I think THE WOLFMAN is something of a miracle.

First, this notion of using an "old school" man-wolf instead of a "super wolf" got green-lighted. That's a miracle.

Secondly, giving the nod to Rick Baker for the practical make-up effects -- someone whose sensibilities for original Universal horror classics is as ingrained as it is in any one of us -- is a miracle. As we can see from the photos and the clips, Rick used his talents within the context of that sensibility.

Next, they made the film as a period piece. I see that as an homage to some of the Universal horrors like Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. There is something of a fairy tale feel to those old movies -- and what better movie to remake within that particular context than the story of a cursed man who turns into a beast? I think this is another miracle.

Benicio Del Toro, a very fine actor, got the lead. Someone who can give life to the all the facets of Larry Talbot got the part. That's a miracle. And the rest of the cast is superb. Heck, Universal even kept original character names.

Finally, these classic sensibilities are being renewed for today. So there might be glimpses of gore. From what I can tell, none of that seems exploitational. It looks more like an attempt to give verisimilitude to what happens when humans meet a wolf man. Sure, I hope it remains tasteful. But I don't think any of the "gore" is gonna get anywhere near the territory of HOSTEL. Hey, there are certain realities about movie-making today that we need to understand. But it seems to me that plenty classic ideas have made it through the sieve of today's production values and that in itself is miraculous.

Me, I'm thankful for miracles, so I'm gonna be in line for the first showing on opening night. Bottom line, it's our guys making our kind of movie.



GARY L. PRANGE
I'm not all bad, just mostly.

"Sic gorgiamus allos subjectos nunc." 
  
Last Edited By: GaryP11111 Aug 2 08 11:12 PM. Edited 4 times.