From the far reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy, It's Retro Nerd Girl with a film review for you.
Today I'll be reviewing the movie Teen Wolf released in 1985.
Starring:
Michael J. Fox, James Hampton, and Susan Ursitti
Directed by:
Rod Daniel
Genre:
Comedy, Fantasy
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Rating:
PG
Budget:
$1.2 million
Current IMDb Rating When Reviewed:
6.0
The Synopsis is:
Scott Howard seems like an average teenage boy, until he discovers that he is a werewolf.
Story:
After the financial success of Valley Girl released in 1983 starring a young Nicolas Cage, the powers that be, behind this film decided to try to create a similar success strategy, by shooting a low budget film that would produce big box office profits.
Comic book writer and screenwriter Jeph Loeb was hired to write the script along with Matthew Weisman.
Rod Daniel was hired to direct this film blending two very popular film genres at the time, teen movies and the upsurge of werewolf movies in the 1980’s.
Wolfen (1981), The Howling (1981), this movie, Howling II: ... Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985), Full Moon High (1981), Teen Wolf Too (1987), The Company of Wolves (1984), Howling III (1987), Silver Bullet (1985), and An American Werewolf in London (1981).
Earlier films with a similar premise was the horror flick, I Was a Teenage Werewolf released in 1957 and the wacky comedy, Full Moon High 1981.
Pacing:
At 1 hour and 31 minutes, it's pretty good. It takes 30 minutes to set up the premise and that is a bit too slow. Everything makes sense in the order that it is in and it’s a fun ride, but I just couldn't help feeling as if a lot of the run time was a bit bloated.
Challenge:
The first challenge in the story is that Scott is a werewolf through a family curse. At first you would think that it would be something he would have to hide, but in this strange alternative universe, it’s something that people are indeed a little startled by, maybe sometimes afraid of, but it seems to be OK with on the most part.
The secondary challenge for Scott is Mick, who is a 20 year old bully who has been rumored to have been to jail and held back a few times. He plays on the rival basketball team. He hates Scott with a passion, not because of his basketball skills, but because he knows how much Scott keeps making moves toward his on and off again girlfriend, Pamela. It’s actually a good reason to get really upset about, but, he’s pretty much your average unreasonable teen flick scary bad guy bully.
Pamela, is a shallow but gorgeous drama student that is only after the most popular boy in the room. Once Scott becomes the wolf, she can sense his animal magnetism immediately and it’s the only reason she takes notice of him. When Scott becomes a star basketball player she literally wants to be his trophy when she thinks it will benefit her popularity.
The thing that is so frustrating about her character is that she is smart enough to be a better person, but she chooses to be trophy for whoever is popular and it’s so clear she doesn’t even like Scott or Mick. It’s really sad the way her character is written in the story.
Mr. Thorne are the film's main antagonists who has a huge grudge against the Howard family of wolves and watches Scott's every move with scrutiny and disdain.
The challenges are minor and diffused by the comedy and the sheer unbelievability of the story. Somehow all of these challenges work to provide more tension for Scott to react to.
Empathy:
Scott is pretty likable because he is just a scrawny kid trying to make it through high school. He’s not a perfect character, but you do root for him and you hope that he can catch a break.
Once he discovers that he is a werewolf, there is a lot of comedy surrounding the awkward process of Scott transforming the wolf and it is treated almost like the trials and tribulations of puberty. It’s quite funny.
However Scott begins to see many of his shortcomings as a human dissolve in his animal form. As the wolf, he is endowed with many perks like giving him more athletic prowess transforming him into the star player of his basketball team and it gives him incredible charisma among his classmates.
One thing I liked about this movie’s take on the werewolf was all the fun Scott had as the werewolf, fun he usually never has. For once in a movie the werewolf was not a scary monster but a cool guy who like to have fun with his strengths. I think that is the reason so many fans found the film to be so endearing. You can’t help smiling as you see the wolf smiling and having fun.
And since we like Scott and the wolf, it’s hard to see him make many terrible choices such as choosing to be with a girl like Pamela, versus the girl who has been by his side from the beginning and loves him unconditionally, Lisa "Boof" Marconi.
Boof is a very unique nickname, but the story behind that was that her name was based on one of the writer's high school girlfriends. Aww!
Boof is a pretty cool girl so I was totally frustrated that Scott wouldn’t entertain the idea that he could be interested in her.
The sparks were there, but he just kept pushing her aside. He just couldn’t see how he was being seduced by the idea of fitting in and belonging could be so wrong. It’s understandable when you don’t fit in. He finally gets his dream and a lot of attention he never had before. But none of it is for being himself, Scott, it’s for the wolf.
But back to Boof, she pretty smart, but she can’t seem to find another identity besides waiting in the wings. Part of the reason she is pretty cool to me is that she doesn't change hoping to get Scott’s attention and she is just there for him when he needs her. That’s real love and I totally dig that.
