Skinwalkers (2006)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

James Isaac

Writers (WGA):

James DeMonaco (written by) &
Todd Harthan (written by) ...

Release Date:

10 August 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

They live among us. They hunt us.

Plot:

A 12 year old boy and his mother become the targets of two warring werewolf packs, each with different intentions and motives.

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Transformation | Uncle | Werewolf | Bloodlust

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 9	5:30 PM	SHOW
Thur. Nov. 19	9:15 AM	SHOW

Cast

Jason Behr	...	Varek
Elias Koteas	...	Jonas
Rhona Mitra	...	Rachel Talbot
Natassia Malthe	...	Sonja
Kim Coates	...	Zo
Sarah Carter	...	Katherine
Tom Jackson	...	Will
Matthew Knight	...	Timothy Talbot
Rogue Johnston	...	Grenier
Barbara Gordon	...	Nana
Shawn Roberts	...	Adam Kilmer
Lyriq Bent	...	Doak
Christine Brubaker	...	Justine
Roman Podhora	...	Ralph
Wayne Ward	...	Justine's Husband

Also Known As:

Skin Walkers (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual material and language. (previously rated R for violent content throughout and language)

Runtime:

USA:110 min | USA:92 min (cut) | Germany:89 min (DVD version)

Country:

Canada | USA | Germany

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

USA:R | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:NC-16 (edited version) | Malaysia:18PL | Australia:MA (2008) | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Germany:16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Creemore, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Constantin Film Produktion

Quotes:

[From trailer]
Varek: I am not human... We're better than that.

Soundtrack:

Diamond Side Down

Listless Underworld clone

For years, it has been prophesied that when a certain boy turns 13 (under a red moon, natch), the curse of the werewolves will be lifted. This is great news for some of the werewolves, who are tired of chomping on human flesh, but anathema to others, who dig that sort of thing. The boy is being protected by his family, although his mother (Rhona Mitra) has no clue about his true split nature, from the keep-the-curse stalwarts, led by Varek (Jason Behr). Yes, it's yet another and-a-child-shall-lead-them supernatural-beings tales.

When the bad werewolves figure out who and where Timothy (Matthew Knight) is, they launch an attack, and finally all is revealed to Timothy and his mom, Rachel. This ensures that somewhere near the end of the movie there will be a battle to the death, and only one can survive, either Varek, or the good-guys leader, Jonas (Elias Koteas, who's kind of slumming here). One Varek's team is a busty, evil villainess (Natassia Malthe) and some hippie-looking dude, while Jonas has a grandma, a Native American non-werewolf, a high school athlete and his girlfriend (Jonas' daughter, of course).

The trend in recent years has been that werewolves are somewhat equal to bikers or heavy-metal musicians, so that's how Varek's squad is presented, complete with pulse-pounding riding and intro music. By contrast, the good guys are stereotypically a ragtag band scurrying from safe place to safe place, always on the run, always ragged.

As werewolf movies go, this one isn't awful, but it's really not all that much to write home about, either. It's got hunky guys and sexy babes, and although there's a lot of violence there's almost no blood at all. (In fact, it's possible the movie would have been better if it had been filmed in black and white.) It has likable and despicable characters, and it manages to shade them all just a hair. Its main selling point just seems to be the true identity of Timothy in relation to everyone else, as revealed in the final third of the movie, but it's just not enough to make the movie remarkable enough to warrant a second look. In other words, it's just okay. It's as dark and dank-looking as, say, Underworld, but without the charisma of a Kate Beckinsale or Michael Speedman to lift the movie.