Marvel continues to look for new ways to diversify its MCU by playing with genres and themes of new projects. This time the studio decided to parody the monsterverse from Universal. True, it is wrong to call the Night Werewolf a parody. Rather, it looks like a modern interpretation of horror films from the 30s and 50s about werewolves, swamp creatures, Dracula and so on from Marvel. The style and atmosphere convey the spirit of that era, but everything else … We will deal with this in the review of The Night Werewolf.
Overview of the Marvel Special “Night Werewolf”
An interesting opening in which the narrator will tell the viewer the story that in a world where heroes exist, such as the Avengers, there are also terrible creatures of the night, such as werewolves, vampires, harpies, bigfoot and so on. There is a whole league of hunters for such monsters. And it was controlled by Ulysses Bloodstone, the owner of a powerful artifact of the Stone of Blood. And when he died, hunters from all over the world gathered to honor his memory, as well as choose a new leader of the League through a ceremonial hunt.
The tape is stylized as horror films of the 40s and 50s. Black and white picture, musical accompaniment, makeup, and in the upper right corner of the screen you can even notice the appearance of an artifact that in those days signaled to cinema workers that it was time to put the next film. The viewer enters the hall of the League together with the character of Gael Garcia Bernal. He is very restrained, modest, despite his merits, and does not cause rejection, like some of the other gathered hunters. The hall, by the way, is very interestingly decorated. The heads of various monsters hang on the walls, among which you can notice an ancient vampire (for those who do not understand Marvel comics, I note that Dracula was also in them).
The rules of the hunt are told to all those gathered by the robotic corpse of Ulysses, who does not forget to insert a couple of cemetery jokes. In general, the film has a good sense of humor. It doesn’t descend into the permissiveness of recent Marvel projects, but teeters on the edge of visual and stylistic gags to lighten the mood at times. And she, like the style, is perfectly sustained. Nevertheless, the project also has disadvantages, for example, a very lengthy introduction, which takes about a third of the running time.
Then the hunt for the monster begins. Each hunter is for himself, which means that no one will spare even his colleagues, because one of the most powerful artifacts is at stake. The atmosphere is heating up. Finally, the film moves to action. It should be noted right away that there is enough blood in the film. As well as the stupidities inherent in the old horror films. For example, a werewolf honestly warned that it was better to kill him while he was still in human form, because then there would be no mercy. Everyone present knew that the monster had at least a hundred killed, including hunters and other supernatural beings. But for some reason they decided that in such a situation, the best thing to do is to piss off the werewolf.
The fights in the movie are good though. And the main fight is filmed very well. When a werewolf in a narrow space begins to deal with people, and their blood spatters flood the camera … Quite a bold move for Marvel. It should be noted that in “Night Werewolf” there is much more cruelty than in “Moon Knight”, where the audience was promised this cruelty. It remains to be hoped that the studio will transfer this courage to its major releases – for example, “Blade”.
Conclusion: Is Black and White Marvel Worth Watching?
Werewolf by Night is one of Marvel’s best experiments in recent years. First, it’s very fresh. Of course, it’s strange to say this about a tape shot in the spirit of horror films of the 30s and 50s, but nevertheless it’s true. Secondly, the studio abandoned its standard scheme and was able to surprise the viewer with an unusual approach to the characters. It is also worth immediately noting the excellent selection of actors who convey on the screen much more than current emotions. The werewolf mentioned that he could not kill someone after the transformation only once. And what pain runs through his eyes a moment later, that you involuntarily understand what a tragedy happened in his past.
One way or another, but the level of cruelty and horror “Night Werewolf” definitely raised for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Given that Blade, Moon Knight is also on the studio’s list of heroes, we can hope for some kind of “dark” crossover in the future. And perhaps the appearance of even more crazy characters, for example, the Ghost Rider. The film is definitely worth a watch for anyone who likes Marvel, but wants something new (but, again, be prepared for a lengthy intro)
Source: Trash Box
Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
