Review of Teen Wolf / Teen Wolf Too

Introduction

Michael J. Fox was hot property in 1985. He had finally broken out of TV sitcom land with Family Ties, and was making a name for himself. For me, apart from Back to the Future and Teen Wolf, I regard him fondly for The Frighteners and Spin City. He`s been in other films, but nothing really sticks firmly in my mind unless you force Doc Hollywood and The Secret of My Success out of me.

Fox plays a teenager, coming to grips with the fact that he`s a teenage werewolf, and that he`s still got to live a regular life. This isn`t the stuff of werewolf stereotypes because he`s harmless enough. When he`s the wolf, he`s a different person; he isn`t the unconfident boy he sees himself as and this other personality is popular with everyone and is brimming with confidence. The price he pays for being the wolf is losing his friends. He has to decide who he wants to be.

The first film was very successful, so much so that it spawned a less than stellar sequel, Teen Wolf Too and a cartoon series. No more Michael J. Fox this time so in steps his characters` cousin, Todd Howard, and it seems that he too is cursed with the same wolf gene. High school is replaced with college; basketball by boxing; Boof is replaced by Nicki and school Vice President Rusty Thorne is replaced by Dean Dunn. "Stiles" and Coach Finstock are played by different actors, while "Chubby" and Scott`s dad are the same.

Todd wins an athletic scholarship to college courtesy of his cousin`s basketball coach, now the boxing coach, because he`s got this killer wolf gene. However, all he wants to be is a vet. Things are not so simple, because the vindictive Dean Dunn threatens to take his scholarship away unless he fights and wins for the college.

Video

Presented with a 1.85:1 widescreen enhanced video transfer, Teen Wolf, looks like an 80s film with its slightly soft picture. Colours are good and contrast looks like its been boosted a little but it`s not a problem. There`s little dirt/flecks throughout, but not too much and it doesn`t spoil the film.

The second film also comes with a 1.85:1 widescreen enhanced transfer, but overall the clarity and colour balance isn`t as good as the first film. Flesh tones looks a little pallid in comparison and makes the film look a little more dated than it already is. Grain isn`t too much of a problem but the washed out look doesn`t help. There`s some dirt but not a lot.

Audio

Teen Wolf comes with a Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono soundtrack, while Teen Wolf Too has a Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround soundtrack. Both have clear dialogue and are easy to understand. It`s a shame the first film has a mono soundtrack as it could do with some beefing up. There`s nothing notable in the surround track of the second film as the sound comes mainly from the front.

Features

None.

Conclusion

It`s been years since I last saw Teen Wolf and when it was on TV I didn`t bother sitting for it. But seeing it on DVD, in widescreen and in my own time, I found myself enjoying it like I used to. It`s a predictable teen film made fun by the charm of Michael J. Fox and a pretty good supporting cast. Stiles and Coach Finstock are perhaps two of the funniest characters in the film.

The dialogue is silly and a little bit `out there` sometimes, but it still works surprisingly well. The film doesn`t try to be anything but fun, and its theme on just being you is a common one amongst teen films. There are silly moments in the film, such as the school dance where everyone does the wolf dance, but I can forgive the film for this. For 90-minutes this film entertains and it`s not just the nostalgia talking, it`s still better than some of the half-baked Hollywood ideas that just fall flat these days. The soundtrack is okay, the video transfer is better than average and all in all, this is a film that any 80s film fan is going to enjoy.

The success of Teen Wolf led to a sequel, Teen Wolf Too, two years later. Missing out on Michael J. Fox, the original "Stiles" and Coach Finstock as well as others meant Jason Bateman, son of the Producer, stepped into the breach as Scott Howard`s cousin and delivered a film which is a complete waste of time and energy. It`s the same family and same wolf problems. In fact, everything about this is the same, except for the dialogue. I know what you`re thinking; this is a different film with different characters. But if you look real close, you`ll see that it`s the same situations and the characters are essentially the same but have the charisma of wet cardboard.

The script for the sequel is dull and unimaginative. There are no interesting characters to contend with and no drama. The whole wolf thing was exposed enough in the first film without the need for another so watching it is a bit painful. Poor performances, poor direction and poor judgement make this film one to steer clear of.

Unfortunately this DVD is packaged as a double-pack, so you`re paying for both. I`d wait until the film was very, very cheap before buying it just for the first film.