Pros and Cons


I watched this film last night for the first time. I feel like in some ways it impressed me more than I suspected, but in other ways it was a disappointment.

Pros:

1. Great cast with solid performances.

2. Evelyn Ankers is quite beautiful.

3. Very atmospheric, with nice locations and sets, and good lighting.

4. The mythology of the werewolf that is frequently referred to is interesting.

Cons:

1. The story is very basic and relies more on mood than on plot development. Therefore, there is a sense while watching the film that not a lot is actually happening.

2. As was the B-movie convention of the day, the film just ends abruptly with no real denouement.

3. The wolf man make-up looks goofy and is unconvincing.

4. Some story elements seem inconsistent and illogical and go unexplained.

Overall, I would say it was an "interesting" watch and would say that it was enjoyable more as a historical film artifact than as a well-executed movie.

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I disagree. I like it. Also, you may not like it but they weren't going to make him have a wolf's head in 1941. So the make up had to be less scary so that he had a more human looking head with extra hair all over and fangs in his mouth.

I feel your complaint about the make up is you wishing he looked more like the werewolves in American Werewolf in London and the Howling. Which just couldn't be done in the 1940s.

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The best werewolf depicted on screen ever has to be Michael Jackson from his Thriller video. But if we just stick to the 1940s, the best werewolf was in Return of the Vampire. That werewolf also spoke which made him even more frightening

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I think the PROS far outweigh the CONS. The Wolf Man is solid entertainment from beginning to end. Lon Chaney, Jr., is perfectly cast, and there are plenty of solid actors around him.

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