This is so well done and by the time it’s over you’ll crave for more! 9/10. Ted rules!!
I love when Marvel is encouraged to do different things.
If you plan to watch this because everyone keeps saying how this film is "different" from MCU films, stop right here.
That's a false advertisement. It's not a "black and white monster film from the '40s". Werewolf by Night is an MCU film through and through. There's nothing "different". Let me list:
And those are just from the top off my head. Sure you can find more if you're observant.
Well, sure Werewolf by Night is dressed in black and white but that's about it. It's a gimmick. It's not even trying to capture the essence of classic black and white films The Artist (2011) did it or build the atmosphere like Sin City (2005) did it. People saying this film is "different" from MCU needs to get their eyes checked and watch more films.
If you just wanted to watch an MCU, sure you get what you asked. But if you expected more, then whatever you heard about this film is a big fat hoax.
The plot, script, and acting were all so intricately woven together. Not only is it fun and entertaining, but more importantly, unique and classy. Marvel studios once again nailed it on this one.
I need more stories like this from Marvel! :black_heart:
Supremely well done. This format finally did for me what I’ve seen it do for so many others who have an easier time getting into older movies.
This is a 10/10 for me. I can’t believe it was 52 minutes
Super weird especially for marvel but I kinda dig it. Managed to make interesting characters and plot in under an hour, so I’d give it a 9/10.
Had high expectations after all the praise on social media. A big meh. Has nothing special going for it other than the gimmicky old Universal horror filter. The co-lead actress has some very bland facial expressions.
Deam man! I F#%$@ love it!!!
Marvel Studios’ first Special Presentation, Werewolf by Night, is a delightful departure from the usual superhero fare.
[8.2/10] This was a pleasant surprise! I didn’t really know what to expect from Werewolf By Night. I knew it was a bit of a B-movie horror throwback, but that’s about it. And it turned out that Michael Giacchino’s directorial debut was spectacular, delivering on that updated Grindhouse premise in spades.
I particularly loved the moody suspense of this one. This being a Marvel Studios-affiliated production, there’s certainly a good quotient of action here. But unexpectedly, the special moves at a very measured pace, spending time with its characters as they skulk through spooky spaces, or sit and drink in a particular moment. It gives the audience time to sit on the edge of their seat rather than just leap from action set piece to action set piece, and helps evoke the particular vibe that Giacchino and company are going for.
That one is legitimately scary but also endearingly campy. On the one hand, Werewolf By Night has a certain Rocky Horror vibe to it – not nearly as subversive, but also reveling in its shopworn, theatrical energy. The collection of garish ghoul-hunters, monologuing about kills or betrayals or the macguffin du jour – a much desired magical gem called the heart of stone – has a certain outsized joie de vivre to it that really clicks and makes this a fun special to watch from beginning to end.
At the same time, it’s legitimately scary in places. The early section of the piece features a spooky Battle Royale/Hunger Games/Squid Game riff, with a pack of monster hunters unleashed on a Halloweenie playscape where they’re hunting a prized monster, and one another, in hopes of winning the jeweled reward. The sense of ominousness as they peek around corners, with deliberately-paced scenes, until some ghoul or foe pops up to disturb the peace, keeps the suspense high and takes the scare factor along with it.
At the same time, those steadily unfurling sequences allow Giacchino’s score (that’s right, he pulls double duty here) to shine as well. The music tends to be sparse yet eerie, using a low-pitched horn or the usual unnerving strings to set you up for the big crescendo. Naturally for a music supervisor turned film director, his sonic bursts and melodic traps dovetail perfectly with the visuals.
The special does let the beast out of the cage now and again, with Jack, the titular werewolf having a chilling transformation rendered largely in shadow and strobe light, with only the reaction of his unlikely companion, Elsa, and the grisly sound of the change, to heighten the terror of what we cannot see.
