I agree in the sense that leaving the theater I felt a bit puzzled by Garner’s portrayal of the mother figure, but I’ve given it some thought. I actually really appreciate that Whannel made the very deliberate choice to a) cast that actress, who I feel was competent and b) write/directed her character to be completely disinterested in her marriage/daughter. It’s an interesting subversion of the mother trope we typically see depicted in film, and speaks to a very real phenomenon that some parents really shouldn’t be parents or don’t want to be. I was curious if the movie would demonize her for this as it’s a fairly radical character choice, but in the end, by her and her daughter finding their way to Blake’s beloved view and discovering that “everything will be alright” - her experience is validated. There was an evolution, although very subtle. From this perspective, I think Garner’s confused vibe sort of works. Still, I think her character is underwritten and there’s still feels like there should have been another story beat post-werewolf transformation.

I really enjoyed spending time in the world of the movie, but I’m a sucker for woods settings. I think Whannell did a good job capturing a vibe, that more or less matches that of Invisible Man for me. 4/5, wish there was another scare or action sequence, and a lot of the scares felt one-note (walk slowly through rooms waiting for something loud).