Howl

My work desk can be raised and lowered by the push of a button, and I've only been taking advantage of that in the past week. At Tampa, I had a desk that was a standing desk with a tall chair that was more like a stool. I did not like that desk at all. I could never get comfortable while sitting, because my legs were always dangling. Now, I feel like I have the best of both worlds because at my last job, even standing was uncomfortable because I couldn't adjust the desk itself to make it more comfortable, but that's not a problem anymore! Anyways, let's discuss...

Howl (2015)

A train guard, fresh off learning he did not get his promotion, learns from his dickhead supervisor that he has an unexpected double and he'll be on board the red eye from London to Eastborough. You see from that interaction that he's not one for confrontations and tends to let people push him around.

While on the train, you get to meet the passengers, and events are set up so you get a quick look at their personalities. You also learn that an older couple is hiding a dog on board. At this point, I got nervous because the doggy is just a little thing. I then checked out www.doesthedogdie.com, and I got a response I didn't expect. That is the last time you see or hear the dog in the entire movie. It's like the movie just up and forgot the dog existed. It's really weird, but I'm not complaining because it's better than the alternative. After all, there's no way a dog that size was going to survive this movie, so better to just handwave the little baby away. To explain the anomaly, my head canon is that the dog just decided to transport to go find help.

During the ride, our hero, Joe, decides to go for it and asks Ellen out right in front of the drunk, fat soccer fan. It doesn't go well; she's polite, and he misinterprets a response, and she has to double down that she's not interested. It's incredibly awkward, and the drunk dude is smack dab in the middle of this conversation. Once it ends and she walks away, the man breaks the silence by telling Joe, "That went well."

A short time later, the train shakes and rocks before slamming to a stop. The driver, played by the awesome Sean Pertwee (from Dog Soldiers and Alfred in "Gotham"), goes out to investigate, and things do not go well for him... at all. I couldn't believe that. Pertwee is a decently well-known actor and was starring in an American network TV show, and all he gets is two minutes of screentime. It's a bit of deja vu because he gets his guts torn out like he did in Dog Soldiers, but he doesn't come back in this one like in Dog Soldiers. Not only does he only get a tiny bit of screentime, but you can barely tell it's him. The two minutes he's there, it's dark and foggy, and he's wearing a hat. I could only tell it was him based on the voice.

After the people on board realize the driver is missing, they decide to walk the track to the next station. Unfortunately for our plucky band of heroes, a werewolf decides to make an appearance. During the chase, the older lady gets a huge chunk taken out of her leg before they manage to pull her to safety. So there they are, trapped inside a train with a woman who is going to turn into a monster eventually.

This movie is kind of weird; no one mentions the word "werewolf" until we're pretty much at the final act. Seeing the thing up close, it's obvious that the monster isn't human, even though it looks more like a man than an animal, and with the constant howling at the full moon, you'd think someone would come to that conclusion pretty early. Thankfully, the movie doesn't waste time with some scoffing saying, "Werewolves aren't real!" No need to waste time when it's obvious, and I appreciate that.

It's not so much scary, but it's fun. I really liked the characters. Because this train ride is a red eye, the pool of heroes is small, so you get to learn a bit about them as the movie goes on. I liked the mother, the dickhead, the young kid who had just had an interview and even the over-everything teenager got a heartfelt moment. While she's off, away from the group, and freaked out about the situation, the mother, who seems to be in her 30s, goes to talk to her. They have a small conversation about how her daughter is nearing her teen years and is your typical preteen. She says something about how her daughter doesn't really talk to her anymore, and the teen responds by saying, "My mum is my best friend."

The mother is taken aback by this comment coming from this girl and seems almost hopeful, "Maybe there's hope for me yet."

It's a very sweet moment because you can see the pain in the mother's eyes as she talks about her daughter and their relationship. She clearly regrets losing so much time with her and is terrified she's never going to see her again. She doesn't come out and say it, but it's all over the actress's face. At this point, I really hoped she was going to survive because she was the most complete character in the movie.

In all, I liked it. I really enjoyed the creature design. The monsters look decidedly human, kind of like Wolf Man, in that their face is a little wolfish, but they can still pass for human, well, except for their legs, those are all wolf. The creatures stand on two feet and run upright, and I love the look when they're standing in the shadows. They're tall and lanky with too-long limbs and glowing eyes. The movie gives you other shots where you can see the beasts clearly, and they're OK, but man, they look extra creepy when they're bathed in shadow.

There are two occasions where people get separated from the group and end up encircled by the pack of werewolves.

There's another touch that I really liked as well. There are two occasions where people get separated from the group and end up encircled by the pack of werewolves. One of them makes sense; the other is the type of bone-headed decision-making that you see in these movies. Both times, the human has a weapon and is swinging wildly to keep the animals at bay. What I loved is that these characters aren't given hero moments, because it just wouldn't happen that way. There's no ridiculousness like Lyanna Mormont taking down an undead giant while in her death throes. No, the wolves keep a safe distance and creep closer with each swing and let the dudes tire themselves out until they make a mistake. I liked that because it shows how the pack hunts and doesn't give these characters an unearned moment. They were screwed the moment they separated, although for one of them, it was by design.

Of course, in a movie like this, you need an asshole. I couldn't quite get a handle on him. At first, he's the one who takes charge and makes the most sense. Later, after the older woman starts showing obvious signs she's about to monster out, he's the one who says they have to deal with her. Granted, he goes about it a little too strongly, but he's right. But the movie really wants to show how much of a butt he is. He shows Joe two sets of keys; one for the house with his family and the other for a cottage near his work where he cheats on his wife. It's like they just wanted another opportunity to show he's a slimeball. He then has so many different face and heel turns that the Big Show would get jealous. Like, he saves people one moment, then boots someone out of the train the next. As an aside, that death is the one that got to me, and I genuinely felt bad.

As you know, I love werewolves, and this is one of the better movies starring a woof. It's fun, the monsters are cool, each of the characters stands out in their own way and they actually act, look and feel like real people. They're not just archetypes. Even if they seem to be tropes, there's something about them that makes them unique, and you do end up rooting for them even if you know they're going to have a bad time. I also enjoyed Joe's journey of going from being a passenger in his own life to being the one to take control of the rapidly deteriorating situation. He's not perfect, and his decisions or indecision get people killed, but he does his best and becomes what, I imagine, the character had always wished he could be.

I thought the end was just OK, but it seems like it just ends. I would have liked to have gotten a bit of the aftermath of people learning the truth; instead, we learn how the baddie got his comeuppance, which wasn't bad, but I think they should have flip-flopped the order; show the comeuppance and then give a little something more with the train station at the end.

It's not a bad way to spend 90 minutes, and like I mentioned, it's one of the better werewolf movies.

7.5 Dr. Chainsaws!