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I'm beginning to see several movies or shows like this... The werewolves (at least they're advertised that way) are just just people with fangs and glowing eyes. Sounds and looks exactly like vampires to me... which they also have in the movie. I have absolutely no idea how they're different and can even be told apart. And apparently none of the people involved in the making of this movie have any idea what a werewolf is supposed to be. I actually hated this even more than the kind of movies that just make werewolves people that just completely turn into regular looking wolves. That's not scary and nor is it imaginative. A werewolf is supposed to be a blend of the human and the beast. Not like a Siberian husky or a vampire just being called a werewolf. Even the teen Wolf TV show at least gave the "werewolves" some sort of a different brow shape and some nice mutton chops and pointy ears... Although nothing really wolf like about them either. We need a werewolf movie with like the werewolf from Cabin in the Woods... Why can't someone make that happen? That is literally one of the most perfect werewolves in cinema history and it was just a throwaway in that movie. They make like 50 vampire movies and series a year and for us werewolf fans this is the kind of crap that we get almost all the time. The last decent werewolf movie was the Wolfman in 2010 but the directors cut... And truthfully that wasn't even that great. The time period and the sets were gorgeous. Rick Baker's makeup was of course amazing, but it got tarnished with too much CGI in the transformation scenes. The sad part is that the CGI was actually very good especially for that time, but it's still CGI and you know that and it takes you out of the realism of the scene, that's the entire movie. Howl wasn't a bad one either I guess, but the creatures were kinda like the inbred hillbillies of werewolves. I couldn't take anymore of this movie after the first 35 minutes so I had to turn it off, which I never really ever do to a movie. Dodge it like a silver bullet!

I was on Amazon Prime looking at werewolf movies and I saw this one came out last year, but I'd never even heard of it. I thought it was going to be mediocre at best... But I actually really enjoyed this movie! The werewolves look cool there's plenty of them to see, they do some cool stuff, and they do some disgusting stuff and there are a lot of funny parts in this movie that make it for sure a horror/comedy. I'm a huge werewolf fan and I feel like we get nowhere near the amount of movies, especially not the amount of cool movies that vampire fans get. So I really keep my eyes out for anything new but a lot of them are actually pretty terrible...the werewolves look bad and then the makeup sucks, and the production value isn't very good. Some movies you literally see the werewolf for like less than a couple minutes. I saw a movie recently that what they used as the werewolf suit for the movie, is actually the same exact suit you can buy from Party City at Halloween. Like they didn't change it and left it as it was. A $100 dollar costume. I work in the film industry and I was like, how could there have been a few people that put this movie together didn't notice or saw nothing wrong with that the creature star of the movie was just a costume from the store.

I dug the "slower" parts that some others referred to. It gave it more heart at the end. You needed every bit of the frustration with the monster, compounded by the loss of Abby in order for the flood of emotion in the end to be worthwhile. The story wasn't missing anything and you didn't need to know anymore about the monster then we do...it is...it was...real. The like 12 minute, one-take conversation scene was perfectly done. As a person in the industry, I can appreciate that kind of thing.

I actually couldn't finish the movie because the CGI werewolves were way worse than the one from American Werewolf in Paris. It's bordering on cartoonish or a parody. Couldn't take the movie seriously. I'll never understand how people think they can have a werewolf movie with a horrible werewolf or in some cases no werewolf at all. I was surprised at how bad the quality was because the cast was impressive.

But things are revealed near the end, that make it pretty clear that what you've been watching is not what you thought it was. The performances by both main characters were absolutely great, and knowing what you know in the end, they become even more intriguing when you think about the little nuances in each of their performances. **Do not read further if you haven't seen it the whole way through.**

There are two things that are revealed that aren't really stated as clear facts by anyone on screen... Gensen has that conversation with his uncle at the diner, where he makes it very clear that he suffered horrible abuse by his now deceased father, who died in jail sometime after Gensen left home. However his uncle says something about them being caught for kidnapping and people finding out how Gensen and Ruby had been living for many years and that it was "unnatural". Gensen talks about a particular time during his childhood where abuse had taken place, and how the father did things to Ruby and then made him do things to her as well. The words are never spoken, but it becomes apparent that Gensen and Ruby are brother and sister.