That's good, because once we do see Werewolf Jack, he looks a bit silly. Despite the fearsome but cuddly look of Ted, Jack’s mini-Cthulhu-esque pal, the fully-transformed Jack looks more like a character out of Cats than a friend to an Eldritch abomination. But that’s in keeping with the special’s B-movie homage charms, and what the make-up job lacks in visual splendor, the special makes up for with a horrifyingly awesome one-take hallway fight that shows how agile and terrifying Jack can be when his beastly form is unleashed.
I feel comfortable knocking the werewolf look because the rest of the movie’s makeup, costuming, and set design is exquisite. The characters aren’t really developed outside of Jack, Elsa, and Elsa’s evil stepmother. So giving them cool looks suffices for character in the monster mash battle royale. From a Viking berserker type, to an ersatz Blade, to a cool-haired wrist-archer, to a David Bowie-esque huntress, the special can get by on the cool factor alone. The same goes for Elsa’s Jessica Jones-style emo girl look, Jack’s Billie Joe Armstrong-esque punk markings, and Elsa’s stepmother’s grand dame of the night get-up. All look perfect, and sell the misfit vibe of the whole piece.
The same is true of the set design. The production strikes a nice middle ground between seeming theatrical and seeming real enough to pass the sniff test. There’s a giant spooky toybox feel to the whole thing, with layers and turns in a garden maze, and a taxidermized monster central lair that makes you want to hang out in these spaces on Halloween. The black and white cinematography accentuates it all, letting the eerie lighting and sidewinding shadows take center stage.
The story is no great shakes, but sound enough to meet the film’s needs. The sense of Jack trying to infiltrate this group of monster bounty hunters, but only to protect his friend, gives him a solid motivation. Elsa’s return as the prodigal daughter, with a desire to rebel and rid herself of her father’s legacy works s the same. Their unexpected alliance leads to a nice exchange about what family means that’s well-written. And the way it leads to a bond between the two of them, with a connection that allows Elsa to avoid even the monstrous incarnation of Jack’s claws, is nice place to land.
Overall though, this is simply a cool setting and setup to spend an hour or so with around the spooky season. It’s rare to see film balance its tone so expertly, leaning into the artifice of its presentation with style and spooky flair out the wazoo, while still managing to affect the audience with its exquisite craft and archetypal figures. It’s cool to see more of these out there experiments from Marvel Studios’, and if they’d like to keep dipping in the well of their more horror-focused comics, especially with Giacchino in tow, I’m certainly here for it.
wooooow it wasn't good at all, I mean by no means.... But at least it was short. Idk what I hopped when I started this, to be a good wink to 40's monster movies, to be pretty or to be a descent movie... It's none of this.
I was surprised watching something decent coming from disney.
"WereWolf By Night"
9/10 Superb
What a welcome addition to
The "MCU:star2:"
This is the most
Important movie of Phase 4
And the foundation to the hole of
"The Multiverse Saga"
This Awesome movie will play a massive
part In Phase 6 in 2026.
Heres Why:
Man-Thing aka Ted Sallis
is the keeper of the
Blood Stone as he is the Guardian of
"The Nexus of All Realities" which
is the focal point
of the Multiverse where every single
universe in the entire Multiverse meets.
And TED'S job is to protect the entire
Multiverse at the focal point they all meet.
"Ted is the Protector of
The Nexus Of All Realities"
(and the Guardian of the BloodStone)
Oh and the kicker
"The Scarlet Witch"
With her reality altering powers
Is a "Nexus Being"
(hm Interesting)
'Mark my words' this is going to play a
massive part "WWBN" when it comes to
"Avengers Secret Wars"
When literally the Multiverse wars begin and every single Marvel character
and their Variants have at it with
one another in a battle we
have never seen the likes of.
And "WereWolf By Night"
Has just set all this up for
2026
"Avengers Secret Wars".
Fun Fact: DC's Swamp-Thing
debuted in House of Secrets #92
(July 1971) in a stand-alone horror story
set in the early 20th century.
Marvels Man-Thing was Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 (May 1971), and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including Adventure into Fear. Steve Gerber's 39-issue run on the series is considered to be a cult classic.
