Review of Skinwalkers (2006) by Shawn E — 07 Mar 2008

"Skinwalkers", if you'll forgive my choice of words, lacks bite. After I saw the movie, I read somewhere that about 20 minutes were cut from the film to achieve a PG-13 rating, and it shows. The werewolf scenes, what there are of them, are disappointingly tame and the storyline is rather muddled. There is very little blood and gore on display here with the werewolf attacks shot in such dim light and dwelled on for such a small time that we get to experience hardly any of the carnage. Most of the action in the film consists of gun fights, which are as weak as the werewolf scenes. It is frustrating because these scenes hint at something that could've been really cool if all of the edge hadn't been removed. I mean, the werewolves really looked great. I just wish more had been done with them.

The plot is fairly simple, yet promising, bad werewolves chase after good werewolves who are harboring a boy, a boy that can put an end to the werewolf curse forever. How this boy is capable of doing this is never really explained, however. The plot just kicks in with Varek's clan trying to hunt the boy down without any explanation whatsoever besides some prophecy stating that such a boy would be their downfall. Also, concerning the division between good and bad werewolves, apparently good werewolves can be "turned", meaning they become bad. This is another little plot point that is not explained. How is a bad werewolf inherently different from a good one, besides their attitude? How does one get turned? Who knows? Perhaps these plot oversights are another result of the massive cutting of the film. Regardless, it's sloppy storytelling.

The characters in "Skinwalkers" are mostly bland and unsympathetic, except for Jonas played by Elias Koteas, the only character I really liked. I think this is more a result of Elias Koteas' acting skills rather than how the character is written, though. The boy, Timothy, played by Matthew Knight, actually somewhat annoyed me because of the stupidity of some of his actions in the film. Sure, he's only 13, and, as such, prone to such lapses in judgment, but it still bothered me and made me feel for him less than was probably intended. The bad guys are extremely one-dimensional with the only interesting point about them dealing with a twist concerning the identity of the lead baddie Varek, played by Jason Behr. Even this little twist, though, is nothing special.

In the end, I was disappointed in "Skinwalkers". The plot was interesting, and I really think the film could've been something great if more care had been taken in developing the characters, explaining some confusing plot points, and keeping in the blood and gore that had been cut out. The ending of the movie is a great setup for a sequel, which would also have the potential to be pretty cool, but, if it were handled as badly as this film was, then I'd have to give that one a pass, too.