The second thing that isn't really spoken but it becomes obvious at the end, is that Ruby accidentally suffocated the baby when she was trying to muffle her cries, so that they weren't caught by hotel staff. She tells Gensen that she had finally gotten the baby to sleep, and until he hits Ruby with the shovel, you're not 100% sure whether the baby is asleep or dead, although I was thinking she was dead. But it's never plainly said and you only see Ruby holding the blanket the baby is wrapped up in, but not the baby herself.

I believe that Gensen kills Ruby, because he feels he is saving her from what would become her life after they are caught. He expressed concern that she would have a difficult time making it on her own, much less in jail. Now that they couldn't surrender peacefully and return the baby to her mother unharmed, there would be far more severe consequences for Ruby. I believe he feels his killing Ruby is mercy and best for her.

All in all it's a very interesting movie. The story can be somewhat slow and it's a truly tragic one. Not a "feel-good" movie for sure, but the very strong performances and the plot turns & revelations that take place...by the end, it becomes a very original and worthwhile story. I consider myself to be among the more knowledgable and experienced members of most audiences. I also work in the film industry on the production end. This definitely has it's effects on my perspective...which can sometimes be good and sometimes bad. It's a good thing when a movie can surprise me and get me invested. After everything I've seen, when a film gets me emotionally invested and I'm sucked into the story (not picking it apart or thinking "I know how they got that shot")... it usually means they did it right and did it well.

Maybe because it is so tough, that is what I'm feeling the need to write about it for. I don't typically write reviews for movies, on here or anyplace else. First off... Everything about the movie was great. The acting, writing, casting, directing, cinematography...etc. I truly only have one issue with the movie in general. I am a huge fan of the comic book movie genre, particularly DC, and even more specifically Batman and his world. My issue is that it doesn't feel very much like a "Joker" movie. And I would assume that the actors and those involved in making it were probably not trying to make it like any other Joker movie that's ever existed. I applaud them for that and appreciate it for its artistic value alone. If they would have taken out any recognizable character names or the word "Joker" from the movie, I probably could've gone into it not knowing anything, and walked out not realizing that it was a Joker movie at all. I mean the makeup and the clown aspect would've hinted at those things, but in the context it could have simply been a man who had that type of job who just couldn't take anymore crap from the world.

It's been done many times before, from the darkness and griminess in "Taxi Driver", to the emotional repression and complacency of the middle class commuter in "Falling Down", all the way to the hilarity of "Me, Myself and Irene". Even though it's been done before, this particular film did have a lot to bring to the table, if not only through the extreme talents of those involved in the project. There were things we hadn't seen before or that weren't shown to us in a certain way. For example, the mental health crisis aspect of the story, both for him and his mother.

The main thing is... I never really saw "The Joker" when I saw Fleck. His character doesn't seem like a formidable arch-villain for arguably the world's most beloved and bad ass superhero/comic book vigilante...the Batman. I don't even think this Joker could get on base, much less bring it all the way home. Arthur Fleck isn't terrifying or very unpredictable. I could see his character arc and predict his actions very early on in the story. Most importantly he is not a sociopath, and I think he lacks the charisma to become The Joker that we all know and love... at least a recognizable representation of the character. No version of Joker from one movie could be switched out with one from another, they all work very well in their own particular world and compliment the Batman of that world. Who even knows what the Batman of this world would be like, or how he and Phoenix's Joker would play off of each other. It's hitting me as I'm writing this, that we have never had a Joker in a movie, where we hadn't already had a very particular and familiar version of Batman that fit into that world. By the way, the same goes for each inundation of Batman...it would never work switching Batman from one world to another either. Part of me doesn't want my Joker to have a backstory, especially one that I know anything about it. He is much more interesting when you think his acts are not justified and you don't sympathize with him in any way. The Joker is supposed to be an enigmatic criminal mastermind, and part of the character's appeal is that we have no idea what has made him that way... nor how we could get him to stop. The Joker is simply the conductor of a symphony of chaos... much like Heath Ledger's version. He's an over-the-top flashy intimidating thug/crime boss like Jared Leto. Hell...Jack Nicholson's threw a parade through the streets of Gotham, for no other reason than to kill everyone with a gas that makes you die with a permanent smile on your face. Why? Because he thought it would be fun and it would incite Batman to come out and play with him. I just can't see Arthur Fleck ever becoming or doing any of those things, or being a formidable opponent for Batman. I think Batman would just kick his door in and beat him senseless while he cowered in the corner pissing himself...then he'd be locked up.