This Awesome movie is a
9/10 and the most important movie
to the hole of "Phase4-6"
and also to the Future of the entire
"MULTIVERSE SAGA"
(now this is what I'm talking about).
Don't get me started on
Doctor Strange and Clea
Going off to sort his Multiverse incursion
out he caused during the events of
"Doctor Strange In the MoM"
Obviously sorting that
out didn't go
as well as expected...hm Interesting.
(and lets not forget
with the events of
Spider-Man No Way Home,
Loki, What....If and
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Quantumania
:heart::yellow_heart::purple_heart:
"WereWolf By Night"
Has just brought
The Multiverse into full swing.)
Very very exciting indeed.
(Can you feel it...you all can
can't you).
Nice to see something different. Not a masterpiece but well done.
Super weird especially for marvel but I kinda dig it. Managed to make interesting characters and plot in under an hour, so I’d give it a 9/10.
the flaming tuba player should meet up with the flamethrower guitar guy from Fury Road and start a band or something
About 15 minutes was OK, the rest was like watching paint dry.
Bevare there is Two versions out one in black & white and one in color
"Werewolf by Night in Color" kept all the greatness and is much more MCU right now. However the original in stylised black and white was much cool and had more gravitas as an vintage project.
In monochrome or in colors it's an amazing MCU movie. Love it both ways.
8/10
Why does EVERYTHING made for Millenials and Genz has to be goofy amd clowny? Not even for 10 yearolds. RATE 3/10
...TF did I just watch, bro?
I really liked the idea that those most may consider monsters actually have more humanity to them than those most consider human, especially in this day and age of the worldwide rising tide of fascism, white nationalism, and neo-Nazism.
This is a strange little movie. The production very much made some deliberate nuance choices with its black and white, 30ish vibe. I’m not sure it’s worth watching. It hit 2 notes and fell flat. I give this film a 5 (meh) out of 10. [Comedic Horror?]
Very well done. I gave it an 8 just for the quality of production. The acting, which I think was on purpose was cheesy but it worked. I recommend 1 watch. You probably will not have a urge to watch it more than that
Wasn't amazing but it was good and didn't overstay it's welcome
Great pastiche of 1930's Monster Movies
Loved it. The storytelling was great, the creative visuals were on-point, & as many have pointed out, the pacing and length were absolutely perfect! It was just well-done, straight-up & I really want Marvel (& Disney in gen) to do more of these wonderful little specials.
Interesting classic chiaroscuro play, but nothing more. :)
Maybe my expectations were high because everyone was saying how good this is and how different it is compared to other mcu projects.
Well I don’t see what all the hype is about, it’s mediocre at best and quite forgettable. Pretty much the same as almost everything else in phase 4.
Even when Marvel tries to do something more heavy, it appeals to this silly kind of humour and this disturbs a lot the experience. The movie tries to simulate the old horror movies, but still didn't convince me, at least the history is entertaining.
Finally Marvel makes a good movie (Guardians franchise aside), great cinematography inspired by German expressionist cinema (even the protagonist looks a bit like Conrad Veidt), good direction, fascinating characters.
It's a pity it is too short, it should have been at least 30 minutes longer, expecially because the rushed finale.
Hope to see another movie directed by Michael Giacchino with these characters
"It will weaken it, it will also make it angry."
One shots might be the way to go for Marvel in the Disney+ saga. I really enjoyed this and while it does have more current vfx and action in it than the old timey horror classics, it is directed in a manner that feels respectful and fun. Who knew Michael Giacchino had directing chops!
I found it quite boring with logical plot holes as deep as the Mariana Trench.
