‘Werewolf Game’ Review: Social Deduction Survival
Watching Werewolf Game is less fun that playing the game yourself, but it’s still mildly interesting.
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What is Werewolf Game About?
Werewolf Game adapts the social deduction game of Werewolf (aka Mafia) into movie form in a very literal way.
The movie begins with text telling us that, for years, a social media company has been kidnapping people, depositing them on an island, and forcing them to play a deadly version of the Werewolf Game. We join a group of twelve recently kidnapped people as they are told the rules of the game by a masked man known as The Judge. The Judge says that among the group, three of them are secretly assigned as “werewolves,” and everyone else is a “villager.” Each night, the werewolves have an hour to hunt and kill a single villager, and each day everyone votes on who they believe a werewolf is. The person who receives the most votes each day is killed. This day/night cycle continues until either the wolves or the villagers are eliminated, and the surviving team gets a cash prize.
The people being forced to play the game try to find ways to escape, but inevitably they have no choice but to participate if they want to live. Alliances are formed, secrets are maintained, and the game is played.
Werewolf Game was written by Jackie Payne, and it was directed by Jackie Payne and Cara Claymore. Tony Todd is featured as The Judge, and the players are Bai Ling, Robert Picardo, Lydia Hearst, Teala Dunn, Andre Tempfer, Ethan Ingle, MK McManus, Tabitha Jane, Leon Andrew Joseph, Tim Realbuto, Cara Claymore, and James Crittenden.
Werewolf Game Review
Survival-game movies like this are at their best when there is a strong focus on the inherent tragedy of seeing characters we care about die. That requires some quick and effective character building to establish the audience’s sympathy towards a few notable personalities. Sadly, none of the characters in Werewolf Game are particularly interesting or sympathetic.
After a lengthy session of exposition in which we are told, by The Judge, about each person playing the game, everyone mostly remains a mystery to the audience. This is surely intentional as a way of allowing the viewer to play along and try to figure out who the werewolves are, but an emotional hook is sorely needed for the story to have a real impact. After all, we’re not actually playing a game of Werewolf, we’re watching a movie. If there is a sympathetic lead, it’s probably Monika (played by Lydia Hearst). She’s given the biggest emotional arc, but even that falls somewhat flat because of how little time is spent on making her arc feel natural and authentic.
So without a strong emotional core, it’s the mechanics of the game that are forced to drive the interest in the story. From that angle, Werewolf Game is okay. Trying to figure out who the werewolves are can be fun, but probably only if you’re already familiar with the basics of how the game Werewolf tends to work. If you’ve played (or have watched people play) before, then there are a few moments that will stand out as giveaways for suspicious behavior. In the end though, the satisfaction of figuring out who the werewolves are is brushed to the side as the surviving players try to find a way out of the game without playing along. That leads to a less than satisfying ending.
On the plus side, the voting sessions are fun. Tony Todd throws himself into the role as The Judge in those scenes, and he’s always a pleasure to watch. Also, the actual voting is surprisingly tense most of the time. If you’re playing along and have an idea of who you think the werewolves are, watching how the votes fall in the later stages of the movie will give you a lot more to think about. It’s not as fun as playing the game yourself, but it’s a decent approximation.
Werewolf Game Rating and Recommendation
Star Rating: 2 out of 5
Werewolf Game needed stronger characters, but the game itself might be strong enough for big fans of survival-game movies.
Werewolf Game is currently available on TVOD streaming platforms including Amazon Prime Video.
Further Reading
- Bone Face Review: A Murder Mystery Masquerading as a Slasher
- Bystanders Review: A Unique Twist on Revenge
- Kromoleo Review: An Average Indonesian Curse Movie
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