WEREWOLF BY NIGHT (2022).
This new 50-minute television special is the best thing I have seen from Marvel in a long time. It's directed by composer Michael Giacchino, who recently provided the superb score for THE BATMAN, and he proves himself to be a genuine talent behind the camera (he also provides the excellent soundtrack here). It's presented for the most part in black & white, to help invoke a classic 1930s Universal monster movie feel, which is terrific and it certainly works, though it's something of an interesting choice given the source material. Since the comic it was based on first debuted in 1972, I would have thought a seventies aesthetic may have been more appropriate. But it certainly impresses as it is, and it comes closer to genuine horror for Marvel than what many thought Sam Rami would deliver with his Dr. Strange movie. The cinematography by Zoe White, and clever use of shadows, is often stunning, and I loved that the werewolf design looked inspired by a mixture of classic Lon Chaney with Henry Hull. It's gory, scary, and lots of fun, with some genuine warmth and humour. A perfect Halloween treat that, at less than an hour, doesn't wear out its welcome.
