100% Wolf (2020) - Movie Review

After the horrors of my last review, I figure there’s nowhere to go but up so why not check out more talking animal schtick? In fairness, though, I have at least a little faith that this film will turn out somewhat decent coming from Aussie studio Flying Bark. And indeed, ‘somewhat decent’ is certainly what I got.

Most of the charm to be found here comes from the voice cast, which features some pretty solid Aussie talent. Ilai Swindells as Freddy Lupin, the werewolf cub who turns out to be a were-poodle, works nicely as the lead, and when paired with Samara Weaving as the streetwise Batty, AKA The Great Houndini, they make for a solid pairing. Jai Courtney as Freddy’s father Flasheart might be one of his best roles to date, as he manages to sell a lot of warmth and authority with very little, and Rhys Darby as the crazy ice cream man/werewolf hunter… yeah, don’t really need to elaborate on that; I could watch him ‘talking’ to his stuffed monkey Scoops all bloody day.

The animation is… okay. For a setting and character roster so reliant on moonlight, the fact that the lighting effects look so off-kilter is not a good sign, but for the most part, it does alright. The scenes of the werewolf pack on the prowl at night exude a certain spirited freedom that helps sell the main premise, and while some of the character designs are a little questionable (main villain Hotspur has a full-on nostril hair moustache and it’s impossible not to notice), it’s standard issue round-and-bouncy fidelity without being too annoying.

Which is more than I can say for the sense of humour on display. I get that films like this about talking dogs (kinda-sorta, which I’ll get to in a bit) usually involve some kind of canine potty humour, but when there’s an entire scene just focusing on Freddy relieving himself all over the room, it feels a tad desperate. It doesn’t help that they went full 2000s nostalgia and included Who Let The Dogs Out in a particularly unnecessary moment.

But that’s more with the specific jokes in mind. As far as overall entertainment value, I’d argue that this is rather cute in a disarming way. The main idea of the werewolf pack who are actually heroes of the town, rescuing citizens from burning buildings and the like, is a decent idea, and while the whole wolf/dog animosity isn’t explained… at all, really, it sets up an alright upper class/street-level friction that adds a bit of chew to the main story. Said story can be incredibly predictable, even for a ‘it’s what’s on the inside that counts’ yarn like this, but considering the target demographic and the talent involved… yeah, I’d say it’s a decent effort.