Blood Capsule #321

AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN PARIS (1997)

I imagine that fans who flocked to see this film in 1997 were disappointed that it didn't (correction: couldn't) live up to An American Werewolf in London.  Can I share something with you?  Promise not to laugh?  In my opinion, London is overrated.  Any moron could tell you that the special effects were incredible, but it left me feeling flat.  It's definitely not my favorite werewolf movie.  Not even close (I'll get to my actual favorite a couple of reviews from now...patience, patience).  If you view Paris as a true sequel, it's not going to wash your dishes.  However, if you view it as a stand-alone creature feature, one produced in the gizzard of a slasher boom, you might find that most of its punches connect.  The main dude is played by Tom Everett Scott.  He is vacationing in France with his daredevil buddies, and right off the bat, this flick has a leg up on the original.  The oh-so-significant best friends are brought to life by perennial "that guy" actors Vince Vieluf and Phil Buckman.  Simply put, they rock.

This is the last time I'll reference it, but I never felt a connection to the side characters in London.  Here, they're entertaining, and as an added bonus, they play an integral role in the storyline.  Conversely, I can't say that the chemistry between our cloying leads is particularly riveting.  Julie Delpy is fine as the lycanthropic love interest, but...meh.  The rain-soaked opening credits ensured me that Paris would be easy on the eyes.  And it is, with the exception of the werewolves.  Good Lord, the CGI has not aged well.  It looks foul.  Malodorous even!  That's a crucial bone of contention, considering that the werewolves are the stars of the show.  In terms of gore, nothing stands out.  I realize that it sounds as if I've soured on An American Werewolf in Paris over the course of this capsule, but I had fun with it.  I enjoyed it more than I did when I saw it at the fragile age of thirteen.  I'm pretty sure I was just waiting to see boobs and/or blood in 1997.  I'd like to think I've matured since then.  Ahem.