‘Werewolf by Night’ Review: A Howlin' Good Time That Should Set a Marvel Precedent
Gael García Bernal stars in Marvel’s Werewolf By Night.
MARVEL’S FIRST film UNDER THE ‘SPECIAL PRESENTATION’ banner sHOULD BE THE FIRST OF MANY.
Amidst what can seem like an overwhelming slew of new additions into the vast Marvel Cinematic Universe, Werewolf by Night is able to stand out in the most pleasant of ways. Werewolf by Night marks the directorial debut of composer extraordinaire and Marvel mainstay Michael Giachinno, who is able to create Marvel’s most visually distinct and tonally different project in recent memory.
Presented almost entirely in a noir format, Werewolf by Night establishes itself as something unique, right off the bat. The special revolves around a secret group of monster hunters meeting at a mysterious manor for a deadly competition for a sinister artifact. What follows is a thrilling adventure that makes the most of its premise and runtime. While being a tonal and narrative offshoot from its connected projects, the special boasts some unique and welcome performances as well. Werewolf by Night introduces comic fan-favorites Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal) and Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnely) into the fold of the larger cinematic universe, and both are more than welcomed additions. Both play within the campy confines of the story excellently, and in a few scenes where the frenetic and spooky story is able to breathe, provide some great character work and believable physicality galore, both of which give the audience tangible motivations to latch onto in what is already a greatly thrilling adventure.
Laura Donnely stars in Marvel’s Werewolf by Night.
Werewolf also greatly benefits from its runtime and pacing. As Marvel’s first ‘Special',’ it runs longer than a average TV episode, but is significantly shorter than a feature film, and is able to play within the runtime in a way that ensures maximum mayhem and fun. There’s not a beat where the story drags, and remains a brisk watch until the credits hit, really showing that the special was written to its own confines and sensibilities in a welcome stroke of authorship, but the story as a whole does feel as if it needed just a little bit more time to do its thing. If the powers that be at Marvel should decide not to continue with a follow-up, nothing is lost in value, as the special creates something truly stand-alone that benefits from being so. It’s open ended enough that in Marvel fashion, larger crossovers are possible, but does not require any comic knowledge or prior viewing of any other Marvel project in need to properly enjoy the special.
Giachinno delivers a spectacular directorial debut, effortlessly creating an eerie and gothic atmosphere while keeping the stakes high and the fights vibrant. The influences from classical monster films are a great touch and the homages work greatly, never feeling too redundant nor out of place. Giachinno also composed the score for the special, bringing his A-Game both directorially, and musically, with a score evocative of its classic influences which accentuates the aforementioned eeriness. The special as a whole has a very understated playfulness, never taking itself as a complete monster horror, never afraid to embrace its campy comic roots, but also never afraid to do its own thing at the same time, and never pulls its punches.
Ultimately, in a vast sea of Marvel projects, the special simply isn’t afraid to stand out, and won’t soon be forgotten. Unaffected by the woes of three-act structures and six-episode structures, Werewolf by Night offers a howlin’ good time, and is sure to satisfy comic fans and horror fans alike, making a great case for further adventures into fear within the Marvel universe.