horror look, but even with all of this, you never truly feel part of the world portrayed on the screen. Though the movie does a good job in setting the mood, it fails in captivating its audience, and no matter what happens in the film, you never forget that you are still watching a group of actors pretending to be in a crazed cursed town.

In all, The Wolfman had a bigger bark than its bite, and I would recommend waiting till DVD to watch it. Although enjoyable and entertaining, the film’s story lacks creativity and it never truly captivates its audience. The Wolfman gets a C+ in my book.