‘OUT COME THE WOLVES’ A Howling, But Much Too Slight, Nature Thriller

In nature, you learn who you really are—or so says Sophie (Missy Peregrym), echoing the wisdom of her hunter father, ingrained in her during her upbringing in the remote Ontario wilderness. Now, she’s back in that secluded cabin, accompanied by her editor-in-chief fiancé, Nolan (Damon Runyan), who’s been assigned to write about man’s primal connection to food. However, Nolan, a noxious blend of protective, arrogant, and haughty, has never hunted a day in his life. Enter Kyle (Joris Jarsky), Sophie’s blue-collar childhood friend, who’s been tapped to guide Nolan through his first hunt, but a chance encounter with a pack of blood-thirsty wolves turns this learning experience into a firsthand account of survivalism at its most feral.

Out Come the Wolves, writer-director Adam MacDonald’s second foray into killer wildlife survival thrillers after the brutally effective murder-bear horror Backcountry, attempts to recapture that film’s success. And, at first, it does. The setup may be familiar, but it’s economically effective, tapping into the jealousy and predatory instincts brewing between the two men in Sophie’s orbit. Nolan suspects that Kyle’s deep-rooted affection for Sophie masks a hidden romance, while Kyle believes Nolan is entirely wrong for his practically-a-sister best friend. Even before they enter the woods—alone, armed, and on edge—Out Come the Wolves thrums with their unspoken tensions, as if they’re being stalked by something more than just their own insecurities.

Economically cast, the film features just three actors. It’s impressive what MacDonald is able to wring out of this tight trio, all of whom offer solid performances. But it’s the writing that lets them down, doing an effective job of setting up the drama and tension but then failing to explore that in any meaningful way.

Ironically, it’s when MacDonald shifts from melodrama to survival thriller that the story begins to unravel. Despite some effective wolf attack sequences, the drama as Nolan and Kyle face off against the howling, ravenous forces of nature feels too unfocused to make a real impact. Events unfold without any meaningful exploration of their consequences. Narratively unsatisfying, Out Come the Wolves pivots away from expectations in ways that might surprise in the moment but ultimately leave audiences wanting. This is especially true in the buildup of Sophie as the most skilled hunter of the group (despite her newfound veganism), leading us to expect her to go full lupine Rambo when things get dire. But this, too, is largely unfulfilled.

When Out Come the Wolves shifts into full-on survival thriller mode, we’re left with the sinking impression that—like a picked-clean skeleton—there’s simply not enough meat on the bones. MacDonald has the makings of a nasty short here, but he struggles to stretch those ideas into a satisfying feature-length film. The result feels padded, half-baked, and incomplete. Instead of delving deeper into the survival aspects, the film’s thematic questions about what nature reveals, or how feuding men vie to protect the woman they both claim as their own, we’re treated to too much zooming around on ATVs and choppy camerawork. When the movie ends abruptly, it feels like an entire act is missing, leaving many to wonder: That’s it?

CONCLUSION: Adam MacDonald attempts to recapture the nightmarish man vs. nature thriller energy of ‘Backcountry’ with ‘Out Come the Wolves’ but this lupine venture into the outdoors, despite a solid setup, fails to turn meager scraps into a full-fledged tale. In the end, there just isn’t enough to sink your teeth into.