Wolf Man’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Is a Major Downgrade for The Invisible Man Director

Early reviews for Wolf Man are out and they are about what you would expect from a mid-January horror release. Despite Leigh Whannell’s strong track record as a filmmaker and his supercharged smash hit with The Invisible Man in 2020, Wolf Man appears to be coming in with more of a whimper than a howl. As of January 15th, Wolf Man currently sports a middling critic score of 59% with 68 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, leaving a significant portion of critics disappointed. While that score is still somewhat respectable for any new release in January, it’s a major downgrade from the certified-fresh 91% critic rating that Whannell enjoyed for The Invisible Man.

With an impressive track record of writing, producing, directing, and even starring in successful horror films, it’s safe to say that Whannell deserved a long leash when it came to letting him tell his scary stories. So it was somewhat eye-opening when Wolf Man was sent to the dog house in 2024. It was announced early last year that Wolf Man would be pushed from its original October 2024 release date to this January, possibly signaling that Blumhouse and Universal Pictures had increasing concerns for its horror classic remake. And according to the early reviews, those concerns appear to have been valid.

Trying to Make a Good Impression

In addition to directing Wolf Man, Whannell also co-wrote the film with his writing partner and wife, Corbett Tuck. The film stars Christopher Abbott as Blake, a man who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon when his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. When Blake persuades his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger (Matlida Firth), a nightmare begins to unfold. As the family makes their way to the farmhouse in the middle of the night, they’re attacked by an animal of some kind. In a desperate attempt to defend themselves and make it out alive, they barricade themselves inside the home as the animal attempts to make its way inside. But over the course of the night, Blake begins to feel a change brewing inside of his body, forcing Charlotte to take matters into her own hands.

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Whannell and Tuck’s script puts a modern spin on the classic 1941 monster movie The Wolf Man. The two films each share a similar name and have settings centered around remote locations, but that’s where the similarities end. While many critics admire the attempt by Whannell to create a mysterious and dread-filled monster tale, they argue that the film fails to find its footing and never manages to distinguish itself from similar films. While critics point to Abbott and Garner for their stand-out performances, their characters left them wanting more, suggesting that Wolf Man delivers a story that never really completed its transformation into a fully fleshed-out freight fest. If there is one thing worse than making a bad movie, it’s making a forgettable movie.

Failing to Live Up to the Hype

Since Wolf Man was first rumored back in 2014, the film has had to travel along a very long and winding road in order to even get made. In 2016, it was rumored that Dwayne Johnson was eyed to star in the film. But when those reports fell apart, the film just meandered through development hell. In 2021, The Place Beyond The Pines director Derek Cianfrance was brought on board to take the helm of the project. Even better, Ryan Gosling was also attached to star in the film as well. What more could you ask for?

But when both Cianfrance and Gosling dropped out of the film in 2023, it seemed as if Wolf Man would be nothing more than an urban legend. So when Whannell took over the reins in December 2023, it almost seemed a little too good to be true. Whannell was fresh off his critically acclaimed film, The Invisible Man. That film also managed to rake in over $140 million at the global box office with just a $7 million budget. It appeared that Whannell had everything going for him. But the jury is still out to see if Wolf Man will be able to recover from its haul of disappointing critic reviews. Everybody likes a good underdog story, right?

You can watch Wolf Man and judge for yourself when it hits theaters on Friday, January 17th.