Lucha de fuego

I do have an in general intense dislike for Syfy's movies, so I was expecting Monsterwolf, judging from its somewhat cash-in title, to be of poor quality. Actually, Monsterwolf was better than I expected. The film does have some good photography and scenery, had an interesting idea and the film does start off very well. However, as an overall film it is not very good. I did like the idea very much, but the story here is executed in a ridiculous and predictable manner, complete with some inane ideas such as how the guns were handled and the whole back-story involving Maria. The film for Syfy doesn't look too bad photography wise, but while the effects are not as shoddy as you would expect they are largely inconsistent with the design of the wolf throughout being rather hit-and-miss. On top of that, the script is often generic, the characters are cardboard cut-outs and the actors overall don't connect to their characters. The direction is derivative too, and while not as meandering or as boring as other Syfy projects, the pace particularly in the middle can be dull. All in all, better than I thought but in all honesty it isn't a good movie. 3/10 Bethany Cox

What a stellar performance by Griff First. I really can't believe he wasn't nominated for best supporting at the Oscars. Well I have all the confidence in him to keep on plugging away at these all important roles that have such depth and character. This character wasn't much of a stretch for him though. I mean a mullet wearing dude who likes to get high is right up his alley. As a true Trump supporter and Louisiana resident redneck this wasn't much of a stretch for him either. There's no doubt that he will go far in the Hollywood industry. A real chip off the old block. I see a best actor award soon.

For a TV movie, then "Monsterwolf" wasn't too bad. Well, let me rephrase that, it could have been worse.

The story told in "Monsterwolf" is sort of interesting; a spirit wolf is summoned to seek revenge for a wrong-doing against native Indian people. And the wolf is indestructible. Now, I am not overly familiar with Indian lore and legends, so I have no idea whether to be skeptic or embrace this idea. But as for a movie plot, it worked well enough.

"Monsterwolf" wasn't too shabby on the effects and CGI. Sure there were moments where the wolf looked kinda weird, but in general it worked well enough.

The cast in "Monsterwolf" was also good enough, for this particular type of movie. The movie was carried on the shoulders of Jason London (playing Yale) and Marc Macaulay (playing sheriff Bennett). There were other good actors/actresses on the list as well, but London and Macaulay were the ones most memorable.

"Monsterwolf" isn't particularly scary despite it being listed as a horror movie. I will go as far as saying it is not even a thriller. But still, the movie did keep me entertained for the entire feature length. However, it is not the type of movie that I will be making a second time back to.

Unscrupulous oil company boss Stark (Robert Picardo) orders his workmen to blast an ancient Indian artifact with C4 explosives, unleashing Monsterwolf, a vicious, shoddily-rendered, CGI animal spirit dedicated to defending native Americans in their time of need.

Monsterwolf doesn't like workmen. Monsterwolf doesn't like litterbugs. Monsterwolf doesn't like sell-outs. Monsterwolf doesn't like drunk drivers. Monsterwolf doesn't like being hit by a truck. Monsterwolf doesn't like mercenaries. Monsterwolf doesn't like Stark. And I sure as hell didn't like Monsterwolf, yet another crappy, low budget SyFy production sent to test the patience of horror fans.

Poor performances, a generic script, dreadful direction and cheezy special effects all go to make this one hell of a chore to sit through. A heavy-handed score works hard to inject some urgency and excitement into proceedings but is woefully unsuited to the lacklustre action. Worst of all, perhaps, is a truly amateurish animated sequence that tells of the Indian legend of the Monsterwolf.

2.5 out of 10, generously rounded up to 3 for Leonor Varela as tasty tattooed hotshot lawyer Maria, who swaps her power-suit for a tight white vest to battle the beast, and for Jon Eyez' laughable performance as hired killer Coughlin, the actor doing a half-assed impression of Ving Rhames from Pulp Fiction for his role.

Can't believe this work of art missed out on any nominations. It's a scandal!