OUT FROM LEFT FIELD: W E R

Hey there, I'm back again with another Out-From-Left-Field movie review. This time its a horror movie that actually hit the mark: Wer.

Short for 'Werewolf', maybe? That's what I thought at first.

But wait let's take a step back a bit so I can regale you on just WHY I was even interested in this: It would be the very hot A.J. Cook of TV's "Criminal Minds" fame. I've always liked her...I even sat thru one of her earlier flicks about alien abduction. I just like watching her. End of story.

A.J. Cook. Yes, please!

 

So anyway I went into this with no prior knowledge other than AJ Cook's hotness so when the story started to unfold,I was intrigued. I was expecting some sort of low-budget monster romp time-suck of a movie. Turns out it was pretty damned good.

A family of 3 (husband, wife & son) vacationing in Paris get brutally slaughtered one night by a very hairy animal-like creature.  The mother  barely survives and claims they were attacked by a hairy thing that walked upright..she claims it was "eating her baby alive' 

GROSS! CREEPY!

It also just so happens that they were filimg their camping vacation so there is some evidence of someTHING attacking them.

The police officers arrest a suspect with a serious medical condition who lives less than 2 miles away. And he's hairy.

You know what they say about guys with big hands...

Attorney Kate Moore (AJ Cook) comes to the man's defense. Joining her are Eric (he's the information dealer, gets all the facts) and Gavin (forensics..and a previous love interest of Kate's). The suspect in custody is named Talan Gwynek (keeeeeen name!) and the dude's a scarey looking sasquatch of a man, bearded and yes, hairy.

Eric, played by Vik Sahay (Remember the TV series CHUCK?)

Gavin, played by Simon Quarterman

Things start at a slow-boil from there and escalates to absolute ape-$h*t proportions. I mean, I thought I was watching Law & Order until the beastly reveal...then I'm like "Oh damn, I forgot it was supposed to be horror flick!"

Obviously, the operation DID NOT go well...

There are a few side story type things thrown in to justify some people's actions, while condemning others (namely the police & the government...things are corrupt even in France?? Mon dieu!) but I tended to file those events away becuz I was waiting for more info..I really wanted to know if it was "true" about Talan. I also felt for Kate as she tries to give Talan the benefit of the doubt, innocent until proven guilty and all that.

The last act is something of pure WTF...I mean the events leading up to it pretty much made it a little predictable but it still managed to find a little twist to make it not so cliche. But then again, not much of this (other than the 3 or 4 "jump scares" that were predictable) is cliche. Its a fresh take on the werewolf lore, explained by science, which somehow makes it seem possible. It seemed so.."X-Files"-ish to me but in a good way.

I know I'm not saying a whole lot (how unusual for me, right?) but I DO NOT want give anything away.

The camera work is a bit shaky, more documentary-style (it is NEVER bolted down) and there is also closed-circuit cameras used. Some may think that it detracts from the movie-watching experience but I'm used to it.

All in all a pretty fun romp. The acting is just enough and not over-the-top. You really feel for Talan as a misunderstood misfit. AJ Cook is fine as always and she spouts only ONE s-bomb in the whole movie. The special effects were definitely high-quality stuff but used sparingly. The morgue scene was especially chilling, as it shows the aftermath of the vacationer's attack.
Now the big question:Would I buy it on bluray? Probably not. As much as I enjoyed the movie, there's no surprises if watched again. But nonetheless it wasn't a waste of my time, either. Now when that 2nd Sharknado movie comes we'll see an actual time-suck movie in action.