The big third-act twist in the newWolf Manreboot is not only completely predictable; it was already done by a different, better werewolf movie 15 years ago.Wolf Manis Leigh Whannell’s retooling ofthe classic 1941 Universal monster movieThe Wolf Man. While it retains all the core elements of the original movie — a protagonist attacked by a werewolf, a gradual transformation, a doomed love story, and an estranged father-son relationship — it takes the story in a very different direction.
AlthoughWolf Manhas a chilling opening scene, it falls apart shortly after that. It quickly devolves into a generic creature feature full of clichés, gimmicks, and unscary jump scares.Wolf Manhas a love story that doesn’t work, two lead actors with zero on-screen chemistry, and a final twist that can be seen coming from a mile away. And that twist isn’t just predictable; it was already done in a much betterWolf Manremake more than a decade ago.
The Twist In Wolf Man 2025 Is Both Predictable & Derivative
2025’sWolf Manbegins by establishing Blake’s father’s werewolf obsession in a flashback. The inciting incident of the present-day story is Blake’s father being declared legally dead. As soon as Blake and his family get to his dad’s farm, they’re attacked by a werewolf.It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the werewolf is Blake’s dadlong before the movie reveals it as a supposedly shocking plot twist. But not only is that twist predictable; it’s also derivative of an earlierWolf Manmovie.
Wolf Man Fails To Replicate What Made The Invisible Man So Great
Leigh Whannell is back with another reimagining of a classic Universal Monsters movie, but Wolf Man pales in comparison to The Invisible Man.
Whereas the 2025 movie tells a totally different story with newly named characters,2010’sThe Wolfmanwas a much more faithful remake. Benicio del Toro inherits the role of Lawrence Talbot from Lon Chaney, Jr., while Anthony Hopkins replaces Claude Rains as his estranged father, Sir John. The biggest difference in the 2010 movie is thatSir John is infected by a werewolf before his son is. Larry is shocked to discover that Sir John is a werewolf (and he likes being a werewolf).
The Wolfman Builds A Real Relationship Between Father & Son
Wolf ManandThe Wolfmanhave the same werewolf dad twist, but they handle that twist very differently. InWolf Man, after the opening flashback,Blake’s father is a werewolf terrorizing the family for the whole movie, identified only by his tattoo. But inThe Wolfman, Larry and his father have a real relationship on-screen. In between transformations,Larry gets a chance to discuss lycanthropy with his dad. It’s a much more interesting dynamic than the standard monster movie thrills ofWolf Man.
