Teen Wolf: Review: Season 1 Eps 1-2

MTV, Season 1 Eps 1-2

A trip to the local woods in search of a reported dead body sees Scott (Tyler Posey) bitten by a werewolf, thereby curing his asthma… and much more.

MTV’s re-invention of the mid-1980s Michael J. Fox comedy Teen Wolf in these 21st century days of Twilight and The Vampire Diaries is exactly what you’d expect it to be. Gone is the goofy humour of the movie (and its often forgotten non-Fox sequel), replaced by identity-kit rich teens, predictable storytelling and typical meet cute romance. Wall-to-wall MOR pop pap completes the package. In fact, other than the title, this new series has nothing whatsoever to do with the original Teen Wolf.

As well as an accidental werewolf sports hero, there’s also a group of wolf hunters to provide a regular threat and an older werewolf mentor figure. The hero and his sidekick have an early dumb-ass discussion of lycanthropy that tries to be causal and funny, but is simply lame and typical of the scripting. It’s all a bit too Scooby Doo, really. This is a return to MTV for Buggles video director Russell Mulcahy (spot the audio shout-out in the party scene), but don’t expect any of the sophistication of his Highlander movie here: it’s generic US TV fodder for kids.

The second episode is essentially a sports movie, with our hero using his new-found doggie abilities to win the game and win the girl. Very American, very generic and very boring. A developing mystery lurks in the background, but whether you can be bothered to stick around for the solution depends on your tolerance level for US teens and dodgy CGI wolf transformations.

Verdict: Probably great if you’re a 12-year-old American. 4/10

Mark James