WEREWOLF BY NIGHT is a different sort of Marvel movie. Directed by Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino, it is filled with the love of cinema. It is a throwback to classic horror and monster films but also to the ethical storytelling of one of television’s most respected showrunners and creators, Rod Serling. The film has a very lean running time of 53 minutes, which is close to the standard running time of your typical hour-long drama. On IMDB, it is listed as a TV special. But make no mistake, the film is cinema quality, in a time when admittedly the line between television and cinema is almost non-existent anyway.
The film stars the great Mexican actor Gael García Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries, Amores Perros and Y tu mamá también) as Jack Russell, Laura Donnelly (“Outlander”, “The Fall”) as Elsa Bloodstone, Harriet Sansom Harris (Addams Family Values, “American Horror Story”) as Verusa, Eugenie Bondurant (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) as Linda, Kirk E. Thatcher (Gremlins 2: The New Batch), Leonardo Lam (“Westworld”) as Simon, and Al Hamacher (“Cobra Kai”) as Billy Swan.
It was written by Peter Cameron (“Wandavision“, “Moon Knight”) and Heather Quinn (“Hawkeye”). The gorgeous black and white cinematography is from Zoë White (“The Handmaid’s Tale”, “Westworld“) and Michael Giacchino pulled double duty as the composer of the score.
In a time of films that are quite often over two hours, the storytelling here is economical. It goes right to the heart of the story. The central theme is the fate of the outsider, whoever they may be. Right from the start, people who are incredibly friendly can turn on a dime. As Jack Russell, Bernal exudes the charisma of the brooding Byronic hero, who wears Calavera make-up, but is he really that person? The film doesn’t linger in tedious or belabored backstory which I found to be thrilling. The character of each person in the film comes out through their actions in each scene.
The film is shot in black and white and has much to offer cinematography nerds. There’s a particular shot with a specific character’s eyes in a beam of light that was so enthralling, but the film is filled with many such cinematic treats and leans on practical effects which is another plus for the film. One central item is in color throughout the film which is a really nice effect too. Symbolic of spilled blood, both the victims and the monsters.
Right from the start, there are doses of humor that offset the effect of the seriousness of the black and white cinematography, which is a nice counterbalance. Giacchino clearly loves films and television shows, in the Q&A at the Fantastic Fest secret screening, he made sure to name “The Twilight Zone” as a key influence. His directing has such a sure hand and the performances are all so solid. The key moment with Elsa in the cage cowering from an unknown danger, as seen in the trailer and promotional photos, works so incredibly well. Harriet Sansom Harris is particularly delightful as the stern, yet horny, Verusa.
While the film has the strong themes of empathy for those who are not like ourselves and understanding the other, Giacchino wisely gave the film a lightness that makes those themes buoyant among what could have been much more self-serious. Giacchino very much made the film a success by insisting on casting Bernal. A wise decision. WEREWOLF BY NIGHT also has genuine scares that are earned by the story and performances of the actors but not too much gore that you can’t enjoy this as a family film.
I have to give Marvel Studios a lot of credit here and say that this is one of the best films that Marvel has ever produced. It is stunning, ethical, and economical storytelling with the lightest of touches, a sense of humor about itself, and moments of romance and heartfelt drama. It’s everything you could want in a Marvel film and, truthfully, if Marvel made more films like this, I would watch more Marvel films with gusto. When I say more Marvel films like WEREWOLF BY NIGHT, I mean movies that stretch the boundaries of what is expected from the studio and tell exciting stories with great actors and directors who love cinema.
The true success of WEREWOLF BY NIGHT is that is it precisely what I did not expect from a Marvel film and from Michael Giacchino, who is best known as a fantastic composer. In art, in this case, cinema specifically, it’s the surprises and taking chances that give us all that thing that we desire, but often don’t get.
Magic.
Marvel Studios’ Special Presentation: WEREWOLF BY NIGHT will be streaming October 7 only on Disney+.
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