Common Sense Media Review
Silly werewolf tale is violent but boring.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
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Skinwalkers
What's the Story?
Young narrator Tim (Matthew Knight) has mixed blood; he's part werewolf and part human. According to a hazy prophecy, when he turns 13 (three days after the film starts), something will happen. Either bad werewolves will be able to rampage at will, or the curse will be lifted from all. Trouble is, Tim and his human mom, Rachel (Rhona Mitra), are clueless. Only Uncle Jonas (Elias Koteas) understands what's going on when the moon turns red and the bad werewolves ride into town on motorcycles. He, his mother Nana (Barbara Gordon), his daughter Kat (Sarah Carter), and assorted other "good" werewolves know that they need to shoot at scruffy-faced Varek (Jason Behr) and his alarmingly cleavaged girlfriend Sonja (Natassia Malthe). Once the action commences, Tim learns to load weapons and help his family fight the bad werewolves, but Rachel is disinclined to fight.
Is It Any Good?
The good werewolves aren't sympathetic, and the bad werewolves aren't especially frightening. This, in addition to their very shadowy appearances, makes director Jim Isaac's "horror" movie rather boring. There's quite a lot of shooting; the sound of bullets being fired punctuates the human-to-wolfish transformations. But only occasionally does anyone hit a target -- which means that the shooting scenes go on and on. The werewolf attacks, on the other hand, leave victims shredded and bloody, unable to continue battling.
In the end, of course, there's a showdown -- good werewolves versus bad. As this scene finds all the werewolf characters speechless (though very growly), Tim and Rachel must figure out their own mission, and how to make their family unit work. Sadly, the movie has at this point become so disjointed that you won't be worrying about them anymore. Maybe the confusion emulates Tim's sudden, frightening shift into responsibility -- lycanthropy as metaphor. Or maybe it's just shoddy filmmaking.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the movie's family dynamic. How does his relatives' lifelong lie affect Tim? Does it have a greater impact on him because of his age (13 is tricky even without monsters)? What kinds of revelations could affect real-life kids just as much? Families can also discuss the differences between the male and female werewolves. What sets them apart from each other? What characteristics are typical for TV and movie werewolves? Do these werewolves stick to the pattern?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 10, 2007
- On DVD or streaming : November 27, 2007
- Cast : Elias Koteas , Jason Behr , Rhona Mitra
- Director : Jim Isaac
- Studio : Lionsgate
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 110 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual material and language.
- Last updated : September 21, 2019
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