Marvel Studios’ “Werewolf By Night” hit Disney+ on Oct. 7 and received positive reviews after its release. This is the first Marvel Studios project that was released as a “Marvel Studios Special Presentation,” with all its other projects being in the form of movies and television series. The special is significantly different from anything Marvel has released, especially since its merger with Disney back in 2009, which is a breath of fresh air for fans who have been frustrated with the more recent Marvel Cinematic Universe releases. The special stars Gael Garcia Bernal (“Old”) and Laura Donnelly (“The Nevers”) who play Jack Russell and Elsa Bloodstone, and is set in black and white which gives it an old-fashioned scary movie type of feel to it. 

A timely release helped the special, with Halloween coming later this month. It displays blood and gore throughout, which is a staple in most horror films. Based on the Marvel Comics character The Werewolf by Night, is a hero who was born a howling beast. What makes the special so different from any new releases from Marvel Studios was that it did not stray away from the story and did not reference any of the past movies or series in the MCU. The story is interesting and exciting, with likable lead characters. Marvel normally does not show major violence in any of its past projects, but it did not stray away from showing any stomach-turning scenes in this.

The cast is not star-studded, but all of the actors and actresses put on incredible performances and there is not an overflow of pointless characters who are not needed in the plot, which a lot of newer Marvel projects have. The main character, Jack, is the “Werewolf By Night” and may just be the most beloved new character in the MCU since Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova in “Black Widow.” 

The pace of the special is steady and makes it easy for the viewer to understand what is happening. Another surprising approach that was taken was the use of Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI), normally MCU films and series are loaded with CGI with almost every scene including it. Director Michael Giacchino (“The Batman”), making his mainstream directorial debut, emphasized the use of real, on-camera acting instead of shoving digitally created characters in viewers’ faces. The special strays away from flooding the dialogue with unneeded comedy. When there is comedy involved, it worked immensely. Giacchino also composed the music for this project, adding chilling sounds throughout.

The costumes for the special are unique in the aspect of using real cosmetics instead of CGI suits that can look unrealistic at times. The Werewolf by Night has a different look to him in live-action compared to some of the comics, but the style works with how the other characters are portrayed. The special also includes “Man-Thing,” another character from the comics, who is a massive brown monster and is also made with fully practical effects instead of CGI, which is truly incredible because of how well done the costume was.

Overall, “Werewolf By Night” is extremely enjoyable and a long-awaited new route for Marvel Studios.

Image from Marvel Entertainment via YouTube