This film is written and directed by our old friend John Landis, and this may arguably be his best film. It is a film which pays homage to and clearly loves the old werewolf movies, but it adds something completely new to the genre as well.
Like I Was a Teenage Werewolf before it, this film also revolves around werewolves and young adults. However, one huge difference between this film and its 1950's counterpart is that these "teens" (college students) actually sound like real-life youth and not adults trying to write "young and hip" characters. Their realism automatically make them more likable. Our protagonist is David, who is on a European back-packing trip with his friend Jack. They hitchhike, joke about being in the middle of nowhere, and talk about girls.
However, that all changes when the boys are attacked by a wolf. Jack dies horrifically, and David is sent to a London hospital to treat his injuries.
Plot-wise, what follows seems predictable: David finds out he is a werewolf, is in denial, turns, attacks people, wants to be stopped, and must be killed tragically. It follows the Universal werewolf formula to the letter. However, this film does so with full knowledge that it is a formula. In fact, after a bad dream, David explicitly explains this formula to the British nurse he has started to fall in love with:
"Have you ever seen The Wolf Man?"
"Is that the one with Oliver Reed?"
"No, the old one."
David explains that, given the old movies, he has a theory that "I think a werewolf can only be killed by someone who loves him." This is almost the movie's thesis; even before we see David change, Landis lets the audience know that the story will follow a similar path as the classic film. This allows the audience to appreciate what is different about this modern movie as opposed to the original.
For example, one major difference is that this film is funny, really and truly funny. The song "Bad Moon Rising" cheekily plays as David is trying to avoid thinking about the werewolf curse. There is strange Marx Brothers-like humor between the investigating policemen. There are any number of odd non sequitur moments and quirky characters throughout the film, including the undead Jack who haunts David and tells him about his werewolf curse. On of these discussions happens at a London pornography showing, which allows for David to quip: "Look at me, sitting in a porno theater in Piccadilly Circus talking to a corpse."
From the photo above of the undead Jack, you can likely also see another major difference between this film and the older werewolf classics: special effects. The makeup and effect work in this movie is incredible! Even over thirty years later, the make-up and prosthetics hold up well and are fairly believable; leaps and bounds, at least, better than previous well known werewolf films. Very few of the puppets look obvious, and even the ones that do still have great craftsmanship. This is one of the reasons that I was so annoyed with Fright Night; the terrible effects in that film had nothing to do with the time period or the fact that there was no CG, as An American Werewolf in London proves.
The transformation of the wolf as a whole is also much more active than previous werewolf films; the change is highly physical and looks painful. In fact, even by today's standards, I'd say it gives Hemlock Grove a run for its money on the topic of "horrific werewolf changes."
David is also just a really realistic and likable character. Like the original The Wolf Man before him, he mourns and struggles with what he has become in a way that seems realistic and touching. One scene where he calls his family to tell them he loves them is amazingly touching, especially for a supernatural "horror" film.
The London cityscape also makes for some amazingly neat hunting scenes. While a wolf running through the woods can be suspenseful, a wolf running through the London tube is something else entirely. The wolf-stalking scenes are a bit long at times, but a lot of fun especially when compared to the old classics.
I would say that this film was nearly a perfect werewolf movie if not for one issue: the pacing and the end. There are definitely some lulls in this film, but the most frustrating aspect of the whole movie is the shockingly abrupt close. The audience knows how the movie must end (David telegraphs it earlier in the film) but the quick cut to credits when that ending finally occurs takes all the gravitas and importance out of the inevitable close.
But don't let that stop you! An American Werewolf in London is a fantastic film and right up there with the original The Wolf Man as one of the best werewolf films of all time.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 bites
From the photo above of the undead Jack, you can likely also see another major difference between this film and the older werewolf classics: special effects. The makeup and effect work in this movie is incredible! Even over thirty years later, the make-up and prosthetics hold up well and are fairly believable; leaps and bounds, at least, better than previous well known werewolf films. Very few of the puppets look obvious, and even the ones that do still have great craftsmanship. This is one of the reasons that I was so annoyed with Fright Night; the terrible effects in that film had nothing to do with the time period or the fact that there was no CG, as An American Werewolf in London proves.
The transformation of the wolf as a whole is also much more active than previous werewolf films; the change is highly physical and looks painful. In fact, even by today's standards, I'd say it gives Hemlock Grove a run for its money on the topic of "horrific werewolf changes."
David is also just a really realistic and likable character. Like the original The Wolf Man before him, he mourns and struggles with what he has become in a way that seems realistic and touching. One scene where he calls his family to tell them he loves them is amazingly touching, especially for a supernatural "horror" film.
The London cityscape also makes for some amazingly neat hunting scenes. While a wolf running through the woods can be suspenseful, a wolf running through the London tube is something else entirely. The wolf-stalking scenes are a bit long at times, but a lot of fun especially when compared to the old classics.
I would say that this film was nearly a perfect werewolf movie if not for one issue: the pacing and the end. There are definitely some lulls in this film, but the most frustrating aspect of the whole movie is the shockingly abrupt close. The audience knows how the movie must end (David telegraphs it earlier in the film) but the quick cut to credits when that ending finally occurs takes all the gravitas and importance out of the inevitable close.
But don't let that stop you! An American Werewolf in London is a fantastic film and right up there with the original The Wolf Man as one of the best werewolf films of all time.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 bites
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