Genre: Supernatural/Fantasy
Director: Tim Burton
Writer: Jacob Jones
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Jeremy Irons, Shailene Woodley, Catherine O'Hara, Max Irons
Plot: The year is 1891...
Inside a palace, two wealthy people bump into each other in the middle of a large festival. The two greet each other, introducing themselves as Sandra (Catherine O’Hara) and Erick (Kevin Costner). Trailing behind Sandra’s dress is a quiet young girl named Andrea. She peaks her head out to see Erick and another kid near her age standing alone. She points to the kid, asking who they are. Erick calls the boy over and he hesitantly makes his way to where the others are, introducing himself as Damien.
As the two wealthy adults converse with one another, Andrea and Damien look at each other, feeling quite awkward about themselves when the orchestra plays Canon in D Minor. Andrea smiles first, seemingly enthused by the music. She asks Damien if he wants to dance. He accepts the offer and the two head away from their parents, trying to mimic the dance moves the others are doing, slowly becoming more comfortable with each other as they do.
As the years pass by, we learn through montage that Andrea and Damien became close with one another, bonding over a shared love of music and science. On Andrea’s eighteenth birthday, Damien officially declares his love for his longtime friend by a local river. Overjoyed, Andrea embraces her new beau with a kiss.
It is now 1921:
Inside a small house in the riverside of England, we see that the young couple have blossomed into successful adults with Damien (Chris Pine) as the apprentice for many famous scientists and Andrea (Anne Hathaway) being a home-body, looking to start a family. In recent days however, something appears to have gone terribly wrong. Particularly since Damien has begun to study the history of wolves (an extinct species in the UK). One especially egregious night has Andrea worried and she sets off, in search to find her boyfriend.
Carrying her lantern, Andrea wanders all over town asking several people if they have seen Damien to no avail. She's about to give up for the night when she comes across well-respected scientist Dr. Thomas P. Rogers (Jeremy Irons). Upon seeing her troubled expression, Thomas asks her what the matter is. Andrea explains her troubles with Damien, noting that he's been staying out later than usual and with no explanation. Having not heard of this until now, Thomas tries to reassure her that things will be alright, but admits that he's not particularly knowledgeable regarding relationships.
A loud voice coming from the local pub, telling a young man to stay away from her. Andrea spots her fighting off a desperate suitor and runs to her side. She looks at Rhea (Shailene Woodley), asking why she feels the need to waste her prime partying and fighting. Rhea pats Andrea on the back and says that she's got everything she needs. The best friend, beauty and 'stupid boys' chasing after her. Andrea then tells her of her problem with Damien, leading to Rhea to locate the nearest table for the two to sit down.
Rhea tells Andrea that the best kind of men are the ones that open up to you about what's going on and are transparent (emphasizing the word for good measure). She alerts Andrea to address the situation immediately and try to get to the bottom of things. Andrea smiles, thanking her friend for the advice and offers to let her stay at her house for the night.
The next morning, Andrea tends to Rhea's hangover-induced headache with some tea and medicine when she hears the door open. She spots Damien trying to sneak inside and walks towards him, giving her husband a nasty glare. Andrea asks where Damien has been, to which he only replies with "Somewhere where important business is being taken care of." Unimpressed by the answer, Andrea tries to prod him further but an agitated Damien questing why she's being so intrusive. She exclaims that she's worried about their relationship and where it's going. She fears that Damien is going down a dark path which leads to no escape.
"I'll show you what a dark path looks like." He retorts, putting his suit back on and storming out of the house. Andrea looks on, wondering if she made a terrible mistake. All throughout the day, she waits for Damien to come home but he never does. Finally at 9 PM, Andrea decides to go out and find her husband. The town is eerily quiet for this time of night, sending a chill down Andrea's spine. All of a sudden, she hears a howling noise. After hearing several more, she wanders down the path to which she believes the noises are coming from, growing more fearful with each passing step. Trembling in fear, she enters a dark forest, calling out for someone to the best of her ability. When she isn't watching however, two furry creatures with sharp teeth stare at her like a chew toy. When Andrea looks at their direction, they strike, going after Andrea's limbs.
Terrified, Andrea drops her lantern and runs for her life only to trip over a pebble and sprain her ankle. She glances toward the directions of the creatures, watching her life flash by her as they prepare to eat her flesh. "That is enough!" Hollers a booming voice and almost like magic, the animals cease their assault. A third, greyer animal appears, telling Andrea to come with him. Still wrought with fear, Andrea nonetheless follows the wolf until coming across a small village-like area complete with a bonfire. The elder creature asks Andrea if she has ever come face to face with a wolf.
Andrea says that she hasn't before learning that this is the world's only wolf sanctuary, run completed by wolves. He introduces himself as Alpha, the wolf alias of Thomas. He then reveals Primal (Andrea's friend Rhea) as one of the members before introducing Visus (Max Irons) as the second. The biggest surprise is the unveiling of Damien, otherwise known as Clawthorne. This completes the group known simply as the Wolves of Justice. Haunted by the sight, Andrea stares at a remorseful Clawthorne as he requests for her to sit down so that Alpha can tell his story.
As Andrea seats herself, Alpha explains that long ago, wolves lived in the United Kingdom. They roamed the forests of Scotland and Britain without a care in the world. As time changed however, so did humankind. And the more people turned away from wolves, the more they began to be hunted and killed. Being inspired after observing the history of wolves outside the UK, Thomas created a potion allowing him and others to become half-human and half-wolf. Hence the creation of the Wolves of Justice. A group that lives in the Blackened Forest, hoping to live in peace with humans and one day see wolf species be brought back to this country.
Clawthorne explains that he was not allowed to tell Andrea this, saying that he was told by Thomas to. He apologizes to her for learning this unfortunate truth. Despite her clear shock, she is sympathetic to their cause and promises to keep this a secret. Pleased, Alpha leads a ritual blessing Andrea for her support. Before she and Clawthorne head off for the night, Alpha invites Andrea to the Full Moon Festival in two days time, promising food, music and enchantment. After a few seconds, Andrea tells him that she'll consider it, thanking him for the offer.
As Clawthorne bids farewell to his pack and turns back into Damien (as the potion only works in the Blackened Forest), Andrea reassures him that everything is alright and that they can make this relationship work. Damien thanks her for understanding, fearing what others may say about this. Andrea vows to try her best to keep this as secret as possible as the two head home.
The next morning, Andrea and Damien are awakened to the sound of a car horn beeping. Andrea gets up, looking out the window and finding their parents. After rushing themselves to get ready, Andrea arrives at the doorsteps to greet Sandra and Erick. As they are given a tour of the house, Erick asks Andrea how things are with Damien. She smiles, saying that things have never been better. Some time later the group sits at the kitchen table, eating breakfast and discussing life. It is then Sandra brings up rumors of a recent wolf colony being found in a forest not far from here.
Seeing Damien begin to tense up, Andrea assures the parents that the rumors are false. Despite Sandra's relief, Erick begins to go into graphic detail on what he would do if he ever came across a wolf. Damien watches, trying to hide his horror as Erick goes on. Concerned, Andrea calmly tells Erick to settle down. He apologizes and the night proceeds with no further incident. As Erick and Sandra leave however, Andrea tends to Damien as he rocks back and forth with fear, asking his wife if he would really do this. Andrea cannot answer out of fear of rocking the boat.
That evening, Damien tries and fails miserably to fall asleep, succumbing to a nightmare involving him in his wolf form, begging his father not to kill him. Erick remains emotionless before stabbing him in the chest. This thought causes Damien to jolt up, screaming in anguish and he runs to the kitchen table, trashing everything in sight. Afraid for his well-being, Andrea tries her best to calm him down, frantically assuring him that all will be fine. After looking into his wife's eyes and seeing the hurt he's applying to her, Damien crumpled onto the floor and cries tears of agony.
The next morning, Damien stays in bed, having called in 'sick' from work. Andrea stays by his side, wondering what may become of them. She soon realizes that today is the day of the Full Moon Festival and tries to figure out how they are going to be able to prepare. Two hours away from them, Erick receives a phone call from Sandra who tells a tale of her having a nightmare about Andrea being killed by a wolf. She proposes that the two return to Andrea's house to keep watch. Erick accepts the proposal and begins to gather any weapons they may need. Without him knowing, Preston manages to catch an eye on what he's doing and rushes off to warn the others.
The full moon shines all over England as Andrea, dressed in her finest gown, takes her lantern when she receives a letter from the post office. She picks it up, learning that her parents are set to visit her and Damien for dinner. Needing an excuse, she writes back, saying that she will be on a business trip with Damien and will not be back for a few weeks. The couple trek onward to the Blackened Forest, finding the colony swarmed with guards. Alpha spots them and apologizes for having to see this, explaining that Visus had heard of a potential attack occurring tonight. Regardless, he is determined to ensure a safe and wonderful evening. Rhea walks up to them, checking to see if both are clean before permitting them.
Upon entry, Andrea is amazed to find the entire village decorated with streamers, lanterns and other glowing lights, a small orchestra playing by the den. Throughout the evening, Andrea partakes in many activities with the wolves, most notable of which being howling at the moon by the cliff side. As they do so, Visus explains that this is how they bless the world. Upon finishing their cry, the wolves head back to their village. Visus stays by though, staring at the stars in the sky. He tells Andrea that every night, he looks up at the sky and prays for peace and understanding as well as to enjoy the serenity the moon and stars bring to him. Andrea and Visus watch the stars for a few moments, spotting constellations before Rhea finds them, telling the two that the 'Great Dance' is starting.
Upon returning to the village, Andrea is enchanted by the music and begins to make her way towards Clawthorne, taking him by the paws and waltzing to the tune of Debussy. She gets so into it that Clawthorne decides to let go and let the music consume her. As she waltzes alone, the wolves watch in sheer awe, applauding when she finishes. Surprised by the reception, Andrea nonetheless thanks the wolves. Alpha then comes forward, saying that he has one final surprise. In return for her kindness, generosity and understanding, he would like to offer an invitation for Andrea to join the Wolves of Justice. Andrea is taken by surprise but after thinking for a few seconds…
"Andrea, get away!"
Andrea turns around, shocked to find Erick and Sandra, the former carrying a knife as Sandra tries to bring her daughter towards her. The wolves begin to panic and scatter about, trying desperately to avoid Erick and his knife. Though he is eventually chased off by Alpha and Visus, several wolves die in the ensuing chaos and Andrea is taken away by Sandra. Horrified, she demands Andrea explain this. Andrea tries but to no avail. Erick storms towards them, asking where the "son of a bitch" who runs this cult is, threatening to kill him. Sandra calms him down before making an ultimatum. Either break up with Damien and cease this foolishness or risk lives by championing them. Andrea pleads for them to recover, saying that they don't understand. Despite Sandra's urging, a distraught Erick tells her to leave her. "She has clearly lost the plot."
Erick and Sandra spend all of the evening warning the townspeople of a pack of wolves living in the forest, spreading fear and paranoia all throughout the town. Andrea is forced to stay home, lest she become a martyr for the entire town to rally behind. Damien however sits at his work place, sadly going over last night's debacle. Preston and Thomas spot him and try to brighten his spirits. A glum Damien exclaims that it's no use. There's no way to fix the situation he got her in.
Thomas takes Damien by his side, telling him that it wasn't his fault. This whole thing has gone completely off the rails. He admits that he has taken the project too far and often wonders if what he's doing is right. At this point though, it's far too late to speculate. They must do whatever it takes to stay alive. Even if it means confronting death itself. The door knocks, causing Preston to answer on behalf of Thomas. A local journalist asks him what they plan to do regarding the wolf pack. Preston struggles miserably to come up with an answer before Damien storms up to the journalist, declaring that the wolves are going to have to fight for their right to maintain their turf. Once the journalist leaves, Thomas gives him the last bottle of his concoption.
As the sun sets, Damien takes Andrea by the hand and rushes her to the forest, explaining the situation. Upon arriving, Andrea spots everyone else and is handed the concoption by Damien, telling her to hide so she can drink it. Despite her concern, she trusts Damien's instincts and runs off with it. With night falling, Rhea spots the angry mob led by Erick and Sandra and alerts the others to be ready. The group come face to face with the mob, leaving them confused as to what they're doing in the Blackened Forest. To their shock, they watch as Damien, Thomas, Preston and Rhea turn into their wolf form, along with so many others.
Led by Alpha, the wolf army dominates much of the shell-shocked mob members with brute force and great planning. The tide turns however when Erick catches Alpha off-guard and wrestles him down to the ground, stabbing him in the chest multiple times. Clawthorne sees this and tackles Erick, slamming his head to the nearest tree. Sandra comes to his aid, pulling him off her long time friend and flinging him towards the tree. She takes out Erick's knife and prepares to deliver the killing blow when a desperate Clawthorne uses the last of his energy to call for help. When Sandra turns around, she comes face to face with a newly wolfized Andrea.
Andrea tackles Sandra down to the ground, trying to talk some sense to her as she does. This gives Clawthorne enough time to recover and chase off the rest of the mob with the help of the wolf army. By this point, Sandra has all but tapped out to Andrea's hold and promises to listen. Andrea tells her mother that all they were trying to do was show the good side of wolves. How peaceful they can be when in their own habitat. She apologizes to her for lying and dragging her and Erick into this, only asking for their peace. Sandra looks at Andrea, then at Clawthorne before sighing, smiling at daughter and telling her she has her blessing.
Primal and Visus then bring everyone together to observe Alpha's seemingly dying body. As everyone mourns, Alpha begins to transform back into Thomas. Amazed, Sandra asks how this could be possible. Thomas reveals that when the wolf form dies, the elements of his potion go with it. He genuinely apologizes to Sandra and Erick for everything that has happened and vows to create an antidote. Everyone makes amends, going their separate ways. As Damien and Andrea walk home, Andrea asks him how he managed to fight off the angry mob. Damien explains that it was a combination of determination and watching Andrea. He knew there was no way he could let her down and despite his weakened strength put in all his courage to ensure their safety. The two renew their love towards each other with a kiss.
By next year, everyone who tested Thomas's wolf potion has received the antidote and the Wolves of Justice are no more. However, Thomas's experiment has led to newfound interest in the species and he is labeled as a scientist ahead of his time. Despite the demise of the Wolves of Justice, the Full Moon Festival becomes an annual tradition in the Blackened Forest, celebrating life, love and happiness. As people dance in the moonlight, Damien and Andrea (now happily married) watch alongside the others when they see Sandra and Erick dancing. Erick spots Damien and convinces him to dance with them. Despite his hesitance, one look at Andrea is enough to have them join their parents as they dance through the night.
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