I just viewed the "uncut" version on DVD.
Without giving away any spoilers to people who have not seen it.
FIRST WARNING about "gore":
a) the theatrical film and the uncut version both have a lot of "gore" but not "that much" in terms of the basic premise of the film. I actually thought that the gore was handled in a realatively creative way for about 2/3 of the total gore ( on a gore meter! lol ).
b) There is a basic change in the prior history of Talbot which creates a very good "arc" for Talbot becoming the Wolfman, and even though the reviewers didn't seem to like it, I can say here and now, that I have seen much more dreadful things done to remakes of movies. This one was very good psychologically, at least to moi. I, personally, think that the critics in general waited for some major person to give a review and if it wasn't great then this would be their hatchet job for the year.
c) There are many "homages" in the film to the original, and I will mention two, and leave the rest for the viewer to find her, or him, self. One that I thought a great touch was that "the heroine" had a "shoppe". That fleshed (no pun intended
) her character out a little, when she could have just been a cardboard figure for contrast with Del Toro. Another was that if one just looks at one (running) sequence visually, there is an homage to several scenes in American Werewolf in London, especially with the "running views" and also, in exactly the same sequence an homage to the original film.
d) The Wikipedia review mentions one statement to the effect that the "suspense deficient script and a surprising lack of genuine chills ". Here is my take.
i) Well, it is a REmake....it is kind of hard to have a lot of "suspense" when one already knows what, generally, has to happen. HOWEVER, given that:
There are really "two" ends in the film, the first I was able to forsee ahead of time, but I think that many "new" viewers would not do so. , And then the second end, had two NON-obvious variants on how it could be done.
ii) As to "genuine chills". The film does not spend a lot of time lingering on the "wolfman" in terms of long footage of him until about two-thirds of the way through. Early on most of the views of him are "short bursts" and a lof of "BANG" type noise of him screaming growling, etc. Ok then..
In contrast and to change pace, realtively early on, there is one scene wherein a major character is out on "Blackmoor" and there is the expected "fog" everywhere, but, there is a relatively long sequence in which there is a "rock" or "shrub" in the background that appears in the fog and you are EXPECTING the Wolfman to jump him then and there but no, it is done later with a very SHORT BANG type effect of the appearance and the noise. In other words there is a variation of pacing to it that I think was well done. AND that HAD to be done to ....alleviate "nonstop" shots of the beast etc.
iii) I, personally, was beginning to think, this "bang" stuff can get "overdone" and then they changed tempo. That method was used again about mid film and then not used again except sparingly. I have seen EXACTLY the same thing done with say...oh. MATRIX.....and nobody complained there.
iv) There is a VERY GOOD arc in three seperated "dream sequences" one of which is "awwww so THAT is what happened.) There are two other dream sequences which are BANG type things and of the three........ there is a MAJOR TWIST....
So...I really don't know what the reviewers were complaining about.
v) Watching it alone at 11 pm at night I got some chills! And some "jerks" when things happened.
e) There is discussion in the wikipedia article about the origin of the "wolf's head cane". This scene which is added back in in the unrated version includes
Max von Sydow!!, whom I just love as an actor,!! and the origin is most of what is in the unrated cut. And that ADDS to the overall arc of the story and is a good reason to see the unrated version.
f) I have not viewed many B. del Toro films and I thought he did a great job, rethinking the original Talbot and building on him.
g) Hugo Weaving makes a delicious Scotland Yard Inspector.
h) there is another introduced character which, I, personally think, is a great introduced character and once again..... there are no less than TWO twists that occur because of the addition of the character.
i) the score by Elfman is great, and it is beyond me why the overal producer execs wanted to go with the "other" music (as mentioned in the Wikipedia article).
So...
Woodsmoke's take on it.
For those of you can handle some ( I think) reasonably well done gore....
i) I think that the reviewers decided this film was going to the obligatory hatchet job for the year.
ii) It is a very good remake with great "homages" to at least two werewolf films not just the original.
AND, if one is not working on the computer and munching Cheetos at the same time(like a reviewer does), has MANY really well done "twists".
iii) del Toro does a great job and Anthony Hopkins does a couple of surprising Anthony Hopkins type twists.
iv) great score.
v) there really are some scary sequences for those who do not have the jaundiced eyes of reviewers.
if anyone else wants to comment on it that would be GREAT!!
woodsmoke
oh.......and pay attention to Samson! lol
Without giving away any spoilers to people who have not seen it.
