Scream Factory gives Teen Wolf Too a great treatment, perhaps better than it deserves, adding to the Collector's Edition line-up with the first film that fans of the film as well as completists will want to pick up in addition to the great cult classic Teen Wolf!
“High School Was Easy, But College Is A Whole Different Animal!
Jason Bateman (Horrible Bosses) stars as Todd Howard, a Hamilton University freshman with a full athletic scholarship — only Todd has no idea why, since he’s far more interested in veterinary medicine than sports. But his boxing coach, Bobby Finstock, is very familiar with the Howard family secret and he’s hoping he can use it to his advantage. When the whole school — including Todd — finds out that he’s a werewolf with superhuman abilities, Todd’s popularity skyrockets and he becomes the big wolf on campus.
But is his fame a gift? Or a curse? And can he keep it from getting in the way of the relationships he has with his best friends and girlfriend? Perhaps a little guidance from his professor (Kim Darby, True Grit), who has a secret of her own, may help Todd learn the biggest lesson of all.”
In Jason Bateman’s first feature film, he plays the cousin of Michael J. Fox’s character who has come to college on a sports scholarship that was awarded to him without him ever participating in an organized sport before, based solely on the fact that the coach saw his cousin play basketball, and hopes that Todd carries the werewolf gene as well that will propel the college boxing team into stardom.
Two short years after the enormous success of Teen Wolf, it’s no surprise that the studio was hoping to recapture the magic that corralled hoards of viewers into theatres to watch the first film. What they hoped to achieve was something along the same lines of the theme, the comedy, the story arc, everything that made Teen Wolf special. So, what did they do? Copy every aspect of the first film but only change the sport to boxing, a non-team sport which eliminates part of the heart of the first film.
Teen Wolf Too is a carbon copy of the first film, with the majority of all the redeeming qualities lost. One of the best parts of the first is the relationship between the characters, especially between Scott and Boof. In the second film, the characters and relationships are given a back seat so they can instead have Todd as ‘The Wolf’ chase a frisbee and catch it in his mouth, and other terribly clichéd and eye-rolling moments that degrade the film. The character of Nicki (Estee Chandler) is unfortunately written very poorly, which in turn makes for a relationship with Todd that the audience simply doesn’t care about.
The make-up effects are somewhat sub-par as well and don’t quite live up to the original. The Wolf looks more like a mask from the original Planet of the Apes films, which is terribly disappointing given the great effects of the first that was done on such a tiny budget. However, this may hide the fact that Jason Bateman is hardly ever the one in make-up, as a double stands in for almost all the boxing and dancing that is rampant in the film.
Of course, the best thing about the film is to see a young Jason Bateman in his first feature film, thanks to the producer of the film, Kent Bateman, his father. There are definitely glimpses of the dry, sarcastic actor that has gained popularity in recent years. Unfortunately this is really one of the only driving factors the film has going for it. On its own, Teen Wolf Too is a dull attempt at recreating the greatness of the first film.
Video
Teen Wolf Too is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1. The transfer looks to be in good shape, save for a few minor defects and blemishes noticed throughout. Grain can be a bit heavy at times, but colors have a good balance to them that complement the clothes and sets of the 80’s.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio Mono. The track sounds fine for a mono track, with no defects noticed. Levels sound good as well, and although the soundtrack and score doesn’t reach the level of the first film, there are some good moments in the film which raise the entertainment value.
Special Features
There are quite a few extras on this disc, with a lot of the cast and crew giving short but informative interviews about the film. Mostly, they try and justify their involvement, acknowledging how poorly the film was received.
On this disc you’re going to see:
- Working With The Wolf – An Interview With Director Christopher Leitch
- Otherworldly – An Interview With Co-star Kim Darby
- A Man of Great ‘Stiles’ – An Interview With Co-star Stuart Fratkin
- Nerdy Girl Saves the Day – An Interview With Co-star Estee Chandler
- A Wolf In ‘80s Clothing – A Look At The Wardrobe Of Teen Wolf Too With Costume Designer Heidi Kaczenski
- Still Gallery
Although Teen Wolf Too fails to hit almost every mark, the film has its moments with a young Jason Bateman that does make it entertaining to watch. This may have been more effective as packaging both as a set, as I’m sure there are many out there who will pick up the first film but not the second. This film has been given a great treatment by Scream Factory, and fans of the films and completists like myself will want to grab this one as well.
