I sat down to write this spoiler-free review of Teen Wolf the movie and
then realized I've never done a spoiler-free review in my life.
So this will probably be kind of short.
The movie is excellent. The joy at seeing all these people again
still hasn't worn off and it's been a while since I saw it.
My review to Jeff via email after watching it was simply "You magnificent bastard!"
George C. Scott: You magnificent bastard... Jerry Seinfeld: Seinfeld, you magnificent bastard.
Fez: Oh, you magnificent bastard .
Jeff is magnificent because he's brought back all the winning formula from the TV
show - familiar characters we love plus danger.
He's a bastard because he's dialed it all up to 11 with explosions and death.
How do people do spoiler-free reviews without actually talking about what happens?
I guess performances? I can talk about standout performances.
Shelley Hennig stood out. Her Malia is just as funny as ever.
And it's like she, as an actor,
has grown to better understand the character since the show went off.
It's just a really wonderful performance.
Holland Rhoden delivers the goods.
Lydia is probably the character that brings the most depth to these proceedings.
Her life did not work out the way she expected and her pivot doesn't seem to be working out either.
It's such a really good turn as Lydia by Roden.
Daddy Derek is good. I'm seeing a lot of comparisons to Hoechlin's Clark
Kent and it's kind of hard not to notice the similarities, I mean, if we're being honest.
But it's definitely Derek. He's a little softer and even more lovable
but he's still definitely Derek.
And Vince Mattis is just as good as you've heard. He may be better than you've heard.
If only the Teen Wolf intellectual property rights weren't so screwed up,
you could easily build a new show around Mattis as Eli.
If I have a complaint it's that there's not time for more of everyone.
Yes, it's a two hour and 20 minute movie.
But between the two high-octane action plots they've got going,
some folks screen time just seems minimal.
I would have liked a little more Mason.
That "wide-eyed just happy to be here but let me lay down some knowledge" thing comes
in handy a couple of times, but I really enjoy Khylin Rhambo and would have liked a bit more.
The same goes for Colton Haynes.
He's strictly comic relief in this movie and gets some really
great laughs but he is underutilized when it comes to the action scenes.
I could have also used more Peter but we all need more Peter in our lives.
Again these are complaints only in that I wanted more of these things in the movie
that already gave me everything I ever wanted in a continuation of this universe.
So it's not like it's a bad thing, I'm just greedy when it comes to Teen Wolf.
What else?
Oh, a lot of y'all like to only talk about the fight scenes and there's
a lot of that utilizing almost everybody at one time or another.
Lots of beautifully choreographed fighting, that doesn't actually interest me,
but it didn't go over-long at any one time so that's a good thing.
Still... I am still struggling not to tell you stuff that happens in the movie,
so I will have to do a spoiler-full review coming up soon. You can look for that.
I'll sum up by saying Jeff Davis delivered exactly what fans said they wanted - more Teen Wolf.
Now, in my decade of covering this stuff, covering this fandom,
I know the many factions can never all be pleased at the same time.
So the film will definitely be a source for future Twitter wars and long rambling Tumblr screeds.
But - when the credits rolled - Teen Wolf the movie left me with that same feeling I used to
get on Monday nights in the summertime and that's all I ever wanted from this project.