Teen Wolf: The Movie Review: A Disappointing Continuation
Teen Wolf: The Film tries to seize the magic of the unique present, however although many unique forged members returned, it falls wanting the mark.
In its heyday, Teen Wolf was massively in style and certainly one of MTV’s few profitable scripted dramas, which led to the collection getting its very personal movie continuation in Teen Wolf: The Film. Primarily based very loosely on the 80s film of the identical identify, Teen Wolf managed to search out lightning in a bottle with its charming and charismatic younger forged, who dropped at life the more and more ludicrous supernatural world of Beacon Hills with large coronary heart. Now, the previous teenagers are reuniting as adults and, together with creator Jeff Davis, seeing if they’ll replicate that very same spirit. Teen Wolf: The Film tries to seize the magic of the unique present, however although many unique forged members returned, it falls wanting the mark.
Choosing up 15 years after the loss of life of Allison Argent (Crystal Reed) on the finish of season 3, Teen Wolf: The Film finds members of Scott McCall’s (Tyler Posey) pack scattered all over the world, whereas Scott is working alongside his outdated boss Deaton (Seth Gilliam). Nevertheless, when the trapped Nogitsune is stolen from Liam Dunbar (Dylan Sprayberry) and freed, Scott and Chris Argent (JR Bourne) start to see visions of Allison. Returning to Beacon Hills together with Lydia Martin (Holland Roden) and Jackson Whittemore (Colton Haynes), Scott units out to find out the rationale behind the visions. They reunite with fellow allies Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin), his son Eli (Vince Mattis), Sheriff Stilinski (Linden Ashby), Melissa McCall (Melissa Ponzio), Peter Hale (Ian Bohen), Malia Tate (Shelly Hennig), Jordan Parrish (Ryan Kelley) and Mason Hewitt (Khylin Rhambo) with a purpose to tackle the Nogitsune.
Davis returned to pen the script for the film, with collection director and government producer Russell Mulcahy helming the movie. Regardless of the hefty runtime (at over two hours) and return of the unique inventive staff, Teen Wolf: The Film nonetheless feels missing in coronary heart, which was so particular to the unique present. A part of that is right down to Dylan O’Brien not returning as Stiles Stilinksi. Scott and Stiles’ friendship was the center of the present from day one, however with out O’Brien, that relationship can’t anchor the film. Davis makes a valiant effort to have Scott and Allison’s relationship be Teen Wolf: The Film’s anchor, but it surely does not work fairly as properly as a result of it is jockeying for runtime with too many different competing characters and storylines.
Although Davis’s script makes an attempt to maintain the plot targeted on the specter of the Nogitsune, the movie is way too overstuffed for every particular person character’s storyline to really feel like a satisfying and cohesive addition to the Teen Wolf franchise. The returning forged members nonetheless work properly collectively, however some stand out greater than others. Hoechlin, who’s gone on to steer his personal present in Superman & Lois, remains to be magnetic as Derek Hale, and we get to see the werewolf in a brand new gentle as a father, which softens the character’s rougher edges. Haynes can also be a delight because the lovably obnoxious Jackson, which fills some of the void left by O’Brien’s snarky Stiles.
Posey and Reed nonetheless have sufficient of the chemistry that labored within the unique present to make their ill-fated storyline pluck on the heartstrings. When it comes to newcomers, Mattis is okay as Eli Hale, as is Amy Lin Workman as Hikari Zhang. That stated, Hikari’s existence appears to be a results of unique star Arden Cho opting to not return as Kira Yukimura, so the unique kitsune was changed with a very new character, which solely worsens the optics across the movie. (Cho selected to not return attributable to a pay disparity between her and the remainder of the Teen Wolf forged.)
Since Teen Wolf: The Film does not have as robust of an anchor as the unique present, the movie’s weaknesses are all of the extra evident — significantly in terms of the mythology. Teen Wolf all the time performed quick and unfastened with even its personal established mythology, however the film takes it to a complete new degree by retconning vital elements of the Nogitsune’s lore. It is needlessly irritating, particularly as a result of it is clearly achieved in order that Teen Wolf: The Film can attempt to capitalize on certainly one of their hottest villains whereas nonetheless upping the ante. However the result’s a large number that makes a mockery of one of many present’s finest storylines.
In the long run, Teen Wolf: The Film is de facto just for followers of the unique present. There’s an excessive amount of historical past — each by way of the characters and the mythology — for newcomers to really recognize the occasions of the movie. Nevertheless it’s unlikely to totally fulfill even the diehard followers both, even when there’s some depraved enjoyment available seeing the Teen Wolf characters lastly get to swear. Teen Wolf: The Film is maybe one of the best continuation Davis, Mulcahy and the forged might hope for given what they needed to work with, but it surely’s nonetheless in the end a disappointing return to Beacon Hills.
Teen Wolf: The Film begins streaming on Paramount+ Thursday, January 26. It’s 140 minutes lengthy and rated TV-MA.
