Teen Wolf: The Movie

15 years after the love of his life died in Scott McCall’s (Tyler Posey) arms, the Alpha werewolf comes across signs that Allison Argent (Crystal Reed) has been stuck in bardo all this time. Together with a number of longtime companions, he decides to do everything in his power to not only free her from this abeyance, but bring her back to life. Unfortunately, not only friendly faces return to Beacon Hills as a result, and soon the pack must face another battle that could be the last for all of them.

As the perplexing case of Criminal Minds proved, the recent reboot mania doesn’t stop at shows that were cancelled less than a decade ago – even at the risk of forfeiting the driving force that is nostalgia when it hasn’t had time to settle in.

In 2014, Teen Wolf fans were shaken by Allison’s death and cooked up all kinds of scenarios in forums and fan fiction about how her character could be brought back within the established canon. The question of why it wasn’t done while the show was still on air is answered easily enough: the character was killed off because Reed wanted to pursue other projects. One cannot help but wonder why this premise is being tackled now (when even the die-hard “Scallison” shippers have moved on) and if this is perhaps a case of too little, too late.

Because, make no mistake, Teen Wolf: The Movie is purely fan service. Already the title is somewhat misleading: instead of an actual movie, we are dealing with a paint-by-numbers episode that just happens to be three times as long. Without a “previously on…” summary, the viewer is thrown in at the deep end and must try to navigate the characters and lore for themselves. Despite the comparatively little “show” and overabundance of “tell”, the film is still hard to follow for those unfamiliar with the series. It leaves it up to its audience to google terms like “Nogitsune” and “Oni” while the rest of the script oscillates between dry demon-fighting shop talk and light banter, without finding an organic balance between the two.

There is no cinematic offset either. Camerawork and editing focus merely on coverage and continuity. The visual effects do not reflect any technical advancement and appear careless, down to the plastered prosthetic wolf faces. 

Clearly, the appeal of this sequel lies in revisiting the teen wolves now that they are no longer teenagers, but the execution begs the question whether those in charge also considered that its audience may have grown up as well.

Selina Sondermann

Teen Wolf: The Movie is released on 27^th January 2023.

Watch the trailer for Teen Wolf: The Movie here: