So a few years ago I started trying to figure out what my favorite Werewolf movie was and was sad and shocked to find, that there are very few werewolf movies I have actually liked- and none of them have a female lead!!
Underworld, is my most favorite movie with werewolves, but other than that, as I went through the werewolf movies I have seen, there were very, very few that I would say I actually really liked. There is Underworld Rise of the Lycans, which wasn’t bad. Seeing the way the lycans came to be was interesting. The story isn’t amazing but it’s a good love story and since Lucian is one of my favorite characters it was great to see how he came to be the villain he was in the original Underworld movie.
A werewolf movie came out in 2014 called Wolves. I watched it for one reason and one reason alone. Jason Momoa. Lucas Till is in it and he is one of my least favorite actors but I said, for Jason, I will give this a shot. Don’t. It’s not worth it. Unless, you are going in just to see Jason Momoa as eye candy. Then it’s worth it. He is so evil it’s awesome. But the story sucked and the graphics made them look like giant fuzzy kittens.
In 2007 I was so anxious for the movie Blood & Chocolate to come out in theaters. I had seen the previews and was squealing with delight at finally having a great werewolf movie. It had Hugh Dancy and Olivier Martinez, both of whom I liked. Yet sadly, I was depressed with the outcome. The movie was a let down. Not a total letdown, but a moderate one. So again, I will rank this on the list of werewolf movies out there, but don’t expect to come away feeling like you got an awesome werewolf movie.
In 2011 I waited with baited breath for Red Riding Hood to be released! Again! I was ecstatic for the movie to come out and couldn’t wait to see it. The visuals looked stunning, the story interesting. It had Gary Oldman for Pete’s sake!! And I like Amanda Seyfried. But again… sigh. The holes in the story were enough to turn me off. Even though I wished so hard for the movie to be awesome. Some of the twists were good. Gary Oldman was totally evil. The love story was sweet and there was action, but it didn’t live up to the hype for me.
So when I went to find an awesome werewolf movie, there was only one that I could think of, that met my expectations. No, it is not the New Wolfman from 2010. As much as Anthony Hopkins has been one of my favorite actors since Silence of the Lambs, I refuse to even review that movie because it would hurt my soul to say something bad about him.
The one movie that I loved. The one movie that I thought was a great performance of werewolves in today’s society was, Wolf. Yes, the 1994 Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfieffer, James Spader movie. How could one ever forget Jack Nicholson marking his territory in the bathroom? Plus the special effects were very well done and quite believable. Though I do not write my werewolves to still be in human form when they wolf out. I think the movie did an awesome job of it. I don’t think they could have put together a better cast with a better script.
Another shout out I’m going to give is not a werewolf movie but a shifter movie. LadyHawke. Michelle Pfieffer and Rutger Hauer. It a beautiful love story set in a fantasy world about two cursed lovers. It is not horror nor is it really even a werewolf movie, but it is a shifter movie and a great one at that. Plus it has a young Matthew Brodrick in it.
Yes, I realize that on my list of best movies Michelle Pfieffer has been on it 4 times. Wolf, Ladyhawke, Stardust, Witches of Eastwick. What can I say? The woman has great taste in material!
So if you’re going to watch a Werewolf movie, I recommend Wolf or Underworld. There is nothing sexier than an Alph Male protecting his mate. And there’s nothing better than a werewolf movie with a real plot! And if you want one of the first shifter movies that is still also one of the best, watch LadyHawke!
Rebekah R. Ganiere – Books with a Bite
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