Rarely considered as one of the good adaptations of Stephen King’s novels, Silver Bullet succeeds in breaking the norm. Werewolf films all have their variants. All too often, magic rules that make getting rid of these fantastic creatures easy ruin the show. They become repetitive and, first and foremost, predictable. Still, because the whole planet knows how useful silver bullets are against werewolves, this film prefers to quickly mention the fact and move on to something other. It doesn’t get caught up in the moon’s cycle, religious themes or long scientific explanations.
Although the lycanthrope theme is kept simple and mysterious, the development of the characters and the villager’s reactions consume the development. Marty’s family isn’t perfect nor is it deplorable. The characters that are directly linked to him are multidimensional. His uncle, in particular, suffers from an addiction to alcohol but knows how to keep his priorities straight. His younger sister sometimes treats him like crap but she visibly loves him. The secret identity of the werewolf will not hold until the end nor will it try to be unpredictable. The character in question acts just like any good werewolf in danger would.
The biggest problem is the incessant childish tone to the film. Having a handicapped child for a hero isn’t the best idea since sliced bread but we need to deal with it. The film is more or less presented through his eyes. Even when he is put in the background, when we witness the death of random townsfolk, the mediocre special effects limit Silver Bullet to too little credibility.
The violence is present, so is the humour; the human aspect of the film, along with its unique elements, helps it live through its faults.
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