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All Movie Guide -
After the strange disappointment that was Ginger Snaps 2, the series semi-successfully shifted its gears with this prequelevisit of the first film set back in the 19th century. Working more like a Grimm's Fairy Tale than a straight-up horror flick, Grant Harvey's directorial debut is a stunning piece to soak up, realized with an eye that his Canadian sensibilities bring to his country's gorgeous setting. Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins return to their roles admirably, although Perkins does tend to get the short end of the character stick in this one. The pair injects small amounts of modern flair into this period piece that act as a nice bridge between the film's universes, but are more than off-putting when certain contemporary profanities are uttered. Eventually, what makes Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning work best is the setup -- a colonial outpost besieged by werewolves. Add a little bit of bloody Indian mysticism in there and you have a tasty fright flick that's finely executed with an ensemble cast that's more than capable of handling the material. Just like most werewolf flicks (and the rest of the series), the creature effects supplied by the respected KNB Effects team do come off as a little goofy, with the four-legged beasts resembling circus performers with stilts for front legs (probably because they are!). Thankfully, they are hidden well by some quick cuts that work well here, but tend to be a little much when thrown in for flashback reasons. Unlike previous films, the feminist slant is played down, as are most elements of the cunning use of black comedy, replaced instead by atmosphere and in-your-face creep-outs that are certainly effective, but just a tad shy of what drew fans to the original film.
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