Synopsis:
A defence attorney begins to suspect that there might be more to her client, who is charged with the murders of a vacationing family, than meets the eye.
Originally made in 2013, it’s been a long two years for William Brent Bell’s lycan thriller WER to reach our shores. One part found-footage film and one part action thriller, WER is an adrenaline-fuelled creature feature offering audiences a realistic take on the werewolf legend.
Here a defence team, lead by Final Destination 2’s A.J. Cooke, are given the task of proving their client is innocent after an eye-witness places him at the scene of a vicious murder. Desperate to prove that his wolf-like MO is a consequence of a mental illness rather than a supernatural curse their opinion begins to change the deeper they delve into the mystery.
Despite its somewhat amateur approach, WER quickly becomes an engrossing police thriller until its generic third act. Bell’s direction can get messy during the action scenes as the camera work is unsteady throughout but beyond that he has crafted a smart package that overall has a strong payoff.
A.J. Cooke delivers a bog standard performance bringing very little to the film and is clearly overshadowed by her co-stars. For example, Brian Scott O’Connor’s performance as Talan is incredibly strong by comparison. He takes his audience on a emotionally draining journey starting out as very vulnerable but through the subtleties in his performance, a slow-creeping feeling of menace oozes a sense of dread creating a very unsettling sensation of unease.
As with any good creature flick the effects are important and sadly this is where the movie is a let down. The effects are mostly CGI but look incredibly choppy on screen which slightly mars the experience as the film goes on. Thankfully the entirely believable performance from the cast keeps the story on track therefore effectively reducing the fallout of the hammy effects.
A fine meal strung together by an intriguing web of mystery laid lovingly on a bed of lycan myth, WER is served as a recipe that demands an acquired taste. So, if you are a werewolf fanatic like myself then there’s a lot of meat to chew on here but, for anyone else… approach with caution.
Words: Jon Dickinson (@marvelguy)
