Wolf Man - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Wolf Man



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
Despite their lack of modern horror hits, Universal has one of the most MASSIVE catalog of classic monster films of all time. Their legendary Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff days are still discussed today, but for some reason, the studio has a hard time revitalizing their “monster-verse” attempts. They tried to pump out a modern-day connected universe ala the MCU, only for that to fail within 3-4 films (Dracula Untold being the best of them, which isn’t saying much at all). BUUUUUUUUUUT, Universal has not exactly been set back too much. Once more they have tried to bring back a classic monster movie, this time getting horror director Leigh Whannell (Saw, The Invisible Man, Upgrade) to come on board and give the hair-colored man/monster a bit of an upgrade.

Our film starts with young Blake and his father living in the woods of rural Oregon by themselves. Blake’s dad is sort of the aggressive, overprotective type, desperately trying to keep his kid safe from the bad things that can happen in the world. Fast forward 15+ years and Blake (Christopher Abbott) is living in New York City with his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner, who STILL looks like she’s 19, even at 31 years old) and daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). The couple is having a bit of a rough patch as they grow apart, but Blake sees a way to bond with his family when he’s gotten legal confirmation that his father is now considered “dead” by the state of Oregon. Turns out old pops vanished a few years back in the Oregon Wilderness, leaving the state to keep looking for him until all avenues were exhausted. Now Blake has to go back to his childhood home and empty out his belongings.

Dragging Ginger and Charlotte along for the ride, the stressed-out family arrives back home, only to nearly hit someone in the woods and crash the vehicle. To make matters worse, a mysterious beast attacks the family, leaving Blake wounded and poor Charlotte beside herself. But as you could probably guess, this was no ordinary Oregon animal. Soon Blake begins to transform and shift from a logical human being to a monstrous form who shares more in common with a wolf than an actual human.

The Wolf Man follows a very predictable build-up to the second half. Blake and his family are attacked by the werewolf, only for Blake to start to change into one himself. Naturally that leaves Charlotte to protect Ginger, and hopefully get help to black in time. But the conversion is permanent, and we have your typical monster movie mayhem where Blake’s half-transformed monster has to duke it out with the already established werewolf that started it all (and it doesn’t take many brain cells to figure out the identity of the beast).

Leigh Whannell sets up a fairly creepy first half, delving a little bit into psychological horror, blurring the lines between a monstrous man, and a visual monster. Anger plays a key component in the foreshadowing of events to come, but the 2nd half devolves into a series of scene changes that show almost zero growth or development. We’re shifted from one location to the next, with the monster in Blake gaining more and more power as time goes on. But even though this is supposed to be a horror film, I couldn’t muster up any sense of fear or terror anywhere. Even the jump scares feel like there is very little at stake. By the time the VERY predictable ending rolled around I sat scratching my head wondering if this remake was even necessary. Sure, there were some fun moments, and the view from the “wolf” point of reference was pretty snazzy visually, but past that there just wasn’t that much meat on the bones (so to speak).




Rated R for bloody violent content, grisly images, and some language.




4K Video: Video:

Captured digitally with some fake grain added back in for a more “authentic” Wolf Man type experience, the 4K UHD disc looks quite stunning. Comparing the Blu-ray in the set side by side I was actually shocked at how much the lighting made such a distinct difference to the feel and look of the film. Most UHD discs that have HDR or Dolby Vision (HDR10 only here, no DV) are darker than their SDR counterparts, but the difference here is rather startling. I started off watching the 4K UHD disc, and once that was overturned on the Blu-ray. The Blu-ray is WAY brighter, and while it looks rather natural in many ways, comparing it to the 4K disc it looks almost overly brightened. The film is sharp and clear, but much darker and richer in the shadows, where most of the film resides. Deep shadows are dark and foreboding, with a nicely encompassing feel that sucks you INTO said shadows. Detail levels are still intact, but there is much more blue and shadowy green here, but without that washed-out look that greens can have in total darkness. Blacks go super deep and run a fine line between being inky dark, and actually crushing. Luckily the film stays JUUUUUUST on the good side of crushing, so it looks fantastic (the Blu-ray is so brightened that it looks like a fake “night in the daylight” shot from the 1960s by comparison). Honestly, this is a fantastic image, with my only qualm being that the crush that is kept barely at bay sometimes does poke its head up (albeit rarely). Otherwise a fantastic-looking disc.







Audio:

I’m a big proponent of the most important thing in a horror movie (outside of the movie quality itself of course) is the sound quality. A cheap, crummy, horror movie can be elevated above its standing with a fantastic audio source. Luckily for us, Wolf Man is absolutely killer in that department. The Dolby Atmos track (found on both the Blu-ray and the 4K UHD discs) is bar none one of the best Atmos tracks that I’ve ever heard. It runs a tightrope between well-balanced and viciously aggressive, utilizing amazing surround usage and killer bass to accentuate the quieter, more talky parts. While I of course am going to praise the intense bass without end, the one thing that stood out to me even more than the LFE was the use of direction in the surround channels. Overheads and surrounds use a ton of discrete and ambient sounds to pull the listener's attention to various points in the room at any given moment. A voice will literally yell out from the back left portion of the movie, or the crunch of broken twigs in a forest stalking moment will seem almost like you can’t tell where the sound is coming from. I usually like a balanced mix, but this one thrives on dancing that line between incredibly balanced and using a rather robust and excessive amount of discrete sounds that draw the ear and it’s a delightful experience.







Extras:

• UNLEASHING A NEW MONSTER – Explore Leigh Whannell's dark and gritty take on one of horror's most iconic monsters. Learn what inspired the visionary director to create this tragic tale of family, loss, and a night of absolute terror.
•DESIGNING WOLF MAN – Director Leigh Whannell and prosthetic designer Arjen Tuiten, set out to create a Wolf Man unlike any seen before. Take a closer look at the conceptual designs, sculptures, and prosthetic make-up that aided in the creation of a monster that stays with you long after the credits roll.
•HANDS ON HORROR – Strap in for a breakdown of the film's most thrilling action sequences. Cast and crew discuss how practical effects enabled them to capture raw and realistic performances of the most terrifying, heart-pounding scenes in the film.
•NIGHTMARES AND SOUNDSCAPES – Transition into Blake's perspective and witness the world through the eyes of an animal. Learn how sound design and VFX came together to highlight the enhanced hearing, vision, and complete abandonment of humanity that materialized during the transformation from Man to Wolf.
•FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR/CO-WRITER LEIGH WHANNELL

Final Score: ​

Wolf Man is not inherently a bad movie. This isn’t like the Tom Cruise Mummy movie where I was just wincing the entire time. It’s much slower paced, with a constrained setting, and a decent cast. But for some reason I had a hard time connecting with the performances. Leigh Whannell’s Upgrade is one of my favorite indie action/horror films in recent years, and The Invisible Man was a semi-decent remake, but this one is just plain “boring”. Especially in the second half of the film. That being said, the 4K UHD and Blu-ray both look/sound fantastic, and there’s a decent array of extras on board as well. At the end of the day, I think this might be a curiosity rental for horror fans, but I’m not screaming from the rooftops about it either. Low Rental is my recommendation.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Matilda Firth
Directed by: Leigh Whannell
Written by: Leigh Whannell, Corbett Tuck
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), French (Canadian), Spanish DD+ 7.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Universal
Rated: R
Runtime: 103 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: March 18th, 2025

Recommendation: Rental