On Set: Double feature “Flow” and “Wolf Man”

KHOL film critic Jeff Counts reviews two new(ish) titles, one of which will be an Oscar contender.
The animated independent fantasy adventure feature "Flow" makes for a strong Oscar contender, despite having no spoken words.

by | Jan 25, 2025 | Film & TV

Welcome to January, the month where Hollywood gives you one of two things – the wide release of an aspiring Oscar contender from the prior year, or a low-brow genre flick from right now that has absolutely no ambition at all. In some January weeks, like this one, you get both at once. From these mixed materials comes mixed results, but I’m sure it’s difficult for studios to successfully monetize their less serious projects in the sleepy first quarter of a given year. The two films featured on On Set this week truly show the range of possibility available to theatergoers in the heart of winter. Up first is “Wolf Man”.                                                      

The Dark Universe was a mid-2010s franchise concept centered on big stars and huge budgets. The linked films were meant to reboot classic Universal Monsters and develop a shared world of stories akin to what Marvel pulled off with the MCU. The idea began, and pretty much ended, in 2017 with Tom Cruise’s “Mummy” flop, leaving all the creatures free to fend for their independent selves. “Wolf Man”, out now in theaters, had none of the Dark Universe clout or coin and has come to us as a movie of much more modest means. Director Leigh Whannell proved he could work in tight budgetary spaces in 2020 with “Invisible Man”, so his announcement as leader of “Wolf Man” was cause for hope among horror fans. Sadly, he starts falling into cliché traps right from the credits. The worst horror movies begin with a sort of memory test, in which plot hooks are clumsily set and bookmarked for later enjoyment as AHA! moments. It’s dreadful in small doses, and “Wolf Man” does it a lot. The cast is small and skilled, but they are working with a thin screenplay. The effects are decent, when we finally get them, and special mention must be given to the unique visual and aural perspective of the infected main character. It was an innovative thrill in an otherwise disappointing experience. Next up in our double feature is “Flow”.   

You wouldn’t know the animated feature “Flow” is a foreign film because it doesn’t have a single spoken word in it. This gorgeous, cel-shaded masterpiece was made by a Latvian team and distributed by Janus, the company that once introduced American audiences to work by Bergman, Fellini, Kurosawa and others. It might seem ridiculous to invoke the names of such legends in the discussion of an animation project, but it’s not a stretch. “Flow” is that good. The story is simple. A cat is forced to navigate a world where all the humans are gone, and a catastrophic flood has begun to cover the once familiar landscape. The cat links up with other orphaned creatures and together they move through their new reality, experiencing all its alternating wonder and dread with equanimity we could all learn from. There is a depth to these characters that no dialogue could possibly improve upon, and for the creators to make this happen through context and suggestion alone is a miracle. The visual tableaus of a world made strange by water are so well drawn, I wanted to press pause so I could enjoy them forever. I didn’t think it would be possible for an animated movie to be as rewarding as “The Wild Robot” last year, but “Flow” will give it a rightful run for its money.           

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January can be boring and disappointing at the theater if you let it. But there are quiet gems amongst all the shameless Oscar-bait and fire-and-forget throwaways. This is a time to trust your eyes. If it looks like somebody is trying something fresh and provocative, they probably are. If it looks like they are just mailing it in, they definitely are. Choose wisely.         

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About Jeff Counts

Before moving to Jackson in 2019, Jeff spent five years reviewing movies as co-host of the public access television program "Big Movie Mouth-Off." When not focused on film, Jeff writes about opera and co-hosts the classical music interview podcast "Ghost Light."

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