I like the music. I like the cast; while only one person on hand is a professional actor (and or has additional credits to their name), I think everyone involved gives a suitable performance. I think there are solid ideas here - a quasi-realist portrait of somewhat idle, drug-dealing metalheads, crossed with a fraction of Shakespearean drama (so saith the filmmaker). I think the narrative is complete and cohesive, and written well as it is.
The execution of that narrative, however, is marked by too little eventfulness for far too much of the runtime. True, the bulk of 'The Wolfman's hammer' is spent establishing the characters, their motivations, and the conflict to come. So why does it feel like nothing happens until about 10 minutes are left in the picture? To that point, I'm not entirely convinced that the conflict underpinning those last 10 minutes, and the climax, is developed as concretely as it should have been. For lack of that development, the pivotal moment that kicks off this final sixth of the feature seems less like a calamity foretold, a foregone conclusion, and more like a spontaneous outburst. The impact is diminished, and therefore the whole as well - and more so as emotional beats are glossed over in passing.
As to the sense of realism in the writing: It's not inaccurate. The characters depicted here are certainly a classic archetype within the global community that metal music has fostered. ... Well, "archetype" is one word; "stereotype" is another. The image of a buff, gruff, drug-dealing, close-minded gatekeeper of a genre purist ("So-and-so isn't REAL metal!"), freely spewing misogynist and homophobic language, is sorely outdated, and does metal at large no favors. I understand fully well that this is the story filmmaker Brad Michael Elmore wanted to tell, and it required seedy figures - fetid pockmarks on the hindquarters of underground music - to be realized. But it's just tiresome.
Tighter writing and direction would have gone a long way. Granted, this was only Elmore's debut feature, and it's a very independently produced, very low-budget presentation at that. I don't think one can judge too harshly under the circumstances. Indeed, I don't think this is outright bad - not at all; in sum, I want to like it more than I do. And to Elmore's credit, in subsequent years he clearly honed his craft; I very much enjoyed his 2019 vampire flick 'Bit.' Yet as far as I'm concerned, the fact remains that this particular film is rife with shortcomings that overwhelm the good ideas and dampen its overall value. I'm doubtful about recommending it, and there's no reason to seek it out. Still, despite its faults - you could do a lot worse. For patient and open-minded viewers, I think 'The Wolfman's hammer' is a fair way to spend 67-some minutes if you come across it.
The execution of that narrative, however, is marked by too little eventfulness for far too much of the runtime. True, the bulk of 'The Wolfman's hammer' is spent establishing the characters, their motivations, and the conflict to come. So why does it feel like nothing happens until about 10 minutes are left in the picture? To that point, I'm not entirely convinced that the conflict underpinning those last 10 minutes, and the climax, is developed as concretely as it should have been. For lack of that development, the pivotal moment that kicks off this final sixth of the feature seems less like a calamity foretold, a foregone conclusion, and more like a spontaneous outburst. The impact is diminished, and therefore the whole as well - and more so as emotional beats are glossed over in passing.
As to the sense of realism in the writing: It's not inaccurate. The characters depicted here are certainly a classic archetype within the global community that metal music has fostered. ... Well, "archetype" is one word; "stereotype" is another. The image of a buff, gruff, drug-dealing, close-minded gatekeeper of a genre purist ("So-and-so isn't REAL metal!"), freely spewing misogynist and homophobic language, is sorely outdated, and does metal at large no favors. I understand fully well that this is the story filmmaker Brad Michael Elmore wanted to tell, and it required seedy figures - fetid pockmarks on the hindquarters of underground music - to be realized. But it's just tiresome.
Tighter writing and direction would have gone a long way. Granted, this was only Elmore's debut feature, and it's a very independently produced, very low-budget presentation at that. I don't think one can judge too harshly under the circumstances. Indeed, I don't think this is outright bad - not at all; in sum, I want to like it more than I do. And to Elmore's credit, in subsequent years he clearly honed his craft; I very much enjoyed his 2019 vampire flick 'Bit.' Yet as far as I'm concerned, the fact remains that this particular film is rife with shortcomings that overwhelm the good ideas and dampen its overall value. I'm doubtful about recommending it, and there's no reason to seek it out. Still, despite its faults - you could do a lot worse. For patient and open-minded viewers, I think 'The Wolfman's hammer' is a fair way to spend 67-some minutes if you come across it.
