Teen Wolf

Today as part of a lazy Sunday I sat down to rewatch one of those cheesy movies from the 80's, so I ended up watching Teen Wolf. Teen Wolf is one of those high school movies that makes you chuckle. The teenage cliches run rampant throughout this film and while it is not in the category of the awesomely bad movies it is one that falls into that extremely cheesy movie category. Plus who knew that werewolves are extremely talented when it comes to basketball.

Michael J. Fox plays Scott Howard a teen who has a hard time finding his place in high school. Fox plays this role perfectly with his awkwardness that he plays so naturally when a role requires it of him. He shows even then that he was a star in a making and would only improve in each film he did. I don't know what it is but he is simply a person that you are just drawn to and you instantly view as a hero that you want to win out and get the girl. The supporting cast he has around him are average, but are faces that you will all recognize.

The music throughout this film fits perfectly with the whole teen high school flick feel. Of course it does not hurt that "Surfin' USA" by the Beach Boys is featured. The story is definitely a unique twist on the whole awkward high schooler. While it is very outlandish in many respects in the end it does talk a little bit of a dark shot at high school. It was not really something that I fully picked up on though until this time when I watched the movie. Basically it gives us a little commentary about how cruel high school can be. One is only accepted if they excel at athletics or by who they are.

One other interesting thing about this movie to me was that this film was PG. The interesting part is how it got a PG rating, but really seemed to push the boundary in some parts. Also I would have loved them to explore a little more about the powers. When he finds out his dad tells him that with being a werewolf it comes with "great powers" yet we only get to see two. The first that he has great athletic ability and the second that with his nose he can find a hidden stash of marijuana.

While this is definitely a very cheesy film, it is one that I enjoy seeing every now and then. Michael J. Fox is superb in his role. For being an 80's film it is actually pretty well done, for that I am giving it three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one film that is worth renting or finding on TV if you have never seen it.

-The Movie Man-