I just love the relationship between Scott and his dad. His dad is not super involved in Scott’s life, but he is very present as a parent. He lovingly gives his son enough space to figure out a lot of things for himself and that is probably the most a person can do. However, he’s always there to back him up if he needs to.
Harold Howard tells Scott, "With great power comes an even greater responsibility," which is a modification of an iconic line that Uncle Ben tells Peter Parker in the Spider-Man comics and movies. It’s an obvious influence from Jeph Loeb who had also written for the Spider-Man comics in the 1990’s.
I couldn’t go without talking about Scott’s best friend Stiles, who is a rebel with a wild side for fun and making a profit. Hey why not?
When he sees the Wolf for the first time, he says what he sees is beautiful. He embraces the unusual.
Many viewers tend to notice is how many colorful shirts he wears hilariously imprinted shirts, before he adopts the Teen Wolf shirts.
- A yellow shirt that says "Life sucks then you die" shirt.
- A blue "Obnoxious: the movie" shirt.
- A black "What are you looking at Dicknose" shirt.
- A gray "Drunken State Florida" shirt.
- A pink without text shirt.
- A gray unreadable shirt.
- A black “Teen Wolf” shirt.
- A Hawaiian shirt.
- A white - "Wolf Buddy" shirt.
- A white Teen Wolf shirt.
Boy, that guy is a lot of fun, helping to keep the film’s tone really lighthearted which embodies a very youthful dynamic.
In fact many of the supporting characters embody the same comedic charm as if self aware of what this film is supposed to be.
Somewhere along the film I realized that this is not a just a movie about a boy who discovers he is a wolf, but it is very much a sports movie too.
I am not much of a basketball fan, but it didn’t really stop me from enjoying the film because through the sport our main character experiences his arc.
Technical:
This was an expensive production for sure. The high school was so close to the airport, they had to stop shooting when planes flew overhead. The entire production was said to have taken only twenty-one days and they couldn’t get real teenagers for this flick either.
Most of the “teenagers” in this film are clearly much older. Even though Michael J. Fox looked the part, was about 23 at the time. Mark Arnold who played Mick was 27 at the time. It’s a little hilarious to watch but hey that was the eighties, they loved using non-teenagers in teen movies back then.
The makeup effects for 1985 were a little rudimentary and doesn’t hold up over time.
They went with a more wolf man look instead of a realistic werewolf look seen in other films around the time period in the 1980’s when the makeup techniques had innovatively grown in believability.
The werewolf makeup took nearly four hours to apply, but it only took James Hampton (the actor who played Scott’s dad) thirty seconds to rip it off because it made him feel claustrophobic.
Scott Howard's house was on the same block as the homes of Marty McFly parents’ homes in 1955 in Back to the Future released in 1985.
The soundtrack had a strong synth vibe from the 1980’s but not many stand out tracks with the exception of the classic Beach Boys Surfin’ USA that was used for one of the most memorable scenes in the film, when the wolf dances, surfs, and performs a plethora of stunts on top of the Wolf mobile truck. I love that scene, but really who doesn’t?
Performances:
Michael J. Fox accepted role of Scott during a time when his TV show, Family Ties (1982) co-star Meredith Baxter became pregnant and the show needed to be put on hold for a while.
He’s fantastic in this even though he was not very thrilled to play the role and flat out refused to return for the sequel. He’s such a professional so you just can’t tell. He was the pulse of this film and I can’t imagine the success of this film without him because it is through his acting the audience was able to take the story serious enough to enjoy.
Jay Tarses plays the Beavers' coach and really brings a very memorable energy to the film.
James Hampton was also very memorable in his role of Scott’s dad and really sold their relationship.
Wish List:
There were a few insensitive terms that were present during the 1980’s that really prevents this from being a timeless film. I mean for crying out loud, there was a character in the film by the name of Chubby.
There was a slight goof in the film where Scott hears a dog whistle and his father who is right beside him is seemingly unaffected.
With the probability of the premise for the film being very unlikely, this is such a small gripe, I know.
Enjoyment:
A few months before the release of this film, Back to the Future (1985) hit theaters and became a huge blockbuster. Michael J. Fox’s popularity launched Teen Wolf into the stratosphere that landed it an animated TV Series (1986–1988).
OMG! Does anyone remember the animated show, it was my Saturday morning ritual for two years and it was so good. It kept the flame going for all of us Teen Wolf fans.
There was a sequel in 1987 starring Jason Bateman and twenty four years later, MTV created a show called Teen Wolf (2011-2017) with a more serious tone.
Teen Wolf was a big deal when it came out mainly because it was a chance for teenage girls to see one of their favorite heartthrobs on the big screen playing a cool wolf character. Yes, it was corny, juvenile and silly, but charmingly wonderful it its own unique way. And for all of these reasons it was a one of a kind.
From a cinematic stand point, the story begins where it ends, on the basketball court, where Scott eventually challenges himself to be a better human being.
It’s a feel good relic of the 1980’s.
My Rating:
7.8
That sums up my review. I hope you liked it. This is Retro Nerd Girl signing off! Take care movie lovers! I'm off to the next review!
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