Review of Late Phases (2014) by Brett B — 24 May 2016

There are so few genuinely good werewolf movies out there that when one does come along, it's a real treat, and LATE PHASES definitely qualifies. The narrative offers a fresh conceit - a werewolf is stalking a retirement community, and only a blind veteran is willing to step up and do something about it.

The plot could almost be played for laughs (and there's certainly some dark humor to be found), but the filmmakers keep things mostly straight, which turns out to have been the correct choice, as the werewolf encounters are perfectly pitched and strike a nice balance between being visceral and being mysterious, at least until the right moments to reveal more.

The creature itself, brought to life via some impressive practical effects, is legitimately frightening, which is something that shouldn't be taken for granted in werewolf movies, where it's so easy for the creature to come across as silly.

As our protagonist, Nick Damici is GREAT, imbuing his character with a vulnerability and a wounded sense of pride which pair nicely with his growing "take no shit" determination to take on the mysterious creature that is prowling the area.

The writing overall is particularly strong, fleshing out a host of vivid characters with distinct personalities which stand in stark contrast to the sort of nondescript nobodies that usually populate genre films.

The movie's midsection lags just a bit, but it's nothing crippling, and the film completely recovers for its third act, which escalates matters in a nice way.