In the Gevaudan region of southern France, an animal attacks and brutally kills the locals. The king sends his emissary to study the situation and understand the nature of the beast. After analysis carried out on some of the bodies, it turns out that they are not normal wolves, but a still unknown specimen. A young girl, who escaped the monster's onslaught, will tell of seeing a huge 4-legged animal and a man commanding it. In a vain attempt to capture the beast, the emissary's assistant is killed by some people, who hide the truth about the origin of the animal and its phantom master.
The French decided to make a mega-production, with a respectable cast, and all in all they managed to create the right feel between legend, the Renaissance era in which the story takes place, and the skill of the actors. Some passages are reminiscent of South American telenovelas (and many horror fans won't be happy), but in the overall context of the story they don't hurt--and then they are short-lived. There is no shortage of special effects, well done for a non-American film: the monster figure is impressive. The length of the film need not frighten you, for the more than two hours flows by smoothly without boring you, apart from a few jokes in the static stages. The direction is by Christophe Gans. Recommended.
Review by Maxena
