OK, before I even get started, full disclosure here. The starring couple in this film, real life husband and wife, Casper and Jennifer Van Dien, are people are I consider my friends. Jenn has worked on two movies with me and was the subject of one of my very early interviews for Cult Goddess Magazine. That said, I'm rarely hard on independent productions as it is because I know what it takes to get a movie from concept to completion and that task alone deserves some respect, even if this golden age of everyone have a high quality camera just a cell phone away. Besides that, I have no editor (at the moment) telling me what to review, so if the movie had turned out to be a lemon, I just never would have published a review.
So, dear readers, there is your grain of salt. Now, read on.
I saw "Alpha Wolf" as an included with Prime flick as part of my October monster movie viewing. It's no secret that I'm a werewolf fan and most of all an "old school" werewolf fan. I prefer my wolves to be either well trained animals, or if they're anthropomorphized, men in make-up and/or suits. This movie delivered on the use of practical F/X, if not with the most frightening of wolf designs. The image on the box cover is a pretty accurate representation of what to expect. CG is used mostly for non-wolf F/X, sparingly and with varying degrees of success.
The title gives you the main gist of the movie. A self proclaimed Alpha Male is bitten by a werewolf and has to come to terms with his newfound powers or curse, depending on your point of view. All of this happens amid a get away with his wife and her loyal dog.
All around solid performances as you would expect from an experienced cast such as this.
There's a bit of a slow build up, which serves to create some tension and suspense and then it's followed by a good bit of action and intrigue. There are some easy to spot plot elements and maybe a surprise or two. The werewolf legend gets some new additions as it often does in modern movies.
You can see the cannon fodder victims coming as soon as they hit the screen, but that just adds to the retro feel.
Overall, if you're a werewolf fan and hunger for something new, this is a movie you should see.
By the way, never let a Van Dien drive your Jeep through the woods in a monster movie.
So, dear readers, there is your grain of salt. Now, read on.
I saw "Alpha Wolf" as an included with Prime flick as part of my October monster movie viewing. It's no secret that I'm a werewolf fan and most of all an "old school" werewolf fan. I prefer my wolves to be either well trained animals, or if they're anthropomorphized, men in make-up and/or suits. This movie delivered on the use of practical F/X, if not with the most frightening of wolf designs. The image on the box cover is a pretty accurate representation of what to expect. CG is used mostly for non-wolf F/X, sparingly and with varying degrees of success.
The title gives you the main gist of the movie. A self proclaimed Alpha Male is bitten by a werewolf and has to come to terms with his newfound powers or curse, depending on your point of view. All of this happens amid a get away with his wife and her loyal dog.
All around solid performances as you would expect from an experienced cast such as this.
There's a bit of a slow build up, which serves to create some tension and suspense and then it's followed by a good bit of action and intrigue. There are some easy to spot plot elements and maybe a surprise or two. The werewolf legend gets some new additions as it often does in modern movies.
You can see the cannon fodder victims coming as soon as they hit the screen, but that just adds to the retro feel.
Overall, if you're a werewolf fan and hunger for something new, this is a movie you should see.
By the way, never let a Van Dien drive your Jeep through the woods in a monster movie.
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