War Wolves (2009)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Excellent adaptation.

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

I wasn't going to write a review of this movie. Then I saw the scene at the out lying hotel/motel. Give me a break. Werewolves that also think, talk, and use weapons? Come on at least stick to the commonality of the stereotypes. You get three female soldiers who get the bug from the Arabs and come back to the US to feed(?). They embrace the the bad and use it to beat up the guys. Talk about reverse misogyny!!!! But then I guess it is about time huh? The good/bad guy with the bug that doesn't take over is eating raw meat and downing hard stuff by the bottle. Adrienne Barbeau's character is the most well developed of the whole movie. She seems to not really know what is up but as the movie progresses her little snippets of insights and lore is the high points of the show.

I got that in a 5$ bucket of DVD of a video store sale, having never watch it i tough 5$ was not too much considering the renting price of 4$ in much video store...So well, got it, watched it, and i was hoping for way better. Sure it was not all bad, it had decent stuff, but overall the biggest problem of this movie is that the story seem to search badly for its plot... if that make sense. I remember people saying Alone in the Dark(2005) had an unclear story but this one is way worst. Its like "there is the goodies who want to remain good and the baddies who want to be bad and that cover much of it but you never get anything more about there motive or anything. Overall they all get infected at war in afghan, then they are back home and you never know anything much except that Jake try to control the beast and stay good, and Erika for never mentioned reason want to be evil and want Jake to join them. Add the 2 wolvies hunter that want to kill them because there are wolves... and here you got, you got the story. But its poorly written, leaves lot of plot holes or stuff never explained. Well its disappointing.At least the chicks are hot. The fights scene are weird a little bit, they try to show werewolves power in fights "wired style martial arts" and even tough they are not bad(but not great) they tend to come out weird as completely not matching the plot.Honestly i could go on about things not being understand, or weirdly done, but the truth is i didn't watch time during it, like i do when the movie truly bore me... i couldn't say i was chill up and all, but that was OK for me. I would say in a way it remind me of Thralls(aka Blood Angels) also with Siri Baruc, but this one even being cheesy vampire stuff, had a clear story. The babes where hot, i liked the setting and thats why i got the DVD in my collection and watch it sometimes. But this one... probably gonna go at the pawnshop for 1$...

OK that might be exaggerating a little bit, if u are fan of the so called werewolves-films out there, then u might just probably wanna see this one. But then I would suggest to fast forward straight to the end, because the rest of the movie really is below average, and that is still putting it very politely.Anyway, the story on itself isn't to bad at all. Couple of marines, get caught in the war (mostlikely Iracq) they get infected by a tribe of wolf-people, making sure they will change themselves into wolves over time. Any sci-fi and horror lover will just lick his fingers on a story like this. (So did I btw). And I know it is a low-budget movie, but in the end low-budget means not that many special effects and not the A-list actors. Here we have a gathering of some veterans on the B and C-list, whom in the past have given some decent performances. But in this movie it is just over the top, actually so much over that it tends to become ridiculous (but that was I suppose not the intention) So the acting is rather bad, not to say borderline awful. Besides that the make-up for the changing characters in wolves, was just childlike, they look like they are ready to go to some carnaval festival, instead of trying to scare us or make us believe that they actually can change into wolves. There is another low-budget about people changing into wolves out there, starring Olivier Martinez (believe the name is Blood and Wine) now there the effects were a lot more realistic, then in this film. Overall this film has let me down over the whole line. The editing was bad, the acting not good, the director doesn't know how to tell a story, and what is the thing with Elvis actually ???? If anyone can tell me the relevance, I would greatly appreciate it.

Young soldiers in a dangerous gunfight in Iraq, encounter Arab werewolves who curse them with lycanthropy, returning home to United States fighting the primal beast which wishes to emerge. Michael Worth directs and stars as Jake Gabriel, a boozing grocery checker in a small town using pills and drink to halt the wolf that is wanting to take control. Meanwhile, his comrades from the military, including lover, Erika(Natasha Alam)wish to find him so that they can form as a collective group which could mean devastating consequences towards innocents who are in their vicinity, particularly when hunger strikes. John Saxon and Tim Thomerson star as Vietnam veterans who are werewolf hunters, Ford and Bergman, with plans to execute Erika and her gang for the threat they pose to the American population. Jake, however, doesn't embrace the wolf, and finds an adversary in a fellow soldier who wishes for him to join them..the more Jake resists, the more his former war buddy pressures him, through combat. Jake also struggles to resist Erika who believes he's vital towards the strength of their group..despite how her sisters, Kacey(Siri Baruc)& Justine(Kristi Clainos), disregard him as a distraction whose resistance risks their well being. Adrienne Barbeau shines as Gail, a charming, likable loon(..the type that believes that aliens, Elvis, among other things exist)who rambles on to Jake, who takes her in stride because of how she took him in, giving him a home. Martin Kove shows up for five minutes as werewolf hunter, Malick, who is quite cocky and loves the sound of his own voice..his babbling costs him dearly. No werewolf transformations in this film(..just the eyes change color, fingernails and teeth extend, ears become pointy, with a knob nose..but no full wolf-beast)which was a bummer, and Worth never really delivers any full-scale action set-pieces involving our hunters and their prey. Some wire-fu as Jake battles his adversary(..it's shot in a rather unexciting way, however, as the two combatants tangle, swing each other around, and connect barely visible blows due to Worth's quick edit style) and a couple minor shoot-outs between Saxon/Thomerson and their targets, which is a shame. Worth also adopts the annoying shaky-cam tactics during action sequences which removes any potential thrills. Sadly, Saxon and Thomerson aren't allowed to blow werewolves away which would've been the draw of such a film as this. Worth gives himself the starring role as the torn hero who just wishes to live in peace without the inner battle that's raging within. It was great seeing genre veterans Saxon, Thomerson, Barbeau, and Art Lafluer(..attending the church AAA meeting) together in the church at the end as the final battle erupts(..although, Saxon and Thomerson, guns in hand, get no opportunity to use their weapons). Thomerson and Saxon have terrific chemistry and seem to get along incredibly well..too bad Worth wouldn't let the old timers kick some ass. The werewolves themselves, basically ferocious humans, rarely engage in combat(..the bar sequence where the were-girls destroy a group of hick thugs doesn't even deliver)which it in itself makes WAR WOLVES a dud. SKINWALKERS, a rather minor, tame werewolf tale fares far better than WAR WOLVES..another werewolf film that fails to provide the necessary thrills.