Other than that, I thought that the movie was wonderful! It was extremely well acted, well directed, and well produced. I just didn't walk out of the theater with this warm fuzzy feeling in my heart saying, "Damn I love me some Joker."

I hope some of the other real fans out there understand what I'm saying and would agree with me.

I've got no Idea how anyone can consider this anything other than extraordinary. They got the casting right, they got the story right, they got the Batsuit right, and most importantly they got Batman right. Affleck plays both Bruce and Batman perfectly. He truly captured the anger and brutality of Batman, which has never been so perfectly, or even close. Batman is one scary effin brute in this version. He is the Batman I'd least like to get my ass kicked by. Not taking away from Bale/Nolan films which are absolutely brilliant, yet they don't give us, the fans, the Batman we truly know and deserve. The damn warehouse scene IS BATMAN. One of my favorite scenes in any movie EVER. Of course he can take out a couple dozen armed guys...he's BATMAN. That's what he does. Bale was never shown to use any martial arts fighting techniques unless it was dropping a smoke bomb and escape like a ninja, and he didn't really incorporate his gadgets into his fighting style (which the Arkham video games did do well). Again it was a nod to let the fans know they want to give us what we want to see...Arkham style fight scenes. I loved the Dark Knight Trilogy, although now when I watch any of them, I just don't think that version of Bruce/Batman is all that great...he never really was. It seems I thought he was, until Affleck did it to perfection. The ridiculous fight scenes in Dark Knight, are just camera cutaways and blurred images that only tell us that Batman is probably winning. Other than the Bane fight they're all like this. Affleck is right out in full view, knocking dudes out, breaking bones, throwing dudes through walls...just being an angry brute, blocking bullets and knives, taking on multiple guys with a fair amount of ease. He looks so enraged and brutal, yet looks so much more polished, trained, experienced, and dangerous. And yes I know "he killed people"...but didn't Keaton kill... c'mon! Dropping bombs on the bad guys feet when they're at his Batmobile, a ticking time bomb he cuts off of a clown then attaches it to the clown and throws it into a manhole. He killed Joker as well. Nobody bitched about that.

Ask yourself this...if you had to bet on it, who would win in a fight, Affleck's Batman or Bale's Batman?

Wow. Uh... ok. The acting and cinematography were actually really good. It had some serious creep factor stuff going on around our host. I thought his character was extremely well acted by Mr. Gilyard. Porter is a kook from start to finish, and I can see him rightfully causing quite a bit of unease in the rest of the characters...as he very effectively does. But that, dear friends, is where the thrills end. What it all leads up to I found to be...very underwhelming and completely unclear, and ultimately it is never explained to give any of the events leading up to it any real meaning. Maybe that was the point. In which case, it was wholly effective. Unfortunately it just didn't culminate into something that I felt the performances and preceding events were worthy of. It's very seldom that something goes completely over my head or that I can't discern some meaning from, but it's not impossible by any means. Strong performances though and it gave off a really eerie vibe while it was still holding together. It lost me once the guy in the cape and plague doctor mask came in, and they all go upstairs.

