Full Moon Renaissance

A surprisingly good watch. being a lover of the original first Howling movie, I knew i was gonna pick this sequel apart. As i got into the film, i realised that this was actually a decent "Stand alone" movie.

Being a believer that the "MTV Generation" horror genre is far too cliché these days. This film worked quite well. It is the basic tale of a "Coming of age" teen, who realises he is different. Through the course of the film we see how he adapts to his new found strengths, all the while, dealing with his impeding graduation and trying to win the girl of his dreams.

The Story progresses at a decent pace, feeding you enough plot points and mythology along the way. One cliché that did really stand out was, the abundance of only beautiful people that attend the school, not that i'm complaining, but its a little shallow. Every person in this film is eye-candy, which does make for a pleasantly aesthetic watch.

A down-point for me was that I am a big lover of the classic werewolf transformation scene. I felt a little cheated by this movie in that there were several opportunities for this key moment. Every time you think you're in for the big change, what you get is very small.

The special effects are not great. At several moments of the film you can spot that "photoshop" look, it does not really effect the film too badly, but it does look a little cheap at times.

So lets sum this up.

Sexy teenagers, under parr effects, sexy parents, decent story and pace plus a kick ass soundtrack. Its one of those "watch with your girlfriend" movies. Scary werewolves for him to enjoy, romance for her to enjoy and loads of sexy people for you both to enjoy!

The Howling series has gotten a lot of flack over the years, and rightly so. Following the Joe Dante's original werewolf classic, a whole slurry of sequels were made, none of which even remotely living up to anything half as good as the original - and they were getting progressivly worse. Now after 15+ years since the last sequel a new Howling has come out. When I first heard this news, I did what every horror fan did, rolled their eyes and expected the worst - another sequel! BUT after watching it I actually really really enjoyed it! It takes a whole new approach to the series (so there's no need to have seen any of the previous installments). A mix between SCREAM and THE HOWLING, this is without doubt the second best film in the franchise, just second to the undeniable classic. Whilst it's comparison to TWILIGHT may put some of the more gore-hungry horror fans off, don't let it! Although there are TWILIGHT elements present such as werewolves, romance and a topless guy (the very fetching Landon Liboiron) to satisfy those fans, there's much much more on offer here. From the werewolf-know-it-all a la SCREAM, sexy werewolf women and a fresh new story that really draws you in and keeps you captivated right up to the action-packed ending, it's got lots here to please hardcore horror fans as well as those just getting into horror.

If you like horror films with plenty of teens running around, fearing for their lives like URBAN LEGEND, SCREAM, HALLOWEEN and countless others with a werewolf twist, then I would highly recommend this film! It's surprisingly the best werewolf film of recent years with some rather nice touches. The werewolves look incredible in this and there's plenty of them especially in the second half.

I'd give it a 7/10. A must see for all werewolf fans, HOWLING fans and horror fans (both old and new).

This movie actually kept my attention for most of the entire movie and it is a fun watch. It is freaky at times, and yes, there are times when you say what..?? where was everybody and you will know it when you see it,a scene where it obviously looked fake. This is a B movie that is interesting to watch. And no, not one I would watch again but I did enjoy it.

It does not continue from the other movies, this is a brand new on going movie. Also, there is a part in the movie where you will think someone is something when they might not be. I would recommend all the Howling though some are bad.

I was a little excited to see this one, as I am with every new instalment to a franchise that has either faltered in recent years or has not produced a sequel in decades. But after watching this one, I kind of wish they'd have left the series dead and buried.

The plot is about an eighteen year old teenager Will (Landon Liboiron) who is beginning to turn into a werewolf all while vying for the love of his classmate Eliana (Lindsey Shaw). Together the two have to try and stop other werewolves from killing them or something, blah, blah, blah. It is just so ridiculous, there's really no need to go further about the "plot". While I was watching this, all I could think of was that this was a cheap rip off of the Twilight series. Now I have nothing against Twilight, I haven't seen it personally. But to fans of the original films, this was a kick in the gut. Sure some of the sequels made after the first Howling were pretty awful, but this one is catering to a different audience than the other films did.

The acting was fine in Howling Reborn, I had no problem there. The movie did look a little cheaply made though. I don't know if I'd recommend it to horror fans or not. Most fans of the original Howling films will probably be disappointed in this one. My low rating for this isn't because it's a terrible movie, but more because it isn't a true Howling sequel in my eyes. Therefore it was very disappointing and something that I probably won't watch again.

3/10

On the eve of his high school graduation, unremarkable Will Kidman (Landon Liboiron) finally bonds with the girl he has long yearned for, reclusive Eliana Wynter. But he also discovers a dark secret from his past... that he is about to become a werewolf.

The biggest criticism one can give this film, and I have seen others do this, is that it has that MTV style, and focuses on awkward high school kids (not to mention the main character being played by a regular from "Degrassi"). I am torn between believing this is the new format we have to accept and trying to reject it as an unfortunate trend.

Allow me to quote fellow reviewer Staci Layne Wilson: "There's a little more to it than its inherent wafer thinness. Yeah, it's a corn ball flick without a whit of sense nor much suspense, but The Howling Reborn is surprisingly well-shot, has some good action sequences, the acting is fine, and the spooky bits are augmented by better-than-usual cg and practical effects." Usually I use these quotations to jump off from and disagree, but I think Staci pretty much summed it all up.

I have to call attention to the soundtrack. Some of it I do not know (probably new bands an old fogey like me never heard of) but the ones I do -- like Echo and the Bunnymen -- really set a great tone. I could have used more 80s throwbacks, like the Smiths or the Cure.

The wolf suits are impressive, though it is hard to top the creative force that is Rob Bottin from the original film. Bottin is a god. But, again, these suits are good. The camera moves fast so we cannot see any seams or flaws, which might be mildly annoying but serves the film well and adds a level of realism to the wolves.

There is also a definite sex factor. While I did not personally find the women of this film attractive, the intent was clearly to make them so and others may enjoy that. There is something feral about sex, and the director is well aware of this, throwing in not one but two sexually oriented scenes.

Is this worth seeing? Perhaps. It is not as great as some other werewolf films (e.g., "Ginger Snaps" or "Dog Soldiers") but it has the high school mentality without being as bland or mushy as "Twilight". So I guess it could have been worse.