Wolf Man is an adequate iteration of a common horror film figure directed by Leigh Whannell. Whannell co-wrote this script with Corbett Tuck. It’s a reasonable cinematic distraction and has some suspense, but it’s still unremarkable.

The film stars Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Sam Jaegar, and Matilda Firth. None of the cast appear to be the most recognizable Hollywood names, but they delivered reasonably solid performances. I sort of liked that I was not that familiar with this cast because it did help the film seem somewhat fresher.

We are introduced to the lead character, Blake Lovell, as a child who had a strange encounter in the woods when hunting with his father. The father is a difficult, paranoid man and his behavior left an unfavorable on his son, who has grown up, gotten married, and sired a daughter. Blake gets notice that his father, who had disappeared in the woods sometime, has been declared dead. Blake and his wife, Charlotte, have been enduring a tense marriage and agree that a trip to the Oregon wilderness could help them find some peace. Of course, this is a horror film, and they are stalked by a strange creature that has wounded Blake. Blake begins to undergo a slow transformation into something much more dangerously feral. Charlotte and their daughter are forced to fight for survival with the first beast in the forest, and eventually the husband and father begins to succumb to a new bestial hunger.

The visual effects are fine, and there are a few moments of real suspense. The performances were not noticeably bad. The background of this family was not all that interesting or intriguing. It’s another couple with some marital tension on the verge of likely separation. I found Blake Lovell to be somewhat bland as a family man. I don’t think it’s the fault of the actor. He did as well as he could. There was an interesting method he employed to instill some sense of confidence in his daughter. That relationship was kind of charming. Julia Garner was fine as the overworked journalist wife. There just wasn’t much I found charming enough about her for me to care that much if she got caught by the werewolf and torn to shreds.

The daughter played by Matilda Firth was performed well enough. I may have only cared about her survival because I am not sociopathic enough to really want to see a child become snack food, however.

The location was great; however, I am Oregonian by birth, so that may not be an unbiased opinion.

The visual effects were pretty good, but of course they were going to be.

It’s not a terrible film, but it’s another average, forgettable release that doesn’t leave much of an impression.