I used to complain that Marvel’s TV shows felt like watered-down movies; now I am complaining that their self-contained medium-length features feel like TV show pilots. “Werewolf by Night” limits itself to introducing new characters, and despite being quite entertaining, it felt a little out of focus. If the aim was to pay tribute to the Universal classic monsters, a black-and-white filter paired with a couple of cheap-looking dummies is not enough to create the right mood. The cinematography and camerawork are pretty much the same as any other cookie-cutter Marvel product. You could say it’s campier than usual, but that’s the case with most of Phase 4. The black and white allowed them to use blood, but other than that, it’s the same old action sequences with a barebone plot to give context. I’m interested to see how these characters will fit in the bigger picture, though.
This was really interesting: A touch of the gothic, plus a touch of old school monster/horror films make this a good watch. Indeed, There are moments when Vincent Price wouldn't be out of place. The references to older films don't feel contrived whilst touches of humour aren't too OTT (unlike recent main franchise offers - Carry On Thor anyone?) I really hope there are more of these, as there are characters with potential. Say what you like about the Marvel Machine, but there are some really good pieces of engaging entertainment to be found, particularly when you step away from the big event films.
This is, particularly for an MCU project, spectacular. The suspense was perfectly drawn out, and there's a plot interesting enough that it may actually leave you wanting more by the end, and wishing it was longer.
I appreciate some of the nods to period accuracy here (what most notably caught my eye was the excellent use of on-set contrast for the sake of black & white, something WandaVision failed miserably at), but I do with they'd given it more purpose, and what they do with it at the end, while pleasant to the eye, is certainly bewildering, and I'm a bit confused as to why they made the choice they did there, visually.
I'm giving this a 9/10 for now, I may lower it later, but it seems appropriate for now.
P.S. crazy how this came out the same week as She Hulk's finale, huh? Wild. The literal peak and valley of the entire MCU Phase 4 in one week.
Short but sweet with the introduction of a cool comic hero in live action form. With Marvel’s version of Swamp Thing, Ted making his debut as well.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Werewolf by Night’:
It was kind of a Twilight Zone moment with lesser impact and a bigger budget.
It was random fun and refreshingly different for Marvel. But I was left wanting just a little bit more and asking why.
I enjoyed the black and white approach as well as the werewolf look. It was certainly well done.
It was okay, I guess. I mean, they did it okay, but things looked abit too clean for the genre, in my opinion and taste. And the ending felt kinda predictable. It was an okay movie, I guess. Also, I feel I wanna rate this, more of a 6.6/10 for me. I just felt 7 was about the closest I was able to rate it, on the site.
Also maybe Marvel should just stick to superheroes. This, relatively, felt like a waste of time and not that passionately made
Easily the best thing from marvel since infinity war, it's not woke, it's not political, it's not activism, it's just a good story with good actors, the only problem is that is short, only 55 minutes, but good 55 minutes.
I have no idea what this shit is about.
I know it's based on a character who had one outing in 1972 (which took a further 48 years to be ressurected), and that's where this should've remained.
:heart:x7
This is a very different kind of movie from Marvel. Although can one really call a show under 60 minutes a movie? By that I mean it would have been nice to see a little bit more of this story.
The monster in this story are really the heroes and the hero is really the monster.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of these one-off's from the MCU.
How I rate:
1-3 :heart: = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 :heart: = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 :heart: = I expect you will like this too
9-10 :heart: = movies and TV shows I really love!
[Disney+] The intentions are understood and the homage to classic horror films is ok, but it ends up being a conventional and basic effort that doesn't delve too deeply into any of the aspects it raises. A special program that reproduces the old style without supporting it in a contemporary point of view. An imitation game that probably Michael Giacchino will have enjoyed more than I did as a viewer.
A marvel movie that came out of nowhere, that isn’t like anything else in the MCU catalog! Firstly, it’s not going to be for everyone. It’s a black and white monster movie that feels straight out of the 1940’s. With that being said, another audience is going to love it for the same reason. I think it’s certainly worth watching, and I hope more oddities like this come to the MCU.
