The Wolfman (R, 2010)
common sense media says
Official monster remake is extra gory -- and a bit flat.
parents & educators say
- 89% say violence is an issue
- 26% say there are positive role models
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that The Wolfman (starring Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins) is an extra-gory remake of the same-named 1941 classic (starring Lon Chaney Jr.). The new film is filled with slashings, slicings, and dicings, with lots of blood, gore, and body parts, as well as guns and shooting, scary nightmare sequences, and loud noises. The main female character (Emily Blunt) never develops much of a personality and seems too passive (a wasted opportunity to improve upon the original film). In other words, this movie is only for your oldest teens even if it looks like it could go with other sort of "super hero" genre movies.
Positive role models:
Hero Lawrence Talbot shows some positive behavior, even though he turns into a wolf and fillets half of his neighbors. After bouts of horror, disbelief, and self-pity, he gradually accepts his fate and decides to do the right thing, even if it means his own demise. He works to protect Gwen and dedicates himself to stopping the other wolfman, which is still on the loose and killing by choice. Gwen, too, works hard to find a cure for her friend and puts herself at risk to do so.
Violence:
Strong but not constant fantasy violence and gore. The wolfmen slice and dice their way through several victims. Viewers see blood spattering, severed body parts, scattered entrails, and organ removal. These are usually accompanied by sudden, swift movements and intense growling and yowling. There's a gory "wound stitching" scene. Also many guns, gunshots, and gunshot victims. Additionally, some scary, shocking nightmare sequences.
Sex:
Lawrence and Gwen flirt a little (he teaches her how to skip stones and holds her hand). Later, they share one small kiss.
Language:
Minimal uses of words like "damn" and "whore."
Consumerism:
Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Lawrence drinks often during the first part of the movie, but never to excess. Several scenes take place inside a pub, with locals drinking and smoking in the background.
More on The Wolfman
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Review It
Based on 19 parent & educator reviews:
- 89% say violence is an issue
- 26% say there are positive role models
Most useful reviews by all members
titianmom
parent of 14 year old
parent of 14 year old
Not for kids, very mature teens with good stomachs and adults only
The movie was better than the critics said it was IMO. Given that...
As a parent I wouldn't want my daughter to see it before she's older, because of the gore factor. We're not into that sort of thing.
But the topic of the movie is a werewolf, so some killing is to be expected. However, some of it was a bit gratuitous IMHO. Panning meadows to show body parts, for ex; it's 2010 and leaving things to the imagination is a forgotten art for Hollywood, unfortunately.
The story I believe was actually a good retelling of the original 40s B classic, with more emphasis on dad than on son. However, they needed to spend more time developing the characters. And they needed to work on del Toro's character the most, since he's the one with the difficult past. There was so much they could have done to develop the character to build a connection with the audience!
The period atmosphere and costumes were top notch, and the transformation into the werewolf was one of the best IMO.
Horror is a genre that needs to have a point to it other than scare, and altho the movie tried to bring the point out, that there's a fine line between animal and man, they used the wrong person to do it--the dad. Overall an "okay" movie.
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Plague
parent
parent
The Wolfman
The movie itself it all around ok as far as movie remakes go. It can get a bit predictable at times, but teens and adults wont have any trouble watching this movie.
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MovieMan26
adult
adult
Better than I expected, but still no instant classic
This decent horror remake hase a few moderate scares and some pretty vicious gory scenes. The acting wasn't bad, but definitely not the best. Parents: The gore level of this movie was pretty extreme, with blood, gore, and guts. There are disturbing images of torture, transformation, and murder. Bottom Line: Not bad if you want a good scare or two, but, overall, there are better gory horror movies. Thanks for reading! - Movie Man
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magz1027
kid, 11 years old
kid, 11 years old
good for kids 11+
I liked the movie and it was enjoyable, yet scary and gory. There were a lot of scenes were the werewolf was murdering everybody and the film showed the detectives and investigators checking out the remains of the people who got murdered by the wolfman. It was scary at parts when Lawrence as a little boy found his mother dead in their garden. Some of the parts of Lawrence's dream when he is in the asylum and when his father is telling him about the little wolfboy and how he got bitten and how he murdered Lawrence's mother.
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bluedude2211
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
this is a great remake! but it isnt scary but bloody and gory. and theres a lot of jump out of your seat moments that just pop out at u but mostly thats the most scary parts and the parts were he turns into a werewolf are kinda scary and the parts in the mental institute are pretty disturbing. but i belive it delivered on the story and the killing sequences. andthe acting is good. so baisicly its a good remake that u should see
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littlemonster98
teen, 13 years old
teen, 13 years old
Pretty good move... only for teens
Pretty violent but not to bad
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antoineisthebest
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
for mature pre-teen
for mature pre-teen
not really scary but some part won't go away you're kid
I saw it in theater with some friend and a friend older brother whose 18
the movie more bloody and gory than the preview wolfman
If you want to go see it with a kid think twice
we see a part where a man is eaten by the werewolf
In london,we see a lot of people getting killed (bloody but not gory)we see a lot of people getting decapited
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bite
parent of 18 year old
parent of 18 year old
nutin a mature 10 year old cant handel 1 d-word violence is bad but thats all plot is very good
i
lence
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Jasonr
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
More gore than plot...
The screen writers for The Wolfman decided to use a ton of gore to take over the fact that they didn't have a plot. The whole story is that a man turns into a wolf and kills people. When the wolfman kills, he rips their guts out, takes his victims arms off and can sometimes decapitate. The wolfman attacks are gory but they're aren't that many attacks. Also some deaths stand out, like when a man is thrown onto a sharp fence and when a man is lit on fire and decapitated.
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khan2705
adult
adult
Dark, visually appealing, suffers from bad screenplay.
The performances in the movie were absolutely fantastic. Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving, and Emily Blunt all delivered and really brought their characters to life. It's always good to have great performances in a horror/action film. Everything seems genuine and all of the characters are very engaging. The set pieces and cinematography are all beautifully created. There's a lot of eye candy in this film just as far as the sets are concerned, and I really love the atmosphere this film created. The music is also pretty unique and memorable. I rarely comment on the score of a film, but this one really had some great music. Some other things that impressed me were the action sequences and the 'kills'. The action sequences are pretty exciting and they'll keep you at the edge of your seat. Just when you think it's safe... something crazy happens and mayhem ensues. The 'kills' are also pretty awesome. The werewolf in this film is pretty insane, so expect to see a lot of blood, gore, and human body parts flying around all over the place. The violence, along with the dark atmosphere, really gave a suspenseful experience. Overall, The Wolfman is a fun horror/action film. The acting is great, the sets and visuals are awesome, and the action sequences are pretty cool. There are also some pretty nice kills in this one for all of you blood/gore fans. While the film can be fun, the plot suffers from the film's inconsistent pacing, which eventually leaves some plot holes. Trust me, the trailer makes this flick seem a lot cooler than it actually is. Just eat your popcorn and leave your mind at home...it's just brainless fun. it was ofcourse visually appealing but the movie itself was not that great. could have been much better. i don't have any problem with the slow movement of the film but the screenplay.
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joshua martinez
adult
adult
the wolfman is an average movie good for your older teens but parents this movie is extremely bloody and gory human body parts are being cut off and full of blood spilling everywhere there's some drinking and smoking in a bar scene.
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the bomb
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
the new wolfman
i can't wait to see it. i love the old movie with lon chaney jr.
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ilikescarymovies
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
The movie all together was good. There was a bit of violence that was a little unnessasary towards the end of the movie in the big fight scene. Also, the main character is tortured in front of a scientific crowd as mockery. It isn't bad- no real pain shown. Most of the violent acts are implied and not shown on screen. A few curse words but nothing to really worry about. I thought the movie was carried out well and I enjoyed it.
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crackerjack5
adult
adult
Much better than most reviewers say!
I'm a big fan of horror movies, and was surprised at the bad reviews "Wolfman" got. It was not a terrible movie at all! The acting was decent, the special effects were nice, and there were a couple of nice scares. The atmosphere alone was creepily fantastic!
It's not a classic, and it will probably be soon forgotten, which is a shame, since it is one of the better horror movies that came out this year. Not to be missed by anyone who loves a good scare or two!
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Mrs.S
adult
adult
Wouldn't take anyone under 16 or 17 to see it. Deserved the R rating.
This movie had a good story line, but the vast amount of fear, violence and gore overscored most of the rest of the show. Several truly scary parts, inaccurate portrayal of a mental hospital, and gruesome images involved.
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StepMomSterToo
parent
parent
This new take on werewolves is fairly predictable. The acting is what really saves the movie. All the actors do a good job of getting viewers to look past the obvious plot line to enjoy the characters. There is nothing to make this a kids or teen movie. I can see older teens enjoying this movie, but honestly it is rated R for a reason. The movie has realistic gore that just is not necessary for tweens and young teens. Tons of blood, tons of violence. I like this movie, because I am a horror fan. I said on for 17 and up, because at age 17 you are allowed to purchase movie tickets for Rated R movies.
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RockMyWorld
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
You and your kids might not enjoy the violent throat ripping
This movie has beautiful scenery and great visual stuff going on, but the plot got very predictable and the gore is intense and practically ongoing. For mid teenagers, maybe younger. If you go to watch this, watch it for the shock value, not for a great storyline, or acting for that matter.
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2Simple
adult
adult
Not as bad as most people say...
As far as a scary movie is concerned, The Wolfman is pretty good. It delivers scares and chills many times. However, it is an easy movie to forget and as soon as you leave the theater, the scares are over. Personally, I like movies that stay with you for days after leaving the cinema.
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Movieadviceguru
parent of and 10 , 13 , 14 , 17 , 19 year old
parent of and 10 , 13 , 14 , 17 , 19 year old
Gore Fest
I was dying to see this movie when it came out into theaters, but i never got a chance. My parents felt bad and decided to rent it so we could watch it as a family. I was fine with it, but I've seen very gory movies and tv shows before so it wasn't anything new. I am also a horror lover, which makes a huge difference. I was greatly disappointed by this movie though. The story line was thin, and it the plot fell flat. The wolfmen slice their way through countless victims, while we have to watch. You see body ripped to pieces, blood, and guts flying everywhere, and you see many, many disturbing images. You see a man killed because a fence (With many pointy sticks) goes all the way through him, you see the wolfman take out someone's heart and stand there with it in his mouth with blood everywhere for like 60 seconds. You see bodies ripped in half lying on the ground with their insides lying around them, and that's just the beginning. The images are very disturbing, but they don't last the whole movie. You're glad when it gets to the next day, when they are people again, because that's the only time it's not a nonstop gore fest. It was worth watching, I did enjoy to an extent. But I think kids need to stay away. None of my friends would have been able ot handle it, that's for sure. Adults may enjoy it, older teens would be okay, but make sure you know your kid, how mature they are, and if they won't come running to your bed in the middle of the night because of nightmares. It's more gory than scary, but it's very, very gory.
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fangningsheng
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
Not Bad
i watched it today, and have to say that it was a decent movie. If you are a fan of the originial, it is good to just check it out and compare it. A good choice for horror fans. Expect gruesome, gory violence inlcuding beheadings, arms and legs lopped off, gunshots, organs ripped out and more.
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