FIRST WARNING about "gore":
a) the theatrical film and the uncut version both have a lot of "gore" but not "that much" in terms of the basic premise of the film. I actually thought that the gore was handled in a realatively creative way for about 2/3 of the total gore ( on a gore meter! lol ).
b) There is a basic change in the prior history of Talbot which creates a very good "arc" for Talbot becoming the Wolfman, and even though the reviewers didn't seem to like it, I can say here and now, that I have seen much more dreadful things done to remakes of movies. This one was very good psychologically, at least to moi. I, personally, think that the critics in general waited for some major person to give a review and if it wasn't great then this would be their hatchet job for the year.
c) There are many "homages" in the film to the original, and I will mention two, and leave the rest for the viewer to find her, or him, self. One that I thought a great touch was that "the heroine" had a "shoppe". That fleshed (no pun intended
) her character out a little, when she could have just been a cardboard figure for contrast with Del Toro. Another was that if one just looks at one (running) sequence visually, there is an homage to several scenes in American Werewolf in London, especially with the "running views" and also, in exactly the same sequence an homage to the original film.d) The Wikipedia review mentions one statement to the effect that the "suspense deficient script and a surprising lack of genuine chills ". Here is my take.
i) Well, it is a REmake....it is kind of hard to have a lot of "suspense" when one already knows what, generally, has to happen. HOWEVER, given that:
There are really "two" ends in the film, the first I was able to forsee ahead of time, but I think that many "new" viewers would not do so. , And then the second end, had two NON-obvious variants on how it could be done.
ii) As to "genuine chills". The film does not spend a lot of time lingering on the "wolfman" in terms of long footage of him until about two-thirds of the way through. Early on most of the views of him are "short bursts" and a lof of "BANG" type noise of him screaming growling, etc. Ok then..
In contrast and to change pace, realtively early on, there is one scene wherein a major character is out on "Blackmoor" and there is the expected "fog" everywhere, but, there is a relatively long sequence in which there is a "rock" or "shrub" in the background that appears in the fog and you are EXPECTING the Wolfman to jump him then and there but no, it is done later with a very SHORT BANG type effect of the appearance and the noise. In other words there is a variation of pacing to it that I think was well done. AND that HAD to be done to ....alleviate "nonstop" shots of the beast etc.
iii) I, personally, was beginning to think, this "bang" stuff can get "overdone" and then they changed tempo. That method was used again about mid film and then not used again except sparingly. I have seen EXACTLY the same thing done with say...oh. MATRIX.....and nobody complained there.
iv) There is a VERY GOOD arc in three seperated "dream sequences" one of which is "awwww so THAT is what happened.) There are two other dream sequences which are BANG type things and of the three........ there is a MAJOR TWIST....
So...I really don't know what the reviewers were complaining about.
v) Watching it alone at 11 pm at night I got some chills! And some "jerks" when things happened.
e) There is discussion in the wikipedia article about the origin of the "wolf's head cane". This scene which is added back in in the unrated version includes
Max von Sydow!!, whom I just love as an actor,!! and the origin is most of what is in the unrated cut. And that ADDS to the overall arc of the story and is a good reason to see the unrated version.
f) I have not viewed many B. del Toro films and I thought he did a great job, rethinking the original Talbot and building on him.
g) Hugo Weaving makes a delicious Scotland Yard Inspector.
h) there is another introduced character which, I, personally think, is a great introduced character and once again..... there are no less than TWO twists that occur because of the addition of the character.
i) the score by Elfman is great, and it is beyond me why the overal producer execs wanted to go with the "other" music (as mentioned in the Wikipedia article).
So...
Woodsmoke's take on it.
For those of you can handle some ( I think) reasonably well done gore....
i) I think that the reviewers decided this film was going to the obligatory hatchet job for the year.
ii) It is a very good remake with great "homages" to at least two werewolf films not just the original.
AND, if one is not working on the computer and munching Cheetos at the same time(like a reviewer does), has MANY really well done "twists".
iii) del Toro does a great job and Anthony Hopkins does a couple of surprising Anthony Hopkins type twists.
iv) great score.
v) there really are some scary sequences for those who do not have the jaundiced eyes of reviewers.
if anyone else wants to comment on it that would be GREAT!!
woodsmoke
oh.......and pay attention to Samson! lol