‘Teen Wolf’ returns

Photo Courtesy of Collider

When “Teen Wolf” premiered in 2011, MTV did not know that the little TV show would develop a huge fanbase. The show, based on the 1985 movie of the same name, ran for six seasons on the network. It followed Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) as he navigated becoming a werewolf with the help of his friends. Now, six years after the show’s conclusion, the creators have released the long-awaited movie, which takes place 15 years after the death of Allison Argent (Crystal Reed), Scott’s first love who died in the show’s third season. 

Fans were excited when a movie was announced because there were some unanswered questions at the end of the show that needed to be acknowledged. Unfortunately, some of those questions still have not been answered. The movie was also lacking a major character: there was no appearance of Stiles (Dylan O’Brien), Scott’s lovable and sarcastic best friend, due to scheduling conflicts. 

The movie centers on the return of the Nogitsune, a villain from the show’s third season. He has come back to finish what he started all those years ago when he possessed Stiles and murdered innocent people. Plus, Allison has seemingly returned from the dead, adding to the chaos. 

“Teen Wolf: The Movie” really was made for the fans because, while not all of the loose ends were tied, it was nice seeing most of these beloved characters on screen again. 

 The movie also featured the return of Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin), a werewolf who acts as a brother type figure and guide to Scott when he first gets bitten. It was quite baffling to see Derek as a father, but it suits him. Derek will do anything for his son, Eli (Vince Mattis). Eli shows more characteristics of Stiles than the rest of his family, though. It’s funny because Derek and Stiles had a complicated friendship. Eli even has a fascination with Stiles’ beloved Jeep that has surprisingly not fallen apart yet. He takes it for joyrides around Beacon Hills, despite only being 15. It is never revealed who his mother is, but Eli slightly resembles Kate Argent (Jill Wagner), Allison’s werewolf hunter aunt who had a romantic past with Derek, so maybe he is her son. Hopefully, there will be more “Teen Wolf” installments that will answer this question.

The foreshadowing of Eli leading the new generation of the Pack was also nice to see. He wears Scott’s number on the lacrosse field, hinting at his future as an Alpha. 

The most unexpected pairing was Malia (Shelley Hennig) and Parrish (Ryan Kelley) as a couple. Fans get to see the werecoyote and Hell Hound, important people in Scott’s Pack, hooking up at Malia’s garage, Hale Auto. At the end of the show, Malia was with Scott, and they seemed like such a good match. Malia is the daughter of Peter (Ian Bohen), who was the Alpha that bit Scott. Their relationship made sense. The writers obviously had other ideas in mind but his relationship with Malia should have been explored in the movie. Malia and Parrish just do not make sense together.

A major change from the original show was the use of profanity, but it was utilized well and felt natural. Hearing Derek say, “Parrish, light this fucker up,” was the most in-character line in the whole film. 

The movie did leave the audience with some unanswered questions. Will Stiles and Lydia (Holland Roden) get back together? When did Mama McCall (Melissa Ponzio) have time to get her PhD? One can only hope that the writers chose to create more stories in the “Teen Wolf” universe. If you are a fan of the original series, you will definitely have a good time with “Teen Wolf: The Movie.”