‘Werewolf By Night’ Review: Gael García Bernal Puts the Howl into Halloween With a New Marvel Classic
You are now entering The Twilight Zone. And you know you’ve entered the Twilight Zone because, at long last, Marvel has found a way to escape its own mold—like a monster escaping a hunt. Werewolf By Night is everything that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been in desperate need of; a genre-bending romp entirely unencumbered by cosmic threats or self-righteous superheroes. At its helm is Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino, who strings together fifty-three minutes of perfection, composing a masterful piece of storytelling with Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron’s script that does justice not only to the original source material but to the genre it's paying homage to.
After the passing of Ulysses Bloodstone, monster hunters from around the world are summoned to compete for the Bloodstone, which will decide who their order’s next leader will be. Among the motley crew of hunters are Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal) and Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly), who forge an unlikely bond when their conflicting motivations for participating in the hunt winds up syncing up perfectly. Jack might portray himself as a hunter with an impressive kill count, but he isn’t there to claim the Bloodstone—he’s there to save his friend Ted, who happens to be the monster they’ve been tasked with killing. Elsa, on the other hand, is the estranged daughter of the dearly departed, who has returned home after her father’s death to claim the title for herself, though begrudgingly.
Image via Disney+
Despite a decently lengthed catalogue of comic appearances for Jack, Bernal managed to make the character uniquely his own. His vibrant personality bleeds through into the character, highlighted by the slight bounce in his step, the extra spin he gives when settling down in the crypt, the pointed way he is in control of every movement of his body. He is a man at odds with the beast that hides within him, gentle, and doting, and terrified of himself. The black-and-white styling of the film makes it all the more apparent that Bernal possesses old-school charm and charisma, the sort of acting you might expect from an episode of The Twilight Zone. For fans of Bernal, his transformation into Jack Russell will definitely conjure memories of Mozart in the Jungle—one might even argue that Werewolf By Night is just Mozart in the Jungle with monsters. You’ll have to watch to fully understand that.
As a long-time werewolf aficionado (am I allowed to refer to myself as an expert in the genre, because I am), Werewolf By Night is an exceptional venture into the genre, playing on the duality of Jack’s curse, the storied history of those like him, while leaning into the visual tools that showcase his humanity, even while he is transformed into the beast. I never thought I’d see a monster hunter gently cupping the cheek of a fearsome werewolf while he has her pinned to the ground, but I feel like Marvel did that just for me. Whether the chemistry between Elsa and Jack was intentional—and if it was, I owe a debt of gratitude to Marvel for it—the way it was presented was somehow more intimate than The Eternals. The people don’t want energy battles anymore, they want beautifully human moments where friendship, romance, and understanding come to an understanding.
Werewolf By Night might be a 53-minute one-shot, but Giacchino is perfectly attuned to what was necessary to orchestrate a self-contained story. There are no cameos or heavy-handed Easter eggs to weigh down the storytelling; the script's sole focus is to provide audiences with a glimpse into a solitary night in the lives of Jack and Elsa. With its length and its concise storytelling, Werewolf By Night is destined to become a fan-favorite classic for the franchise. While it is, essentially, a Halloween Creature Feature, the story at hand is perfectly crafted for year-round re-watches. Even better yet, Werewolf By Night has crossover potential that previous MCU films have yet to master, providing a new entry point for audiences that aren’t interested in the Avengers or Celestials.
Image via Disney+
Werewolf By Night harnesses the power of The Twilight Zone and Hammer Horror to craft a delightfully new chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one that will delight monster lovers and comic readers alike. As a directorial debut, Giacchino proves himself to be more than just a maestro of music, he’s a maestro of monsters too. Marvel would be foolish not to let his creative genius revisit these characters at a later date, or open the crypt on more of their niche comics featuring ghoulish and macabre tales. With cinematographer Zoë White, he crafts a marvelous and unexpected chapter in the Marvel universe; one cast in monochromatic hues with splashes of color and classical details and transforms them into a marvelous time.
Werewolf By Night proves that the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.
Final Verdict: A+
Werewolf By Night is streaming on Disney+ on Friday.