The sound editing was really bad and it completely took me out of the story. Sometimes with dialogue, but mostly the sound of chains rattling or like glass breaking when a punch would land, or there's people firing guns on camera but not one gunshot sound effect. The acting was ok, but other than that the story was thin and done many times before. A guy sees a guy win a one on one bar fight with a total of three punches with not even a knockout, so he decides that man is a once in a lifetime fighter and he's gonna win a lot of money with him. And the fights weren't very "movie fight" exciting or brutal and realistic... so it kinda falls pretty flat. I work in the film industry and am also a fighter, so I can tell some people worked hard on this movie, and kudos to them... but it seems like others didn't even check the finished product before it went out. It's like nobody proofread the final draft. If they did and thought it was polished enough, then that's actually much worse. The runtime was a bit too long for such a simple story. The extra fight at the end against a guy we know nothing about actually did more harm to the story. I mean we don't know if this guy is any good...he could be a stone cold killer or a guy who's coming in to take a dive. Jazz had just beat the "villain" who was established on screen as the number one guy to beat, so who the hell is this? Then also I feel like as the audience we start to get annoyed with Freddie, the hard luck loser, and we pretty much don't even care to see him win. You kinda feel like he's a burden on his sister and Jazz. Also it was a very weird choice in the end with the "toilet paper bum" situation (trying not to spoil anything but if you've seen it to the end, you'll know). I can see it was an attempt at humor, but it comes out of nowhere and really makes the end less satisfying than it already was. It really doesn't work at all. Taking all of that into account, it just didn't come together enough for my taste. I hope that I was able to offer some constructive criticism.

I'm getting really tired of being let down by werewolf movies... but I'll keep watching them and hoping for a good one. This certainly is not that. Fans of the genre, please don't waste your time...the werewolf is literally an unaltered Party City costume. The mask is like $30 I think. I didn't even buy the mask for my own costume because it was so bad. It truly baffles me that someone thought it would be good enough for a movie. It's an insult to the audience and to some of the people who worked on that film. I work in the industry, so I can see there was actual effort put into some areas of the production. People who make movies in the genre please take note: You CANNOT make a good werewolf movie IF you DON'T HAVE a GOOD WEREWOLF. If you don't, then please don't even continue.

I usually don't really hate on movies. The acting wasn't horrible, but it's so so far from what it's movie poster implies. It's not horror or a monster movie at all. I mean the "beast" is in one short out of focus shot... and I'm not even sure what it is or what it's doing. A shot that is edited in a way that it looks like one guy, Mike, takes off toward another guy, Ely, and by the time he gets there Ely has been replaced with a person in Teen Wolf Too costume who's beating on ground. End of movie. Wow. I have no idea.

I'm only almost one season in and I truly want to love this show so much...and I really do, overall. There is so many good things about it and the genre is something that I'm very interested in. I'm just having a hard time getting past the horrible CGI that looks absolutely ridiculous several times each and every episode. It's like I feel that none of people involved in making the show have never watched a finished episode. It seems nobody feels bad having their name being involved with the show, seeing as so many people involved that had to have seen it, but still let this go on the air with such poor CGI. Other than that issue, which almost always distracts me from the plot and kind of takes me out of the story for a moment... I absolutely enjoy the hell out of it and will continue to do so. **Recent update: It seems that once season two starts the CGI gets much better and they use more practical effects. The perks of having a now successful network show, I imagine.**

As the advancements of man made technology continue to build steam, and the human race has, as well as its Darwinian principles has not had the time to catch up, it leaves us with a growing disparity between what we can do and what we can handle. Westworld catches us in a not so distant, nor difficult to imagine future. One where the bored elites of society have begun to pay handsomely to be whisked away to a time and place, mirroring the American Wild West, where they can seek to indulge in behaviors that would be illegal, immoral, and dangerous if not done in this context. This Westworld is filled with beautiful, homicidal, and uninhibited beings for the paying customers to interact with. These beings are laboratory made and programmed to serve out any number of actions within the parameters of their certain ingrained story lines. Consisting of parts "Jurassic Park", "Total Recall", "Bladerunner", and then even a little "Truman Show"... these beings begin to think beyond their programming and start to wonder about "what's out there?" and "why are things this way?", all leading to the impending events that are sure to follow. Great premise. Great actors. Great possibilities. Great fun. Enjoy...