Werewolf by Night Review

Credit: Werewolf by Night

When it was mentioned that Werewolf by Night was going to be disconnected from much of the MCU, if not all of it, a lot of people were no doubt thinking that such a statement might be up for interpretation, and to be honest, it kind of is, considering what’s revealed at one point in this short but interesting movie. It’s true that many fans probably don’t know that much about Elsa Bloodstone or even the Werewolf by Night comics since the truth is that while this idea has been around for a while, the comics haven’t exactly been pushed as much as many other ideas. But despite the lack of knowledge that a lot of people might have about the characters seen in this short movie, it does present itself as a fun and engaging story that hopefully will not be a one-off and will get a chance to make a return to the MCU at one point. As a movie, it works quite well despite the short running length, and in all honesty, it’s over way too soon. 

The gathering to see who is gifted the bloodstone is interesting, but it’s kind of obvious who will leave with it. 

It becomes very easy to like and dislike the characters in this feature since some of them are easily disregarded and others are curious enough to follow from points A to B. Jack is a curious character to be certain, while Elsa is all attitude, but for a good reason as it’s quickly established that she’s the daughter of the individual who has passed away. She has been seen as a major disappointment since she left the family practice long ago, and is not interested taking up arms against monsters as the wielders of the Bloodstone have done for so long. But she is back to reclaim her birthright, no matter that her stepmother is adamant that she does not deserve it. The others that attend this event are resentful of Elsa, as it would appear that she’s foregone the training and traditions that the rest of them have followed. But despite this, it’s still easy to guess that she’ll be one of the last ones standing when all is said and done. 

The emergence of a certain character from the comics was a lot of fun to see. 

The monster that the hunters are gearing up to kill, and that has the bloodstone embedded in its body, is one that a lot of Marvel fans have likely been waiting to see since it’s one of the more unique but also obscure characters in the Marvel Universe. The Man-Thing is a truly impressive character that doesn’t get used often enough, but for good reason, since it’s a seriously powerful creature, that goes by the name Ted in this feature. When Man-Thing encounters Jack in the maze that the hunters are loosed in, it might startle a few viewers, but the sudden realization that the creature isn’t there to harm Jack is intriguing since the two start to converse as Jack tells the Man-Thing that he’s trying to help him escape and that he’s doing everything he can to make it happen. Anyone that’s read about the Man-Thing knows that those who have fear are those who are swiftly dispatched as the creature’s touch can burn them alive, as it’s shown in the movie. But with Jack, it would appear that Man-Thing has formed a bond that is kind of tough to get on with at first but becomes endearing the long the feature goes on. 

Credit: Werewolf by Night

Jack’s bond with the Man-Thing is intriguing and hopefully will be explored further. 

This is the kind of bond that could end up becoming a fascinating and useful plot device in the days to come since if there’s any plan to keep this storyline moving forward it would be great to see both of these characters, and Elsa Bloodstone, in another series or even in a movie if things come to that. The Man-Thing is bound to impress some individuals and turn off others since the love/hate relationship that some folks have with CGI is bound to come into play. But as far as Jack’s transformation goes, it was definitely more Lon Chaney Jr. than Underworld when describing the form he took on.

As a horror movie, this was a lot of fun, but it was definitely too short, and fans might want more. 

By the time the movie comes to an end, it was established that the hunt was over and the result had been less than what those running the hunt had expected. Elsa reclaimed her home and her position, and Jack and Man-Thing were able to escape into the wilds, where they’re seen having a conversation before the screen fades to black. Considering that there wasn’t a lot of hype for this movie, it was actually enjoyable.