I was in awe of how gloriously gothic that British era was. It was 1850s, and Lawrence (Benicio del Toro) was summoned back to Talbot Hall in Blackmoor to help find his brother who was feared to have been attacked by an animal. Lawrence had never been home for ages (he was shipped to America when he was younger, to escape the trauma of witnessing his mother's supposed suicide; this also conveniently explained his obvious American accent). There, he meets his brother's fiance Gwen (Emily Blunt) and his once-distant father John (Anthony Hopkins). Will he be able to provide answers to the disappearance?
The first half was compelling, thanks in part to the eerie atmosphere and gloomy mood that befits this dark tale of fear. But as the 2nd half starts to unravel, loopholes start showing up - in bundles. Basic questions begged to be answered: Why would Gwen imploringly offer help for fugitive Lawrence when she didn't obviously have the foggiest to offer him? When she finally traveled back to Blackmoor, she went straight to the Talbot Estate knowing fully well what she was going to face - and didn't really have any solution to offer either!
The scene at the scientific institute was laughable too. Lawrence was tied down a chair while a roomful of scientists and doctors gathered around him, waiting for him to turn into a wolf with the coming of the full moon. As he was finally transforming, the lecturing doctor kept yapping about, oblivious to the transformation happening in the center of the room. Wasn't he present for that exactly? Were the other doctors idiots not to inform him that something indeed was happening? Much til later!
Spoilers here: If Gwen really wanted to help (She implored Lawrence, "Please let me help you!), she surely closed the saga of the werewolves by shooting Lawrence herself! Some kind of help she turned out to be.
The story was set in the 1850's. But this scene shows a fully operational Tower Bridge. The famed bridge only started construction in 1886 and officially opened in 1894. It was a fantastic sight nevertheless. I read somewhere that the wolfman costume (amazing costume really) took 3 hours to prepare and 1 hour to remove! Ouch!
"I was once Che, then transformed into a wolf," offers Del Toro.
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