Werewolf changing breeds review
The whodunit aspect sometimes veers into predictable territory, too. The social commentary can get a little clumsy and heavy-handed at times, at least until the mayhem kicks into high gear. Ruben gets to expand his scope here with a more extensive cast and multiple set pieces to play with, and it’s clear he’s having a blast. Beaverfield residents can barely co-exist peacefully from the safety of their homes but put them together in a pressure cooker scenario, and mistrust breeds explosive chaos that threatens to outshine the werewolf in terms of violence. Because of the murder mystery format, Werewolves Within plays less like a conventional werewolf feature and more like a comedic Needful Things. However, the filmmaker isn’t afraid to spill some blood where it counts. Many of the kills are off-screen, at least at first, to preserve the mystery. If it’s not already clear, Ruben’s sophomore effort emphasizes comedy over horror. Wolff and Ruben poke fun of them all, putting their flaws front and center in the lineup of suspects. Look for obvious red herrings and shady politicians to boot, all played by actors with a reputation for comedy, including Cheyenne Jackson, Michaela Watkins, and Harvey Guillén. Outside the plucky central pairing of Finn and Cecily, the Beavefield denizens run the gamut of archetypes, from overbearing conservatives to rowdy ruffians to the snooty liberals. Written by Mishna Wolff, Werewolves Within spends time introducing its cast of suspects, ensuring each has motivations and personality traits that make them viable candidates for murder. Finn teams up with postal worker Cecily ( Milana Vayntrub ) to attempt to keep the peace and find the culprit before it claims their lives. Then he discovers that a brutal murderer is hiding among them, and a severe snowstorm traps them all together at the inn. The unflappably charming Finn barely settles into his temporary living arrangement at the Beaverfield Inn before he’s getting to know the colorful residents of the town through their vocal opinions on the new pipeline construction project that’s creating major division among them. It’s a murder mystery whodunit based on the Ubisoft game, with guns, commentary, and many laughs.įorest ranger Finn Wheeler ( Sam Richardson ) embraces his new assignment in the cozy little town of Beaverfield, mainly because it offers the distance his girlfriend demanded of their relationship. It seems kismet that Ruben’s follow-up, Werewolves Within, works as a spiritual progression of his debut, putting a werewolf at the center of a murder mystery that rocks a snowy little town during a raging winter storm. “Werewolves have guns… Get revenge?” This comical line marked the only words that the aspiring writer and werewolf fan could come up with in Josh Ruben’s feature debut, Scare Me.