Werewolves (2024), directed by Steven C. Miller, stars Frank Grillo, Ilfenesh Hadera, Katrina Law, James Michael Cummings, Kamdynn Gary, Lou Diamond Phillips, Lydia Styslinger, Netzaida Landin, and James Kyson. The film takes place one year after a “supermoon” event turned everyone exposed to its light into bloodthirsty werewolves. Determined to protect the wife and child of his brother who was killed during the first supermoon, Wesely (Grillo), a decorated scientist, sets out to test a new cure with the help of his team. When things inevitably don’t go as planned, Wesley and his partner, Amy (Law) journey across a werewolf-decimated city so they can reunite with their loved ones. 

The performances here aren’t all that great. Thankfully, because of its tight, action-centric approach, it isn’t the kind of movie that relies too heavily on believable performances. Grillo’s veteran action-hero persona does just enough to lead us through the quick 90-minute runtime. As for the supporting cast, they come across as a bit amateurish. That being said, they’re never so bad that they ruin the experience. This is the kind of movie I could imagine being on the SyFy channel in 2007, so the less-than-stellar acting is strangely something I expected and therefore easier to accept. The addition of Lou Diamond Phillips is maybe the only notable supporting performance. Unfortunately, his character is underutilized and it feels like a missed opportunity. 

From beginning to end, the film never lets up. This naturally leaves little time for deep exposition or character development, but the script makes various choices that result in some impressively efficient exposition. That being said, the movie is often so relentless that by the third act, I found myself numb to it all. I don’t think it helps that the film feels distractingly similar to The Purge: Anarchy (2014). This includes Frank Grillo in the lead role whose characters in both films are almost identical. The internet has pretty much come to refer to this as “The Purge with werewolves” and I don’t even slightly disagree with that description. 

The werewolves themselves are mostly great due to the use of practical effects, but I also enjoyed that each werewolf takes on certain qualities of the human they originally were.   However, these practical effects look better in closeups than they do in wide shots. When the film shows a glimpse of them running on two legs, they look a bit too much like a tall person running in a cheap costume. The editing itself is also a tad too reliant on flashy cuts and the use of overproduced visual effects such as strobe lights. The combination of this and constant darkness just ended up giving me a headache by the 1-hour mark.

Regardless of the film’s flaws, it does succeed in adding some new ideas to the werewolf subgenre. The supermoon idea almost turns the moonlight into a secondary villain that’s just as deadly as the wolves. There’s also a sunscreen-like substance that protects a person from the moonlight. Unfortunately, these new ideas are hindered by far too many knockoff ideas from films that include the previously mentioned The Purge: Anarchy as well as The Lost Boys (1987). 

Overall, this is a perfectly serviceable action-horror movie that delivers what the trailer promises – nothing more, nothing less. The technical elements are disappointing and the acting is below average, so it intelligently focuses on non-stop action instead. I can’t recommend you pay money to see it, but if you’re into this kind of thing, it’s a decent movie to check out once it hits streaming. C+