{"id":22992,"date":"2021-06-24T10:25:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-24T17:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=22992"},"modified":"2021-06-24T10:25:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T17:25:00","slug":"werewolves-within-is-an-unexpectedly-entertaining-video-game-adaptation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=22992","title":{"rendered":"WEREWOLVES WITHIN is an Unexpectedly Entertaining Video Game Adaptation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/24_0008_B-merged.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10620\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This film will open in theaters across the country on\nJune 25th and then be available on all streaming rental platforms on July\n2nd.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite being a visually-oriented media format filled with constant action, the video game has had a difficult time being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/video-games-on-the-big-screen-a-feature-article\/\">adapted to film<\/a>. While a few attempts have worked reasonably well (often involving an original title invented for the story), cinematic history is littered with flops like <em>Super Mario Bros.<\/em>, <em>Double Dragon<\/em>, <em>Wing Commander<\/em>, <em>Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time<\/em>, <em>Need for Speed<\/em> and <em>Hitman: Agent 47<\/em>, to name but a few. The latest attempt is <em>Werewolves Within<\/em>, a modestly budgeted feature based on the multiplayer PlayStation VR game. Thankfully, this movie avoids some of the trappings of other adaptations. It focuses on character and comedy, resulting in a fun and enjoyable little flick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Werewolves-Within-05-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22995\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finn (Sam Richardson) is an exceedingly nice, put-upon\nforest ranger who arrives in the tiny village of Beaverfield to start a new job.\nHe quickly learns that the dozen-or-so eccentric locals are at loggerheads over\npersonal issues, as well as a major gas pipeline about to be built through the\ntown. Another recent arrival, postal worker Cecily (Milana Vayntrub), fills\nFinn in on the oddball residents. Things begin to go south when an avalanche\nblocks the road out of town. Soon after, power is cut and visible claw marks\nare left behind on the generators. When a torn-up body is recovered, the group\ntake refuge at the town inn and attempt to figure out what to do next. Panic\nleads to accusations between locals and outrageous conspiracy theories. Finn\nmust mediate and calm the angry group in order to save them all from the threat.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Werewolves-Within-01-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22994\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The emphasis here is on comedy and the big characters are\nwritten in broad strokes. This includes a well-armed survivalist-type, country\nyokels, conservatives desperate to profit off of the pipeline project and a\nbrainy environmental researcher. Thankfully, some of the exaggerated comments\nmade by characters as they bicker are funny, as are the numerous sight gags.\nOne of the locals is dog-obsessed, leading to some amusingly bizarre artwork\naround their home when the characters try to take refuge there. Of course,\ngiven the over-the-top approach, the humor could have fallen flat, but the\nsmall cast interact well and deliver their lines with considerable aplomb.\nRichardson is a very likable protagonist, earning a lot of good will from\nviewers as he reacts to the increasingly unstable crowd around him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Admittedly, not everything in the film works spectacularly. While\ndone for the sake of laughs, some of the characters do make questionable and\/or\nterrible decisions in order to further the plot along. This is another reason why\nthe performers should be praised for being compelling enough to overcome some\nof the more by-the-numbers plot elements. It seems that no matter how silly\nthey appear, the performers are clearly having a great deal of fun, which can\u2019t\nhelp but be contagious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Werewolves-Within-02-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22996\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Given the small setting and limited resources, the technical\nspecs are also exemplary. The outside environments look picturesque, but\nisolated and chilling. And there is a warm, fiery nighttime glow to the indoor\nphotography that contrasts nicely with the horrors occurring at the inn. It\ntakes a while for the lead characters to take action, but the showdowns towards\nthe close are punchy and entertaining to watch.&nbsp;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Werewolves-Within-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22997\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The end results aren\u2019t quite as memorable as the best of recent\nhorror\/comedies like <em>You\u2019re Next<\/em> or <em>Ready or Not<\/em>. However, the\nmovie is still an enjoyably fun ride. And the story doesn\u2019t require viewers to\nbe familiar with the media upon which it is based (perhaps that\u2019s why it ends up\nmaking a stronger impression on viewers than other films like it). <em>Werewolves\nWithin<\/em> is an above-average reimagining of the video game. It proves that if\nhandled with care, these kinds of features can hit the sweet spot and entertain.\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This film will open in theaters across the country on June 25th and then be available on all streaming rental platforms on July 2nd.&nbsp; Despite being a visually-oriented media format filled with constant action, the video game has had a difficult time being adapted to film. While a few attempts have worked reasonably well (often [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":22993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[206,4660,8172,9319,9656,13951,17564,23775,24095,24096,24098,24099,24100,24101],"class_list":["post-22992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-reviews","tag-206","tag-comedy","tag-genre","tag-horror","tag-ifc-films","tag-milana-vayntrub","tag-sam-richardson","tag-video-game-adaptation","tag-werewolf","tag-werewolves","tag-werewolves-within","tag-werewolves-within-film-review","tag-werewolves-within-movie-review","tag-werewolves-within-review"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22992\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}