Its been quite the long road for this retelling of The Wolfman. The film was initially to be directed by Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) but the one time music video director left the project shortly before production due to creative differences with the studio. In stepped Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, Honey I Shrunk the Kids) to finish the job. In this version of The Wolfman, Lawrence Talbot (played by Benicio Del Toro) returns to his homeland after a lengthy absence in an effort to find his missing brother. Upon arriving at his Scotland estate, Talbot soon realizes the truth behind his brother's disappearance and this truth involves a horrific curse that will soon plague Talbot himself. Props to Johnston and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven) for opting to keep this a period film.

The breathtaking locales and old school Scotland setting bring a lot of atmosphere to this gothic (and gleefully gory) adaptation of a Universal monster movie classic. The casting of Benicio Del Toro as the brooding Talbot, is a perfect fit. Del Toro does a great job channeling the spirit of original Wolfman Lon Chaney. Further kudos to iconic make up effects wizard Rick Baker for his Wolfman design. Baker manages to pay homage to the original film (which was inspirational in his career path) while at the same time, updating it for a more sophisticated audience. I wish Baker would have been permitted to incorporate more of an old school technique to the actual transformation sequences.

Instead, there's more CG than I generally care for in films of this nature. To Johnston's credit, he has a really great eye for detail. He also manages to stage a couple of outstanding werewolf sequences, none cooler than a lycanthrope attack at a camp site right outside of Stonehenge. Where this telling of The Wolfman fails is in the pacing and in the inevitable romance that brews between Talbot and his brother's supposed soul mate (played by a classy Emily Blunt). As individual performers, Del Toro and Blunt are fine, but as a team they generate very little chemistry. Some might argue that this is The Wolfman. Who cares about a sappy love story? That may true, but then why include the romance in the first place. This ode to Beauty and the Beast isn't developed enough and because of this fact, the ending of the picture lacks the emotional power its striving for. Also holding the film back is an odd subplot involving Talbot and his father (played by a creepy Anthony Hopkins).

While this morbid plotline is supposed to provide the film with a dramatic punch, it didn't quite get there for me. Johnston's new telling of The Wolfman infuses a bit of the tone of Frances Ford Coppola's adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, and there's also a bit of Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow in there too. The tone perfectly suits the film as does Danny Elfman's outstanding score, but in the end, An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, and the original Wolfman remain the trifecta of classic lycanthrope horror (although I'd feel remised if I didn't at least acknowledge the creative spirit of Dog Soldiers and Ginger Snaps.) The Wolfman has entertainment value to be sure but it doesn't quite reach its full potential.