Weak movies can do more than just leave an audience disappointed, they can leave you with an understanding of what you'd like similar movies to miss and what you'd like them to have. It is like learning from mistakes.
The visual effects are weak, the werewolf and the violence scenes look bad, but this doesn't stop the movie from adding other supernatural elements to the mix, elements that require, obviously, visual effects. So, lesson one, if the resources are not great, do not bring more than necessary to the table. If you are "a werewolf movie", only work with werewolves and keep other fiction out. Concentrate your limited resources on the core element. Few can be as good as 2004's "Van Helsing" when it comes to working with multiple well-known fictional creatures. Don't aim too high. And if you think one monster isn't enough for one film, go watch 1979's "Alien". And if you think it is bad for a monster movie to barely have the monster on screen, then go watch 1979's "Alien". The might of that film might prove you wrong.
There is a settlement terrorized by a werewolf and there is a group of specially equipped "werewolf hunters" hired by the local authority to help. On the one hand, there is a prologue in the movie that gives one of these heroes a little backstory, and that is not a bad thing. But on the other hand, because the movie is in a rush, it does not focus much on them, and little is known about them both as a team and each separately. What could have helped is a scene where they are shown successfully killing a werewolf before the main hunt of the film begins. A scene like that would have given the audience an understanding of what this team is, how good they are and how they work. Their experiences could then contrast what they are challenged with now. And there is no need to be in a hurry. So, lesson two, take your time and pay attention to detail.
I wish I could say "the movie looks good" because the lights and the colors are good indeed, the cinematography is good, but the visuals in general are not, because the werewolf and the violence scenes are a part of them, and they look bad, and they are the key visual element here because this movie is a werewolf story. I wish I could say "this movie has a good story" because it isn't that simple and has a plot twist I didn't see coming, but there is a lack of focus and precision, there are simply more elements than the movie can handle and it isn't organized well.
Finally, this movie got me thinking about something. And for that particular thing, I am grateful. It made me realize what I wish I could see. The werewolf movies usually tell stories where werewolves are no discovery because they have been a part of the human culture for a while now. In most movies it's like "We're dealing with werewolves here but aren't they only supposed to be in fiction?" and there is no discovery to make. Or it's like "We're dealing with werewolves here and they are a well-known part of our world" and there is, again, no discovery to make. I wish I could see a Hollywood level werewolf movie that has werewolves be a discovery to everybody in the movie. Perhaps, that movie would have to be set in a time period way before now. As for this one, it doesn't look good but it could have. The story it tells isn't all that good but it could have been. Whoever likes werewolf movies and still hasn't seen this one, may as well give it a try.
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