The Howling Reborn DVD Blu-ray Movie Review
The Howling Reborn DVD Blu-ray Movie Review
Directed by Joe Nimziki, starring Landon Liboiron, Lindsey Shaw, and Ivana Milicevic.
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Oh, those young whelps with their twist dancing and long hair… er, fur. What to do? Just shake your head, sigh, and accept that kids will be werewolves and go with it. If you let yourself have fun with The Howling Reborn — kissy-face Twilight-inspired musical montage moments and all — you shouldn't have too bad a time with this flick (which is clearly made for the demographic born after the last direct-to-video sequel to The Howling, 16-odd years ago).
I must confess to have lost track of the Howling sequels as they progressed (or perhaps I should say, "I proudly proclaim…" because I've heard they're pretty lousy), but I do of course remember the first one, which was directed by Joe Dante and starred Dee Wallace. Then there was the follow-up with the irresistible title Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf and its equally irresistible wicked-woman Sybil Danning. Howling III: The Marsupials followed… and that's when I stopped following.
Starring PYT Landon Liboiron (Terra Nova) and PYT #2 Lindsey Shaw (Pretty Little Liars) as moon-crossed high school sweethearts weepy Will and emo Eliana, this furry fable plays out rather like a trumped up episode of M-TV's Teen Wolf with a dash of Renny Harlin's The Covenant and Katja von Garnier's Blood & Chocolate. Be still your beating heart as you follow Will's journey into wolfdom, flirt with Eliana's ambiguity and head off a bunch of badass ruffians who're howling for death in the halls of Sherma High! Oh, the drama.
While their eyebrows tend to do most of the acting, I really can't fault Liboiron and Shaw as the romantic leads; they are pretty likeable, and pretty. Ivana Milicevic (Casino Royale, Running Scared) rounds out the cast as the racy, ruthless leader of the pack out for Will's… wait for it… blood. Insert some moody hero's v.o. narration, a couple of cheesy teen pop tunes, a slo-mo smackeroo or two, and there you have it.
Almost. There's a little more to it than its inherent wafer thinness. Yeah, it's a corn ball flick without a whit of sense nor much suspense, but The Howling Reborn is surprisingly well-shot, has some good action sequences, the acting is fine, and the spooky bits are augmented by better-than-usual cg and practical effects.
DVD extras are plentiful; you can certainly see that a lot of care and concern was put into the werewolf design and the chorography of the ferocious fights. In the interview section first time feature director Joe Nimziki adds an interesting .02, while his vapid leads do not. I had a chuckle at the audition footage labeled "chemistry read" and enjoyed the moment in the commentary where it's explained how and why these weres don't need a full moon (or even daylight) to transform.
All in all, The Howling Reborn is worth a look for those who liked the other above-referenced paranormal romantic chick flicks. I'm not a fan, but I've seen enough of these to know it could have been far, far worse. Let's put it this way: I liked The Howling Reborn better than Twilight.
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson