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Teen Wolf: The Movie: An Unhelpful Review

Writer's picture: Amanda KelnerAmanda Kelner

I'm a little late to the party with this one, but when it first came out I couldn't stop thinking about how unhelpful it would be to have someone who's never seen Teen Wolf the series watch the Teen Wolf movie and give it a review. And what am I here for if not to give you all an abundance of unhelpful reviews?


I think it's a little white lie to say I've never watched the show. I think I watched the pilot, years ago. It certainly wouldn't be the first teen soap opera I tried watching, but for some reason, I couldn't get into it. So I only got through the pilot and I'm a little familiar with how it played out and the actors involved, but in terms of the main antagonists, some of the basic plotlines, and the world-building elements of the show, I was going in blind.


And now that I have seen the movie, I give you my thoughts.


Briefly, and Without Spoilers

Teen Wolf: The Movie finds Scott McCall (Tyler Posey), 15 years after he's left his hometown of Beacon Hills, working at a dog shelter in Los Angeles. One evening, Chris Argent (JR Bourne) arrives at Scott's shelter to say he's been receiving visions of his late daughter, and Scott's former girlfriend, Allison (Crystal Reed). She's stuck between life and death and Argent believes they can find a way to help her and possibly even bring her back to life. Joined by familiar faces from the old crew, Scott returns to Beacon Hills to help Allison, only to realize something more sinister is at play.


Directed by Russell Mulcahy and written by Will Wallace and Joseph P. Genier, the movie is a revival of the television show of the same name and offers veteran and new fans a new story with all their favorite characters.


What Did I Miss? (Spoilers Ahead!!)

I think creating a movie with an existing storyline and fanbase can pose a particular challenge to writers and filmmakers. You need to balance the existing fanbase's love for the original story with the lack of knowledge new fans will have about the plot and its characters. Plus there's all the Hollywood stuff.


Based on the drama and pizzaz surrounding all the characters as they entered their respective scenes, it seems like the kind of production that the original fanbase would be excited about, especially since it's been 6 years. But can the people like me pick up what's being thrown down?


I think it's worth acknowledging that this movie was not written for people like me. It was written for the people who know the story and love the characters. And I know that. And anything I say should have no bearing on the enjoyment that fans of the show should experience.


Having said that.


It was okay. I'll be honest, it kind of has all the hallmarks of a melodramatic teen soap opera with outrageously high stakes in a town that's somehow both small and well-financed.


I'll start with the "Did I get what was going on" question. Yes? I think? I mean I got the gist, even if some of the specifics seemed a little confusing. There were some clear moments that were set up like they were shoutouts to the old show, but that didn't really get elaborated on, like old romantic relationships. But I think if you don't mind that you won't necessarily get those callbacks, then you can still follow the story.


The Chemistry Teacher, at the Stadium, with Magic Mountain Ash

Okay, so the main antagonist, the Nogitsune (Aaron Hendry), had a semi-confusing relationship with the group. I think maybe there was some history there and they all seemed very knowledgeable of ancient Japanese mythology, quite conveniently, so I'm guessing that wasn't a new foe? But they don't really dive into that or what the history is, so maybe they're all just secretly working to get their Bachelor's in Japanese Studies.


I'm very, very, very curious what veteran fans of the show think of the final reveal that the Chemistry teacher (Adam Fristoe) was behind the entire plot. He explains there's some old animosity between him and the group because they sacrificed him in a ritual and now he wants revenge. After all the buildup and the drama, I was expecting a little more, but maybe this has been a long time coming? Like when a TV show fully tosses a character aside and the fandom spends the rest of the show asking what happened to them. And then he's ultimately dragged off to some mystery facility that's also clearly a detail veteran fans would be familiar with, but totally went over my head.


The WTF Moments

Bitch, nobody believes the refs at a state championship lacrosse game would allow a mystery grownup to play with the high schoolers.


And sundry other unbelievable moments.


Happily Ever After?

One thing I did like is that there was kind of a happy ending. Yes, there's a death (I won't spoil that), but so often, I feel like writers kill off a love interest or romantic partner to create a new storyline and motive for the main character, which seems like is what happened in the show when Allison originally died. So I kind of like that she gets to stay and live with Scott again and there's kind of a happy ending. It pulls at my heartstrings and it feels good that a main character gets that kind of win.


Some of the Other Technical Stuff

In terms of reviewing some of the technicalities, the writing was not my favorite. The dialog was a little stilted and took a while to spit out at times. We don't need the pauses every time.


And I hate to dump that on the actors because that often falls to bad writing and bad directing. The storyline was also a little all over the place, but it reminded me of the teen soap opera tendency to group different people for different plot points. Like you have a big cast, and in one episode, some people will team up with some people, and in the next episode, they'll team up with someone else. That's kind of what it felt like, but in movie form.


And it was long. It was over two hours. It was so long. I don't think we needed two hours. Over two hours.


Maybe Not for the Newbies

With all that said, it wasn't the worst, but I probably wouldn't watch it again. I could follow along and it was entertaining, but it's probably not the kind of movie you can just jump into having no idea what happened leading up to the movie's plot. And obviously, I can't speak for how it holds up to the show.


But like I said, it's probably not for me. If the Teen Wolf fanbase watched this movie and loved every minute of its nostalgia, then I think it accomplished what it set out to do. Honestly, I think it's a special experience to be able to relive the excitement of watching your favorite TV show and enjoy seeing all your favorite characters. I think that says a lot about the fans and the cast and crew. And more importantly, unlike some of the other revivals, they didn't need to change much about the original setup. So even though there's a lot I may not have been able to appreciate, I think it's very special what it's done and what it offers to its core fanbase.

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