Rating: 3/5 - 7.5/10 - Worth Watching
While you could have filled the runtime to a feature length by fleshing out the other hunters a bit more, it still works great as a 53m special, dropping you right into the middle of this story and the community, with the carnivalesque grotesqueness of the hunt to determine who will wield the bloodstone. The mix of black and white and scratchy film grain gave it this great mix of old school classic, and grindhouse rawness, especially with the premise coming straight out of the cheese classic The Beast Must Die. Yeah, there's no surprise to Gael Garcia Bernal being the werewolf, even beyond acknowledgements in the marketing, but the story still unfolded with some great surprises (Ted!), Laura Donnelly is a fantastic take on Elsa Bloodstone, the magnificent Harriet Sanso Harris is chewing for the fences, and the hunters have some surprising faces like the always distinct Eugenie Bondurant, and frequent Muppet movie director Kirk Thatcher. It's gritty, lively, exciting, and quite funny at times, and is a really strong debut to what I hear will be a whole line of Marvel one-shots. Which, honestly, is a perfect format for certain characters. Dad and I are hoping we get a Dark Shadows style Tomb of Dracula next Halloween!
Awesome! I didn't know what to expect when starting this movie, and found it to be so much fun going through this journey. I hope others enjoy it as much as I did.
Pretty impressive for only 55 minutes. The black and white throwback style is unique and well executed. The production design appropriately captures the pulpy horror vibe. The writing/performances are stronger than I've come to expect out of Marvel's recent efforts. I enjoyed Gael Garcia Bernal back in his Mozart in the Jungle days, and he doesn't disappoint in this role either. Even the action has some surprises, being a bit more gruesome and bloody than the sanitized fist fights Marvel typically churns out. As far as criticisms go, I feel a little guilty in admitting that I didn't love the actual design of the titular werewolf. I'm sure it's probably inspired by the classic designs and old school special effects, but even so, it's not my favorite. Still, this is a unique little Marvel experiment that shows that they still have some gas in the tank, especially when they venture outside their standard formula.
9/10
Superb
What a welcome addition to
The "MCU"
This is the most
Important movie of Phase 4
And the foundation to the hole of the
"Multiverse Saga"
This Awesome movie will play a massive
part in phase 6 in 2025.
Heres Why:
Man-Thing aka Ted Sallis
is the keeper of the
Blood Stone as he is the Guardian of
"The Nexus of All Realities" which is the focal point
of the Multiverse where every single universe
in the entire Multiverse meets.
And TED'S job is to protect the entire
Multiverse at the point they all meet.
"Ted is the Protector of
The Nexus Of All Realities"
(and the Guardian of the BloodStone).
Oh and the kicker
"The Scarlet Witch"
With her reality altering powers
Is a "Nexus Being"
(hm Interesting)
Mark my words this is going to play a massive
part "WWBN" when it comes to
"Avengers Secret Wars"
When literally the Multiverse wars begin and every single Marvel character have at it with one another
in a battle we have never seen the likes of.
And "WereWolf By Night"
Has just set all this up for
2025
"Avengers Secret Wars"
Fun Fact: DC's Swamp-Thing
debuted in House of Secrets #92
(July 1971) in a stand-alone horror story
set in the early 20th century.
Marvels Man-Thing was Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 (May 1971), and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including Adventure into Fear. Steve Gerber's 39-issue run on the series is considered to be a cult classic.
This Awesome movie is a
9/10 and the most important movie to
the hole of "Phase4-6"
and also to the Future of the entire
"MULTIVERSE SAGA"
(now this is what I'm talking about).
Don't get me started on
Doctor Strange and Clea
Going off to sort his Multiverse incursion
out he caused during the events of
Doctor Strange In the MoM.
Obviously sorting
that out didn't go
as well as expected...hm Interesting.
(Can you feel it...you all can
can't you).
Marvel should stick to doing what they do best. This, is not big or clever or any good.
Cool change up to see from Marvel as they give us a short but sweet ode to classic monster movies. It still has the Marvel dialogue and tone but in a different package, hope to see more
WTF did I just watch?! If this is the Marvel Future then I am so done
Shout by GothamBlockedParent2022-09-10T19:46:47Z
This looks cool so far:eyes: