Monsterwolf (2010)

**_A huge wolf targets people linked to a nefarious oil company in Lafayette_**

This comic booky creature-on-the-loose flick is reminiscent of "Dire Wolf" (aka "Dino Wolf") mixed with “Maneater” (with Dean Cain), along with the American Indian mythology of “Bone Eater.” A later comparison would be “Alpha Wolf.” Unfortunately, it’s the least of ’em because it needed something more to lift it over the hump of throwaway mediocrity, like the inclusion of another staple or two.

Still, it’s not worthless and there are creative bits amidst the cartoonish CGI monster mayhem. For instance, the way one character quotes from classic songs to impart advice.

People might remember protagonist Leonor Varela as Cleopatra in the miniseries from 1999. Fans of hers should appreciate this more than me. I prefer raven-haired Nicole Barré as one of the hitmen, but her almost insignificant part isn’t milked for value. On the masculine front, Robert Picardo, Jason London and Marc Macaulay are featured in key roles.

Released in 2010, it runs 1h 28m and was shot in Lafayette, Louisiana, which is 135 miles west of New Orleans.

GRADE: C+