There’s something delightfully audacious about a film that knows exactly what it is and revels in the absurdity of its premise, and Werewolves certainly begins with that promise. Directed by Steven C. Miller, this dystopian action-horror hybrid introduces a world where humanity is plunged into chaos every time a supermoon rises, triggering a lycanthropic pandemic. It’s a premise that practically howls for gleeful mayhem, and yet, despite flashes of potential, the film frustratingly trips over its own paws.

Frank Grillo leads the pack as Dr. Wesley Marshall, a molecular biologist moonlighting as a rugged action hero, a trope so gleefully self-aware it borders on parody. Grillo has a natural charisma and an ability to elevate even the most ludicrous of scenarios, which serves him well here. Wesley, a man of science and shotguns, finds himself trying to protect his late brother’s family from the werewolf plague while...