Werewolf By Night

Disney+/Marvel’s first special presentation Werewolf By Night has gotten great reviews, but of course I don’t trust the reviews of the general public as the general public knows nothing so I had to watch it for myself. Before Halloween of course because Halloween is for transitioning to Christmas…

Shot like a vintage horror movie Werewolf By Night does a great job of establishing its initial purpose. Having it in black and white was an extremely cool touch that I think really added to the feeling of the story they were telling. The first in depth scene we see is a beast hunter reunion and it's really interesting to watch. I love that they just jump right in assuming the audience knows what's going on. That is my favorite way to write a scene, start in the middle so that the story isn't too heavy with exposition and doesn’t drag on too long, it was very very well done.

The story is very clear, these hunters are going to compete to become the new leader, the setup is phenomenal and we've already established who the frontrunners are which is so well done.

It's delightfully creepy, it was nice to see Marvel lean into the darkness a little bit. The source material is so rich in possibility for different tones and genres completely and it was so cool to watch them lean into the scary movie type genre. And the best part of that is they still have the heart that I have come to require from Marvel projects. Elsa taking part in this little competition in spite of her relationship with her father really helps add depth to a story like this.

The tension built as the hunt begins is really well done, it's quiet and intense and you know something has to break the tension but the way they did it was like glass shattering in the middle of the night, startling and an excellent contrast to the scene they set. And the fact that they were able to maintain that with every fight that broke out was brilliant. They perfectly balanced the subtle with the loud, the action with the silence and I truly think it's one of the most skillful things Marvel has ever produced.

Excellent twist in that one of these hunters actually is here to save the beast that everyone else is hunting.

And just as was set up in the first act Elsa and this rogue hunter having some serious bonding. We really get into the heart of the story, and these characters are exploring breaking family warriors, outrunning family legacy and finding their own identities. The two escape from the tomb and Jack and Elsa go about this hunt together.

Double twist in that Jack can’t touch the bloodstone because he himself is also a monster, a werewolf. The bloodstone turns Jack into his monster form while he's trapped with Elsa. The camerawork used as he's transforming and after he attacks Elsa’s mom was so perfect. It really captures the vintage feeling of horror movies and I don’t think they could have told this story as well without that.

At a tight 55 minutes the pacing is incredible, they told the story in the perfect amount of time without rushing or droning on. The act structure was clear and the plot moved along nicely without feeling like we were missing things.

Overall I think Werewolf By Night is one of the best things Marvel has produced in live action. I also hope that the special presentation format is something that they keep, I believe it allows them to fully flesh out characters without making everything a movie or giving everyone a television show.