REVIEW: Teen Wolf (Released in 1985) [35th Anniversary]

DIRECTOR: Rod Daniel

PRODUCERS: Mark Levinson & Scott Rosenfelt

WRITER: Joseph Loeb III & Matthew Weisman

PERFORMERS: Michael J. Fox James Hampton Scott Paulin Susan Ursitti Jerry Levine Lorie Griffin Jim MacKrell Mark Arnold Matt Adler Mark Holston and Jay Tarses

It was in the year 1985 when Michael J. Fox was really riding high. He had a successful TV show and the highest grossing film of the year to his name. With that kind of success how much more could you ask for? And with Fox in those days, how could you NOT like this guy? With the success of 'Back to the Future' and TV's 'Family Ties', obviously there was no slowing him down, and then came this film which was a teen film with a premise that's been told before, but not in the way this film has. For it's 35th Anniversary, I've decided to review one of the films that holds a huge effect on the the 80s decade, even today. Teen Wolf is a film that has proven that even a small film can have the biggest effect on a huge audience.

Teen Wolf is the story of being average, being popular, making hard decisions and ultimately, just being who you are inside and outside. As Scott Howard, we see Fox as a young man going through changes consisting of the likes of which he has never imagined, he later finds out that he is in fact, a werewolf. I remember hearing about this film years ago when I was growing up in the 90's and when I saw an ad of it on TV being played I was very little intrigued by it. Knowing who Fox was at the time I thought to myself 'hmm? that looks interesting' and I was immediately entranced by it. I still have that image of Fox as a wolf in his jock coat and sunglasses with the title card in the right hand corner front in m head and every time I think of this film, there it is. Here in this particular gem of an 80's flick is a interesting take on adolescence with the elements of animal like tendencies, one that comes with a great power that can be used wisely or personally. Here's what struck me about this film: taking a familiar premise and putting it in the high school scene while making it appeal to young audiences without being frightening or aggressive.

What stood out to me about this film was the usage of sports to motivate the main character's journey as he becomes that something special he always wanted to be. You had to have a reason to see him overcome his obstacles. Throughout the whole film I was completely invested in him, especially when he was in his wolf form. The makeup was definitely spot on, the acting superb and it really felt like you were there with him. The love story subplot was also quite the cliche', you had a love triangle between Fox's character and two girls: one he's interested in and another he's known since childhood. The main difference between these two girls is that they're pining for the same person but only for the different personality traits he has. I was really routing for the Susan Ursitti character because she seemed so honest and transparent when it came to her presence and then Lorie Griffin's character, sure she was a blonde and if I'm right, blondes in the 80's were a very big deal to us guys. But Ursitti's character was someone I had eyes for and was routing for her to get Fox instead of Griffin because she only wanted the wolf side and was even using that to get close to him while Ursitti just wanted the human side of him, I could understand why she was bothered by the wolf persona. Then there's the bully played by Mark Arnold, really disliked him as he reminded me of a few opponents I faced myself when I was in High School. But that's what made his performance so believable, he reminded you of someone you went toe to toe with in your youth.

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." - GALATIANS 1:10 NIV

If this film has a message it's this: Don't be better than who you are, be the best person you can be which is yourself. Maybe this film doesn't get a lot of credit for being another one of those classic films of all time, but it does hold a place in the list of unforgettable films that are actually just as good. What I don't understand is why it got so much negative feedback while Back to the Future, understandably, was getting all the better views when this film likewise should have gotten somewhere around the same treatment that film did. To me, it proved that Fox could do more than just appeal to younger audiences as a time traveler or a conservative Republican you see on TV every week, but he could also be a regular kid with regular problems and when he becomes a celebrated figure around his hometown, he winds up learning to control his ability and not use them to solve his problems or get people to like him. I think we can all relate to that because we all at some point in our lives want to be more than who we are, then when we get to that point we're reminded of what matters most and that's what we see Fox go through in this film.

To conclude, it's fair to say that this film has stood the test of time and after 35 years, still continues to do so. Not only was it a box office success, it was also the launching pad of a franchise that still continues today. From a sequel (which was less than successful than it's predecessor) to a MTV series that still continues to run, I only have one question: How could anybody resist this? It may be cheesy, and maybe not as great as Back to the future for that matter but it didn't need to be, just it's own good movie to watch and that's all. If anything, this was exactly what it needed to be and that's why it's such a highly remembered film, for a B film it was actually a feel good type of film with a very appealing story with well written characters and that's all it takes to get to get the audience invested in them. The fact that no one even panics when Fox is in his wolf form is also a mystery to me because no one ever talks about that, yet no one cares because it's not about perception, it's about accepting yourself for who you are inside and outside. We need more stories like this because there's hardly anything original out there anymore. Happy 35th Anniversary Teen Wolf!

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