NUMBER TWOS: TEEN WOLF TOO

1987 | DIR. CHRISTOPHER LEITCH | REVIEW BY GLENN COCHRANE.

There are only two reasons for disliking the 1985 film TEEN WOLF. Either you're a millennial in desperate need of a cinematic-education or you have shit taste in movies. It was that other flick that Michael J Fox made around the same time as BACK TO THE FUTURE and it told the story of a teenage werewolf who goes from zero to hero thanks to his grizzly alter ego and some mad basketball skills. It wasn't a critically acclaimed film but it was definitely an audience favourite on home video. If you've never seen it then stop reading and go find it.

Thanks to TEEN WOLF's popularity with the 80's teen audience an inevitable sequel was made two years later. And like some other sequels of the era it was given the classic “Too” moniker, in lieu of the traditional “2” (refer to SPLASH TOO, THE JERK TOO). With Michael J Fox soaring the heights of Hollywood the film was recast with a young Jason Bateman who, like Fox, had come straight from the world of television sit-com. With Bateman's father serving as the movie's producer he was an obvious choice, and a good one.

​In the film Bateman plays Todd Howard – cousin to Scott (Fox) – who arrives at a new college campus on a full sports scholarship. Despite not having a sporting bone in his body he is registered to the wrestling team, following the recommendation of a teacher who taught his cousin, and discovers that his family's Lycanthrope lineage gives him super-human abilities. And so there's a new Teen Wolf in town and no one bats an eyelid. In fact no one so much as flinches when Todd transforms into a werewolf for the first time. A girl looks at him and says “oh, you're a dog!” while another girl reassures him “Everything will be fine”... how's that for tolerance, huh? Todd also earns himself a superstar status and takes the college by storm.

TEEN WOLF TOO is an inferior sequel in many ways, most notably due to a lacklustre script and an uninspired story. It repeats the formula of its predecessor but fails to re-capture the spirit. Obviously these are important qualities that the movie abandons, but all is not lost thanks to the quality of the production design and the enthusiastic performances. Despite being made for video (with a limited theatrical run in some places) the film maintains the aesthetic of the first instalment, which makes for a seamless continuation and Bateman makes for a suitable substitute for Fox, despite his on-screen presence being less energetic. He's also supported by James Hampton and Mark Holton (reprising their roles) as well as Stuart Fratkin assuming the role of Stiles and John Astin as the college dean. 

The way I look at it TEEN WOLF TOO was made to be seen when you've suffered from TEEN WOLF ONE fatigue. The first movie is an undeniable classic (take note Millennials) which demands repeat viewing... but sometimes you can over do it and TEEN WOLF TOO is the alleviation you need. It's the sequel that is by no means an equal, but is – nevertheless - a supplement that maintains the dietary intake . And for added trivia, a third instalment was written only to be reshaped into a stand-alone movie called TEEN WITCH (a trilogy would have been cool).
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