My Animal

Right, well I was under the impression that I would be in for a werewolf movie of sorts, as I sat down to watch the 2023 movie "My Animal" from writer Jae Matthews and director Jacqueline Castel. However, I have to admit that I hadn't even heard about the movie prior to sitting down and watching it, so I didn't exactly know what I was getting into here.

This movie failed to capture my interest, especially since the movie's narrative was slow paced, the visuals were sort of surreal, and it wasn't exactly the type of werewolf movie that I had hoped for. And I have to admit that the way that writer Jae Matthews concocted the script and storyline just didn't appeal much to my liking.

The only familiar face on the cast list for me was Stephen McHattie. The acting performances in "My Animal" were actually fair enough, despite the fact that the movie's plot and script utterly failed to entertain me.

Visually, then director Jacqueline Castel didn't deliver a movie that tickled me in the right places.

My rating of "My Animal" lands on a two out of ten stars. And this is definitely not a movie that I will pick up a second time.

A sad excuse of a movie with everything wasted, besides the two leads who enjoyed very much their time in the movie and the supporting cast having fun in the snow and indoor.

The movie would have benefited from a tight editing bringing the runtime down to 45-50 minutes, to add some transformations, some thrills and some ghastly discoveries from both sides. To have this one categorized as horror and romance is only in Jacqueline Castel's head.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 4
• Development: 5
• Realism: 5.5
• Entertainment: 6
• Acting: 5.5
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 6
• VFX: 5
• Music/score/sound: 4.5
• Depth: 3
• Logic: 2
• Flow: 4.5
• Horror/romance: 3
• Ending: 0.5.

This film was only an hour and forty-three minutes but it felt like three hours. As someone who has been a youth in rural Canada I deeply resonated with the depiction of the bleakness and dullness of life in small northern town. It was hopeless and boring as a youth, and it didn't make for a very entertaining film.

The acting was great, but too many long drawn out fantasy sequences that didn't really add to the film. It looked good. I liked the lighting and the setting, but...nothing happens. It needed more story and fewer music videos.

It was tagged as horror and romance, but it did not have enough of either. It had barely any of either really.

Finally, why is Canada only allowed to make werewolf movies now?

Life in rural Northern Ontario is a bore.

Especially when you are a young woman, who is coming of age as both a werewolf and a lesbian.

Emma Cooper likes to play hockey; drink with her friends; and is trying to woo her closest mate.

But she has to be careful- particularly around a full moon- because she's liable to turn.

And do something her whole family would regret.

Because she's not the only werewolf in the family.

She inherited the gene from her father.

Who also happens to be her closest confidant.

So...when he dies unexpectedly...everything starts to fall apart for her.

Her family no longer has the glue that kept it together.

Leaving her to deal with her jer brothers, and alcoholic mother.

At the same time her best friend is being pressured to keep distance from her.

Making it even harder for her to show the restraint she was trained to exhibit.

When all is said and done, My Animal is a solid little indie horror effort from director...

And probably the best werewolf film to come out of Canada since Ginger Snaps.

A perfect example of a modern canuxploitation classic!

Even if it is more drama based, and a bit paltry on the action side.

5 out of 10.

This was an excellent movie. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but it absolutely delivered. The pacing was interesting, like the idea was to make you focus so much on the relationships between the characters that you forget the lead has a problem most young adults probably won't encounter.

The atmosphere is brilliant and dreadful. The plot is absolutely wild, and the acting was far, far better than it had any right to be. I got serious Meryl Streep vibes from Bobbi Salvör Menuez.

If you're considering it, give it a chance. Some of the scenes were a bit weird but overall, I really enjoyed it.