Teen Wolf starts as average high school teenager Scott Howard (Michael J. Fox) is having problems, he can't get Pamela Wells (Lorie Griffin) to notice him, the school vice President is giving him a hard time & the school basketball team he plays for suck. However Scott starts to undergo changes, he grows long strands of hair, has claw like fingernails & hears dog whistles as Scott discovers that he in fact a Werewolf & that his dad Harold (James Hampton) is also one as it runs in the family. Soon Scott's secret is exposed & the whole town loves the wolf, under pressure to remain popular & the center of attention Scott lets the Wolf get out of control & uses his animal like strength & agility to get the basketball team to the state finals but Scott soon realises that the Werewolf inside him is as much a curse as a blessing...
Directed by Rod Daniel this light hearted fantasy isn't exactly great but it is hard to dislike thanks to a nice performance by Fox & a fairly likable story. Sharing a lot in common with I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957) the similarities are obvious but the metaphors & parallels are updated to the 80's as the script deals with teen problems like puberty, school bullies, girls, parent trouble & pins it all on the fairly standard plot of the sporting underdog who comes good rather than the 50's which featured teens rebelling against authority & being singled out as trouble makers. Although very much of different time periods & eras Teen Wolf & I Was a Teenage Werewolf are more or less the same film. At 90 odd minutes Teen Wolf moves along at a nice pace & the story although a bit predictable & cheesy at times is fun to sit down & watch, I don't know because while it's a comedy & I didn't really laugh or anything I did smile & you do sort of root for Scott. As Scott makes decisions like having to choose between being himself or the Wolf, whether to alienate is friends or the girl who has always had a crush on him you can sort of see where he's coming from. Maybe one of the few Werewolf films that completely does away with full moons (although one is briefly seen it has no purpose), transformations & silver bullets.
The film looks OK, it's not some visual masterpiece but it's OK to look at. The Werewolf effects are really poor, once Fox becomes one he looks like a mutant dog or something with long hair & a long beard as his facial features are kept. The basketball matches are alright but there's only three & don't feature in the film as much as I thought they would. There are lots of musical montages which look a little dated now as the Werewolf does a handstand on a moving van & there's an amusing Saturday Night Fever (1977) homage.
Filmed in 1984 this wasn't released until after Back to the Future (1985) which made Fox a star & as such did very well off the back of it, shot in California the production values are decent enough. The acting is good & one of the films best aspects as everyone gives a likable performance.
Teen Wolf is a likable film more than a really good one, it sets a standard tale of teen angst & anxieties against the backdrop of a Werewolf film & is quite fun if a little dated & predictable. Followed by a cartoon series Teen Wolf (1986) which ran for twenty one episodes & a live action sequel Teen Wolf Too (1987) while the makers of Teen Witch (1987) might have took inspiration from Teen Wolf...
Directed by Rod Daniel this light hearted fantasy isn't exactly great but it is hard to dislike thanks to a nice performance by Fox & a fairly likable story. Sharing a lot in common with I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957) the similarities are obvious but the metaphors & parallels are updated to the 80's as the script deals with teen problems like puberty, school bullies, girls, parent trouble & pins it all on the fairly standard plot of the sporting underdog who comes good rather than the 50's which featured teens rebelling against authority & being singled out as trouble makers. Although very much of different time periods & eras Teen Wolf & I Was a Teenage Werewolf are more or less the same film. At 90 odd minutes Teen Wolf moves along at a nice pace & the story although a bit predictable & cheesy at times is fun to sit down & watch, I don't know because while it's a comedy & I didn't really laugh or anything I did smile & you do sort of root for Scott. As Scott makes decisions like having to choose between being himself or the Wolf, whether to alienate is friends or the girl who has always had a crush on him you can sort of see where he's coming from. Maybe one of the few Werewolf films that completely does away with full moons (although one is briefly seen it has no purpose), transformations & silver bullets.
The film looks OK, it's not some visual masterpiece but it's OK to look at. The Werewolf effects are really poor, once Fox becomes one he looks like a mutant dog or something with long hair & a long beard as his facial features are kept. The basketball matches are alright but there's only three & don't feature in the film as much as I thought they would. There are lots of musical montages which look a little dated now as the Werewolf does a handstand on a moving van & there's an amusing Saturday Night Fever (1977) homage.
Filmed in 1984 this wasn't released until after Back to the Future (1985) which made Fox a star & as such did very well off the back of it, shot in California the production values are decent enough. The acting is good & one of the films best aspects as everyone gives a likable performance.
Teen Wolf is a likable film more than a really good one, it sets a standard tale of teen angst & anxieties against the backdrop of a Werewolf film & is quite fun if a little dated & predictable. Followed by a cartoon series Teen Wolf (1986) which ran for twenty one episodes & a live action sequel Teen Wolf Too (1987) while the makers of Teen Witch (1987) might have took inspiration from Teen Wolf...