Monster Wolf

Can't believe this work of art missed out on any nominations. It's a scandal!

Unscrupulous oil company boss Stark (Robert Picardo) orders his workmen to blast an ancient Indian artifact with C4 explosives, unleashing Monsterwolf, a vicious, shoddily-rendered, CGI animal spirit dedicated to defending native Americans in their time of need.

Monsterwolf doesn't like workmen. Monsterwolf doesn't like litterbugs. Monsterwolf doesn't like sell-outs. Monsterwolf doesn't like drunk drivers. Monsterwolf doesn't like being hit by a truck. Monsterwolf doesn't like mercenaries. Monsterwolf doesn't like Stark. And I sure as hell didn't like Monsterwolf, yet another crappy, low budget SyFy production sent to test the patience of horror fans.

Poor performances, a generic script, dreadful direction and cheezy special effects all go to make this one hell of a chore to sit through. A heavy-handed score works hard to inject some urgency and excitement into proceedings but is woefully unsuited to the lacklustre action. Worst of all, perhaps, is a truly amateurish animated sequence that tells of the Indian legend of the Monsterwolf.

2.5 out of 10, generously rounded up to 3 for Leonor Varela as tasty tattooed hotshot lawyer Maria, who swaps her power-suit for a tight white vest to battle the beast, and for Jon Eyez' laughable performance as hired killer Coughlin, the actor doing a half-assed impression of Ving Rhames from Pulp Fiction for his role.

I do have an in general intense dislike for Syfy's movies, so I was expecting Monsterwolf, judging from its somewhat cash-in title, to be of poor quality. Actually, Monsterwolf was better than I expected. The film does have some good photography and scenery, had an interesting idea and the film does start off very well. However, as an overall film it is not very good. I did like the idea very much, but the story here is executed in a ridiculous and predictable manner, complete with some inane ideas such as how the guns were handled and the whole back-story involving Maria. The film for Syfy doesn't look too bad photography wise, but while the effects are not as shoddy as you would expect they are largely inconsistent with the design of the wolf throughout being rather hit-and-miss. On top of that, the script is often generic, the characters are cardboard cut-outs and the actors overall don't connect to their characters. The direction is derivative too, and while not as meandering or as boring as other Syfy projects, the pace particularly in the middle can be dull. All in all, better than I thought but in all honesty it isn't a good movie. 3/10 Bethany Cox

What a stellar performance by Griff First. I really can't believe he wasn't nominated for best supporting at the Oscars. Well I have all the confidence in him to keep on plugging away at these all important roles that have such depth and character. This character wasn't much of a stretch for him though. I mean a mullet wearing dude who likes to get high is right up his alley. As a true Trump supporter and Louisiana resident redneck this wasn't much of a stretch for him either. There's no doubt that he will go far in the Hollywood industry. A real chip off the old block. I see a best actor award soon.

I just finished watching this on the Sci Fr Channel. Needless to say, I have insomnia. The channel has made and broadcast several awful films over the years. However, some of them are so awful, they're fun. This one is about some kind of native American werewolf who is awakened when an oil drilling company tries to buy land from a tribe in southern Louisiana, then breaks its word and drills without their consent. This one turned out to be above average for that network. The special effects are surprisingly good and the actors are competent. Also the script is slightly more logical than usual for these people. I also got a little bit of local flavor, with the scenery and music being good enough. I'm not saying it's a good film. I'm certainly not recommending it. But it was a few notches better than most of their work.