The Wolfman 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Wolfman 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

The Wolfman is a horror-thriller with inspiration from classic monster movies. Released by Universal Pictures, The Wolfman was released theatrically on February 12, 2010. Based on the novel The Wolf Man by Curt Siodmak, The Wolfman was produced on a mammoth budget of 150 million. The Wolfman flopped at the box-office and couldn’t recover its huge production budget of 142.6 million – nor the high marketing costs. Produced by Scott Stuber (Repo Man, Battleship), Benicio del Toro (Che, Escobar: Paradise Lost), Rick Yorn (Killers of the Flower Moon, Unstoppable), and Sean Daniel (The Mummy, The Jackal), The Wolfman stars Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving.

Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) has a darkness within him. The darkness within is something that Talbot cannot control. Talbot returns from an extended stay away from his beautiful and welcoming estate. Talbot meets and rekindles a relationship with his father Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins).

Looking for his missing brother, Talbot seeks to help out his brothers beloved fiancé Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt). Meanwhile, Inspector Aberline (Hugo Weaving) is looking into matters surrounding a violent monster – a creature that is lurking the grounds and taking victims. As it turns out, the darkness that resides within Talbot might be beastly – a legendary curse from an old-school werewolf.

The performances are excellent. Benicio Del Toro is one of the best actors in the industry and the performance here is remarkably well-done. Del Toro holds his own in the role. The performance elevates the material and adds to the production. There is a sense of gravitas to the role. Emily Blunt is similarly excellent in her supporting role and she holds her own well opposite Del Toro. Anthony Hopkins remains dependable with a quality supporting performance. Hugo Weaving brings his impressive sense of depth to his role.

The cinematography by Shelly Johnson (Captain America: The First Avenger, Bill & Ted Face the Music) is incredible and a beautiful sight to behold. The visual wonder of the visual language is something that is essential to the filmmaking. There is much depth and beauty to the cinematography. The visuals are complex, dark, and foreboding – exactly as one would expect for a classic monster movie.

The score composed by Danny Elfman (Beetlejuice, Silver Linings Playbook) is one of the most enjoyable elements of the feature-film. Elfman is a dependable composer and the score for The Wolfman is quite fun. The music provides a good backdrop to the action and spectacle – enhancing the filmmaking in spades.

Edited by Dennis Virkler (The Chronicles of Riddick, The Hunt for Red October) and Walter Murch (Tomorrowland, Apocalypse Now), The Wolfman is well paced in either version of the film. The editing style is well-done. The flow of the film is effective and the narrative has a chance to shine through with either version.

Written by Andrew Kevin Walker (Sleepy Hollow, Se7en), David Self (The Haunting, Road to Perdition), The Wolfman is an entertaining script. The script has good dialogue and the story unfolds with good attention to character development. Walker and Self are strong storytellers and have a good time updating the classic monster tale.

Directed by Joe Johnston (Captain America: The First Avenger, The Rocketeer), The Wolfman is an effective and entertaining update on classic monster movie tropes. Though The Wolfman isn’t perfect and isn’t a top-tier Johnston feature it does manage to showcase the filmmaker and his sense of style well. The dedication of Johnston as an action filmmaker is especially noteworthy (the action-scenes are particularly effective). The Wolfman could be better and it has some over-the-top scenes but even despite some flaws it remains a fun update on classic monster movies and one well worthwhile.

The Wolfman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on 4K UHD, The Wolfman is presented in 2160p HEVC / H.265 in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The 4K restoration comes from a 2K master format digital intermediate (DI) from the 35mm source format. Filmed with Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL and Panavision Primo Lenses, the presentation provides an impressive quality improvement. There is a lot to appreciate in viewing the new 4K restoration.

The 4K restoration also includes new HDR10 and Dolby Vision encoding. The HDR10 (standard) grade looks fantastic and adds to the presentation quality. The HDR10 encoding provides deeper blacks and more rewarding brights – the full spectrum of the HDR range. The Wolfman is an especially bleak and darker looking film with a foreboding atmosphere.

The atmosphere is enhanced a great deal by the dynamic range. With a 2K master format, the HDR is one of the biggest selling points of the release. Enthusiasts will appreciate the quality of the HDR – especially those with high-end panels (including OLED).

The 4K resolution boost is less robust compared to a native 4K scan or restoration and this is unexpected given the 2K master format. Nonetheless, the 4K UHD is presented on a 100GB disc and the release has high bit-rates. The higher bit-rate encoding is reason enough to pick up the release (and offers a huge improvement).

The release provides both the theatrical cut and unrated director's cut on 4K UHD disc. Both cuts are on their own 4K UHD discs.  The encoding being provided on separate 4K UHD discs allows for additional breathing room on each presentation. Comparing both of the discs in the release, the encoding is handled enormously well.

The Wolfman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD 7.1, and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. An optional DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo option is also provided on the release. The lossless audio on the release is well-done and adds a great deal to the presentation quality. The Dolby Atmos audio is immersive and there are some nice ambiance effects from the Atmos mixing. The Atmos mix comes from the exceptional core Dolby TrueHD 7.1 sound mix. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix sounds even greater (on some systems) and has more robust LFE and soundstaging. The Atmos mix is just as clear but lacks a bit of the extra bass and depth of the DTS presentation.

The Wolfman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The first print run of the release comes with an o-card slipcover. The slipcover features a high-quality design with a nice print. The quality of the slipcover makes it a nice collectable for slipcover fans. A wonderful slip and one that adds to the package. The release will look great on the shelf.

Unrated Director's Cut –

Audio Commentary with Film Critic Drew McWeeny

The Blu-ray –

Unrated Director's Cut & Theatrical Cut –

Audio Commentary with Film Critic Drew McWeeny (Unrated Director's Cut Only)

Of Fur and Fang – Folklorist & Author Dr. Karen Stollznow on Werewolves and The Wolfman (HD, 8:19)

The Wolfsbane Blooms Again – Makeup Effects Artist Dave Elsey on The Wolfman (HD, 20:46)

Alternate Endings (HD, 8:02)

Deleted and Extended Scenes (HD, 11:28)

Return of The Wolfman (SD, 12:20)

The Beast Maker (HD, 12:05)

Transformation Secrets (HD, 15:15)

The Wolfman Unleashed (HD, 8:45)

The Wolfman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Wolfman is a horror feature with an emphasis on action and spectacle. It combines some old school tropes while offering the spectacle director Joe Johnston (Captain America: The First Avenger) is known for delivering. The monster movie element is entertaining and delivers audiences plenty of excitement. The performances are excellent and the highlight of the film – Benicio del Toro and Emily Blunt are both wonderful. The 4K UHD release features two 4K UHD discs with one containing the theatrical cut and the other containing the unrated director's cut. The 4K UHD release contains an absorbing assortment of extras, too. Highly recommended.