The moon is full, a chilling breeze blows and a screen legend has once again turned England into his personal hunting grounds. With the latest film release, “The Wolfman” is back in all his glory with a furry face-lift thanks to modern-day special effects.

Actor Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) returns to his father’s (Anthony Hopkins) home after receiving word his brother has been murdered. During the visit, a powerful beast attacks. Lawrence survives only to transform into the beast at the next full moon.

Director Joe Johnston followed the Hollywood tradition of pulling classic monsters out of the attic and animating them with modern special effects. Johnston succeeds in creating a bloody reincarnation of the beast, using his experience directing past action films, such as “Jurassic Park III” and “Jumanji.”

Comfortable with intense action sequences, Johnston showcases the beast sprinting across London streets, carving up human bodies like a living wood chipper. The transformations are intricately generated, showing audiences limbs elongating and canines bursting from the beast’s mouth.

Only the film’s first scenes can be placed in the horror genre. The movie opens with a suspenseful shot of a cold, moonlit night where nothing but the creaking of bare trees can be heard in the dark. Once Lawrence undergoes his first horrifying transformation, though, the film swings into action.  

Del Toro gives a chilling performance as the frightening monster. He balances the role of the wild beast with a sincere man trying to recover from the terrors he has caused.

Hopkins also does a fair portrayal of the father figure. He easily juggles dry humor, heartless distance and unflinching cruelty throughout the movie.

The movie’s significant flaw is that it tries to expand upon the original story, but the plot turns out to be a Frankenstein story. The plot borrows elements from everything from the character dynamic of “Hamlet” to the final fight from “The Incredible Hulk.” Such a plot mash up coupled with the predictability of the story makes the film dull during the pauses between slaughters.

“Wolfman” succeeds as a CGI-supported monster flick, as the creators certainly show respect for the werewolf as an icon, but the script tries to mesh too many themes together, keeping the film from becoming as legendry as its main character.

“The Wolfman” was written by Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self and directed by Joe Johnston.