The Netflix-style adaptation of the famous board game, The Werewolves of Thiercelieuxcould have been a success. But the film with Franck Dubosc and Jean Reno ultimately turns out to be tasteless, with a string of jokes and dated references.
Originally, there is a magnificent wooden game. Anyone who dares to open it will have no other choice than to relentlessly hunt down the nasty Werewolves, in order to save the worthy village of Thiercelieux. Finally, that is in theory, thanks to our imaginations capable of making us play characters, for the duration of a part of the famous game of Werewolvescreated by Philippe des Pallières and Hervé Marly in 2001. For the very first film adaptation, available this October 23, 2024 in streaming, Netflix has pushed the concept further: what if we were truly transported into the shoes of protagonists, endowed of magical powers and captives of a medieval village threatened by dangerous lycanthropes?
On paper, the idea could be great. In practice, even though Werewolves finds himself this month facing the excellent series adaptation of Canal+, with Panayotis Pascot and Fary, this dive into Thiercelieux with Netflix sauce takes the form of a failed soufflé.
An immersive family film
A hint of Jumanjia good dose of Visitorsa big pinch of popular actors, Franck Dubosc and Jean Reno in the lead, followed by a ladle of fantasy to season it all: in our imagination, the recipe for Werewolves from Netflix could have been delicious. However, let’s face it: the fan of the original board game that lies dormant in the author of these lines already had some reservations about the quality of the film. And she was right. Let’s start with the positives, since they can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Werewolves is a friendly, family feature film, whose lightness makes it suitable for any audience, of all ages. The introduction, led by Franck Dubosc as narrator, immediately immerses us in the heart of the subject, without the need for a long, unnecessary narrative setup. The beauty of the costumes and sets, frankly neat, also adds to the immersive aspect of the whole.
We think in particular of the magnificent version of the game of Werewolves, all made of wood, which we really want to borrow for our next game. As for the casting, the surprise is on the side of Bruno Gouery, seen in the role of Luc in Emily in Paris and who here composes a totally zany character, with an improbable secret identity (even if we still don’t understand what he’s doing there).
Ready to play woke bingo?
Unfortunately, the qualities of Werewolves stop here. For the rest, you have to inflict a festival of jokes and dated references, mixed with a sort of woke bingo, where all the boxes are ticked to perfection, like the grid of a model student. So, be careful, we obviously defend the idea that representation on screen is crucial, allowing essential identification, especially in a family film.
However, in just 1 hour 30 minutes, you can bring together a blended family, a mixed-race daughter and influencer on social networks, her long-haired brother who is “searching for his identity”, a mother who gives rudimentary lessons in feminism, as well as a gay and transvestite character. , it had to be done.
The importance of representation then loses all its meaning, in favor of an immense indigestible mixture. It will certainly annoy the reactors, perhaps allow teenagers to find the film less cheesy and will be partially suitable for grandparents, during a family moment.
Genius or lack of inspiration?
This is not the only catalog present in the film, no. In yet another hope of bringing together all generations, director François Uzan (In Place) decided to give a more musical aspect to the Werewolvesby deliberately creating anachronisms. We totally respect the filmmaker’s passion for the repertoire of the 1980s and 1990s, from Jean-Jacques Goldman to Johnny Hallyday, via Michel Sardou, but their presence is so forced and incongruous that we remain hermetic.
Of course, we love these hits too. That said, transform Daniel Balavoine into “Daniel Baladin and his Baladettes” medieval version, sing Light the fire during a pyre sequence or reinvent the words of the Connemara Lakes to frighten an opponent is more a matter of a lack of inspiration than of real creative genius.
An unflattering throwback to the 1990s
The integration of somewhat dated music into the plot of Werewolves finally agrees with the writing of jokes, conventional and not very funny. We’ll let you judge the relevance of this quote from Jean Reno, who plays the family’s grandfather, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, while his house begins to shake: “It’s the Germans!” ».
It must be said that the entire cast, from the actor to Visitors to Franck Dubosc via Suzanne Clément, seems frankly tired, and not really convinced either of the dialogues he must interpret.
On the visual side, Werewolves also chose to keep an old-fashioned technique, without special effects, to stage its famous lycanthropes. There is therefore no 3D here, but rather characters in costumes, animated using animatronics. On this point, at least, the Netflix film comes close to Jumanji. But that’s far from being a compliment.
If you have a vague memory of the 1995 feature film starring Robin Williams, you may remember a scene in which Peter gradually transforms into an ape. With the look of his creatures, Werewolves recalls this nostalgic sequence, except that the trip to the 1990s is not very flattering.
Werewolves is it at least a good adaptation of the famous board game?
It is difficult to answer this question positively. Of course, the idea of transposing the characters directly into the medieval era, to fit the atmosphere of Thiercelieux, was an excellent choice to develop the game differently. However, apart from a pretty wooden box, which captivates all eyes on the screen, Werewolves offers no more than a very lukewarm immersion.
The powers of the original game are thus showcased in a very strange way. The Hunter is, for example, endowed with surprising superhuman strength, simply drawn to serve the needs of the scenario, on occasion. The Clairvoyant can now read minds. Only the Witch’s abilities are rather well brought out from a narrative point of view.
At a time when Canal+ is offering its own adaptation of Werewolves, in reality TV version, we invite you instead to discover this faithful reinvention of the board game, and to abandon “Daniel Baladin and his Baladettes”.
The verdict
We liked
- A film to watch with the family
- A mix between Jumanji and The Visitors
- Bruno Gouery, excellent
- A magnificent wooden game
- The running gag of the arrow at the end
We liked it less
- The cast, very tired
- Questionable jokes
- A slightly forced woke bingo
- Werewolves, awful
- Quickly seen, quickly forgotten
We expected to prefer Werewolves from Canal+ to those of Netflix, but we clearly had no idea that it would be to this extent. It must be said that the film adaptation of the famous board game can only count on a few qualities, from its careful costumes to its family atmosphere, which will suit all generations.
This strength also becomes the weakness of Werewolves. The film seeks to tick all the boxes of what, according to it, a woke film should be in 2024, in a completely chaotic way and without any real desire to highlight the importance of representation. Add to that dated jokes, a preposterous soundtrack and a cast in poor form, and you will get barely passable entertainment, which you already forget a few hours after viewing it.
Source: www.numerama.com
