Skinwalkers (2006)

Director: James Isaac

Writer: James DeMonaco, Todd Harthan, James Roday

Tagline: For Them To Live, We Must Die.

Actors: Jason Behr, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra, Kim Coates, Natassia Malthe, Matthew Knight, Sarah Carter, Tom Jackson, Rogue Johnston, Barbara Gordon, Shawn Roberts, Lyriq Bent, Julian Richings

Runtime: 1h 50m

Category: Werewolf

Synopsis: To some it’s a curse, to others it’s like a drug, but for little Timmy, it’s a surreal nightmare. Two schools of werewolves have been battling for years; one trying to hide Timmy, the other trying to kill him. He holds the key to releasing the curse and destroying the werewolves for good. But now that he has been discovered, the small town of friends he once knew has become a personal army bent on his protection. Now on the run from Varek and his crew, Jonas, Timmy’s uncle, and his legion must do everything in their power to keep him safe…even if it means protecting him from themselves. Can Timmy survive until midnight on the fourth night of the red moon, or will Varek and his cronies get to him before he has the chance to become the werewolf savior?

Review: This flick was not quite what I had expected. From the description given by Horror Flix and IMDb I was not really looking forward to seeing this. But once it got going, which was right away, I was hooked. I don’t think I blinked once. Definitely an action-packed werewolf movie that will not disappoint.

The story itself, although not necessarily a new one, was quite good. And the way it was portrayed was even better. I loved how this quiet little town where everyone knows everyone else, turned into a raging gun-battle over a thirteen-year-old boy. Out of nowhere the boy’s grandmother busts out a piece and floats some led. Very nice! I was thoroughly impressed. Each scene was tightly wound and was brilliantly strategized (not an actual word). The only thing I would have changed, and this is just me, I would not have killed off so many of the good guys; especially Sarah Carter. I just love her. Damn she’s pretty! But that’s just me.

The acting was actually really good. I wasn’t really expecting much since I didn’t know much about the movie, but I think the actors did very well. Some nice control and smooth segue transitions made the acting more than bearable. I would have to say that a movie with so many knowable actors like this one can get quite drab. You eventually get used to certain actors and their performances all end up looking the same. That’s why I love B-movies and movies that come out of film festivals.

The effects were beautiful. Not in the heart-stopping kind of way (like Sarah Carter), but in the “wow that’s amazing” way. That’s just what you get when you hire on the best creature-effects artist ever…Mr. Stan Winston. Thanks to him we did not see an average werewolf, all hunched over and running on all fours; we got a pleasant mixture of wolf and human…wolf in appearance, human in nature. I was really happy to see this considering I am not a huge fan of CGI. But the blend within this movie did Mr. Winston proud. I would have to say that he would be happy with this one, among others.

Rating: 19. I would have liked to see more of the transformation process as well as a bit more feeding. The bar scene was cool and all but I think at least one more major feeding scene would have done even nicer. The other thing that I would have liked, would have been to have a bit more after-story; giving the viewer a glimpse of what became of our heroes. I know we got a quick snippet but I think a little more would have sufficed. But overall I think that this was a really good movie with a slightly different twist to then werewolf story. Don’t miss this one! (19of25).