Wolf Man (2024) is directed by Leigh Whannell and stars Christopher Abbott, Julia Graner, Matilda Firth, Sam Jaeger, Ben Prendergast, Benedict Hardie, Leigh Whannell, Zac Chandler, Milo Cawthorne, and Rob MacBride. The film follows Blake (Abbott), a loving husband/father who takes his family to spend the summer at his late father’s remote hunting lodge. When Blake is bitten by a mysterious beast soon after arriving, he slowly begins to morph into some kind of wolf-like creature. This forces his wife, Charlotte (Garner), to protect both him and their young daughter, Ginger (Firth), from the mysterious creature stalking their new home. 

Although Abbott and Garner are well-cast and believable as a couple, their performances struggle to make up for the fact that the dialogue is often cheesy and unnatural. The script is often hilariously unsubtle in its exploration of generational trauma and results in cliche dialogue such as Blake sternly telling his daughter “It’s my job to protect you” or “I would never hurt you.” The film’s main thematic focus is generational trauma and how one can go about breaking that cycle. The thing is, this theme is mostly just told to the viewer and never actually shown. For example, the film implies that Blake’s father caused him some kind of trauma as a kid, but it’s never actually confirmed. The worst we see his father do is chew him out for running away to chase a deer when they’re hunting. Yes, his dad gets angry, but it feels somewhat justified considering the possible dangers. The script wants us to see him as emotionally abusive, but in reality, he just comes across as a parent who cares maybe a little too much. I suppose this works better if one sees it as an example of the dangers of overbearing parenting, but in that case, why paint the dad as such a villain for this kind of common and well-intentioned misstep?

Just like in Upgrade (2018) and The Invisible Man (2020), Whannell provides sharp visuals that elevate some otherwise formulaic sequences. Until the film runs out of steam in the third act mostly due to the script, Whanell’s ability to breed tension is serviceably entertaining. Whannell makes a lot of risky creative choices that cause the film to stand out within the werewolf sub-genre; the problem is, although these choices are original, they’re not very conducive to making a better film. Although interesting, these risks seem to come at the expense of a werewolf film’s bread & butter. We rarely get to see the titular creature, and when we do, it’s only half-satisfying (if that). On top of this, these risks don’t help to make the experience any less predictable. The first two-thirds work, but once the ultimate direction of the story is revealed, it’s clear that it has little new to offer. 

Overall, this is already sure to be one of the most disappointing films of 2025 and is easily Leigh Whannell’s weakest effort as a writer. As a director, he still shows impressive skill, but it’s clear that he lacked a strong approach to the material/themes. Christopher Abbott is a great leading man, so it’s a shame that he’s once again cast in such a forgettable film. It’s not an insultingly bad experience, but it is surprisingly dull. Unless you’re a diehard werewolf fan, this is an easy movie to skip. Let’s hope this is just a bump in the road for Whannell. The movie is what I’d consider a failure, but not a cynical one. It at least attempts to deliver something new. C