A Naked American Man Stole My... Basketball?
The Film
1985 was a pretty good year for Michael J. Fox. Back to the Future reigned supreme at the box office making Fox an international superstar, and Family Ties finally found its place with the American television audience. Fox would go on to win 3 Emmy Awards for his fabulous portrayal of Alex P. Keaton, but it was his presence on the big screen that really resonated with audiences.
Even with all of those projects underway, Fox managed to star in this cute little teen comedy about a kid who discovers that he's a werewolf. It's your typical coming of age story; loser high school student who happens to be the shortest point guard since Spud Webb, suddenly discovers that he has super powers and leads his team to victory while becoming super popular with the ladies. His ability to lay down reverse double-pump jams will amaze you. Teen Wolf isn't your typical teen comedy; which is too bad because there were a lot of great teen films during this period, but I don't think it was possible for Fox to play a real teenager with real problems like depression and drug addiction at this point in his career.
Werewolf movies, however, do have a certain appeal; especially when they are as gory as An American Werewolf in London which had groundbreaking make-up and visual effects and was released just a few short years before this one. Teen Wolf didn't attempt to cash in on the popularity of the John Landis film that rewrote the book on werewolf movies, but was more a vehicle for a rising star with a cute look who needed to branch out. Had any other actor made Teen Wolf, it would have ended up on the shelf at your local 7-11 gathering dust; next to some films with Charlie Sheen and Judd Nelson. Are we still winning, Charlie?
Scott Howard (Fox) goes from loser to freak back to lovable teenager with a major hair problem; which is ultimately better than David Kessler (David Neughton in American Werewolf in London) who goes from being a nerdy Jewish kid from the five towns to a murderous lycanthrope hanging out in a porno theater in Picadilly Circus. Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?
The Picture
The Sound
I was pretty excited when I read that the Blu-ray transfer had a DTS-HD Master Audio track; I became less excited when I adjusted my glasses and read that it was a 2.0 dual mono recording. The audio on this Blu-ray is as flat as the state of Kansas; not to mention the volume level which is quite uneven, making dialogue hard to discern in a few scenes. Even some of the more recent Criterion Blu-ray releases have better sound; and I'm referring to 40+ year-old films with restored mono audio tracks. Woof!
The Extras
Until I watched the bonus material, I couldn't figure out why MGM would decide to release this title on Blu-ray. Apparently, the folks at MTV have decided that vampires have jumped the shark; as opposed to the retards on Jersey Shore who should get eaten by one, and what America really needs now is a teen werewolf. Just don't expect a lovable one like Scott Howard. The new Teen Wolf is dark and gritty like Twiight, just cooler. Aha. MGM has included a sneak peak at the new series that looks like a rehash of a Buffy episode, just cooler. The original theatrical trailer for the film is also included. Not even a morsel of Alex P. Keaton to sink your teeth into.
Final Thoughts
Teen Wolf is not a terrible movie. That delightful accolade is reserved for MGM who did a terrible job on the Blu-ray transfer. How they could throw Michael J. Fox under the bus like this is really quite extraordinary. It's worthy of a rental on Netflix, but steer clear of this dog, or you'll be outside howling at the moon. Howling mad. Anybody have the number of those Libyans?
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