Just when I thought that Uncharted is going to be the last review of February, Werewolves Within allows me to have one more indulgence. By the way, you’ll be able to read my Uncharted review here.
But Werewolves Within was a completely different experience, since (of course) it’s a totally different video game. So, with that in mind, let me start with the project that starts it all. The Werewolves Within video game.
What Is Werewolves Within all about you might ask?
Werewolves Within captures the essence and competitive spirit of playing around the table through VR technology. Developed and published by Ubisoft, Werewolves Within brings the fun of game night with friends to Virtual Reality. After several attacks on townsfolk, the medieval village of Gallowston has had enough! Werewolves Within will transport you to the medieval village of Gallowston. Where you must uncover the werewolves that have been terrorizing the townsfolk.
Therefore, you can utilize specific roles and abilities. And the power of persuasion to assess, deduce and win the round. Whether playing a vigilant villager or a devious werewolf, no two games are ever the same. Somehow, a similar formula to the classic Werewolf/Mafia game, the one that also inspired the popular Among Us game and its impostor gameplay.
So don’t miss it. Werewolves Within is available for purchase here at IndieGala. But if you don’t particularly care bout this game, perhaps Werewolf The Apocalypse Earthblood will satisfy you. Get it here. It’s awesome as you can imagine. And we can’t forget about Resident Evil Village. The game that brought us the one and only Lady Dimitrescu. Hey we already wrote about here. Check it out here. OK, she’s a vampire but the game has werewolves too. We even did a couple of great articles about the werewolves. You can look back at some of them here. And you can look back at the werewolves with lust since we tied them with True Blood. You’re welcome.
But let’s get back to the main topic of this article. The Werewolves Within Film Review.
Werewolves Within The Movie Is Actually Good?
Well, I was pleasantly surprised but yes. Yes, it is a rather good video game adaptation. With quite a few changes in the movie version but good nonetheless. Set in the snowy small town of Beaverfield, the movie sets its sights on the young Forest ranger Finn Wheeler (Sam Richardson). He’s sent there to keep the peace as a new pipeline is about the be built there. Half of the people in the town are for the pipeline, while the other half are against it.
On his first day there, he’s greeted by mail carrier Cecily Moore (Milana Vayntrub) and he meets the locals. Oh, what a crazy bunch they are. I’ll get to them in a second. But also, at the start of the movie, we see a series of horrendous attacks from what appears to be a werewolf. So, after the blizzard takes down the town’s generators, the townspeople will barricade themselves in the city’s lodge. And over there chaos and paranoia will follow fairly quickly.
The Who Done It Plot Works Here Like A Charm
Oh yes, it does. Even in a comedy/horror movie. Thanks to the very creative camera work from Josh Ruben and the funny yet clever script from Mishna Wolff. Over here in Werewolves Within we get a modern take on the video game with a dash of satire and yes. Social commentary. But in the middle of the story are a bunch of characters that I suppose blur the line between satire and parody.
And when it comes to the characters it’s hard to pick a favorite. Or rather a favorite pair. But Sam Richardson is stellar as the nice brand-new ranger Fin that’s for sure. And Michaela Watkins chews the scenery as the cartoonish conservative Trisha Anderton. But if I have to pick, I’d go with the ultra-wealthy gay couple Devon and Joachim Wolfson (Cheyenne Jackson and Harvey Guillén). They’re both fabulous and they cracked me up in every single scene they were.
Now I can’t forget about the horny hillbilly Gwen and Marcus (Sarah Burns and George Basil) but yeah. As I said… There are plenty of them to keep you entertained, but I found that the scenes in which they all together work only to a certain capacity. I guess they’re way better in smaller doses.
Hot Fuzz, The Thing, The Shining…. The Influence Is Here?
The wickedly entertaining script builds on the fear and paranoia in small confined spaces. Come on a bunch of diverse scared to death people and their stupidity is always gonna be funny. But here in this movie in it, you’ll find traces of Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz, and maybe hints of The Shining and The Thing. More so in the snowy, remote setting than everything else but you’ll be surprised in what other areas as well. The Shining/The Thing vibe is very much lingering.
And there’s a point at the end of the movie in which the movie could have gone in plenty of different directions. But the thing is, I wouldn’t have been made if it wasn’t for the outcome we got in the end. I was enjoying myself way too much to care.
A Dash Of Social Commentary Too
Well, there’s in almost all of the characters. They’re all divided and they’re not trying to hide their differences. Trisha and Pete are a grotesque representation of every conservative right-wing couple you’ve seen on TV or in movies. While the hipster/yoga-loving gay couple is the grotesque representation of every left-weaning liberal out there. Oh, and the potential pipeline is just adding fuel to the already messed up discord in the small town. But I loved that the social commentary is just one layer of the characters. It’s not trying to define them because of their differences and general distrust. Quite the opposite, it gives us another layer to the characters, and the movie then peels it as the movie progresses.
Werewolves Within: Finger Pointing Done Well
Very well indeed. With a talented director and screenwriter, and an even more talented cast, you can make a fantastic movie on a tight budget. And hey, even a decent loose adaptation of a video game. Who’d known that it’s possible? However, for me, Werewolves Within turned out to be, an enjoyable funny/scary experience on an otherwise dull Saturday Night.
What’s your take on it? Do you like it? Let us know in the comment section. We’d love to know all about it.
