A Boy & His Dog
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Movie Reviews of A Boy & His Dog
Movie Review: "World War IV lasted five days. The politicians had finally solved the problem of urban blight."
Summary: 4 Stars
A Boy and His Dog is the hearwarming tale of....you'll never guess! Oh, right. The title. Well, this particular tale of the old-time cliche has telepathic canines, green glowing monsters (albeit unseen ones), cannibalism (of course), and semen-stealing underground societies with a mime-like face paint motif. Got your attention? Good. This is a post-apocalyptic science fiction tale for the ages based on the classic novella by Harlan Ellison and it's gooooood. I'm talking about a movie where the hero (Vic) exploits his partner, a telepathic and extremely intelligent (and snide) dog named Blood, to find women to rape. Vic gets the food, Blood finds the women. What a damn premise! Let me tell you, if I was in a post-apocalyptic wasteland a hyper-intelligent talking dog would be at the top of my list for partners. That or a vampire girl. A really hot vampire girl. Who is also a ninja. Wait, what was I talking about? Right. Post-apocalyptic stuff. The world Vic and Blood wander is an alternate Earth where the Kennedys were never assassinated which led to no less than three different presidents bearing the name. While the movie doesn't do the best job of explaining, choosing to simply explore the world while teasing the audience with bits of history that Blood attempts to bludgeon into his less-than-intelligent partner's head. Vic was born after the apocalypse so he has no sense of society outside of the wasteland. This is a damn great setup for a story.
After arguing with Blood at a makeshift theater showing an old dirty movie (the dog likes his popcorn), Vic convinces his companion to reveal to him that there is a lady hidden in the audience. Turns out she's about damn sexy too. But they are going to have to fight for her. At this point, the film goes from insanely cool to meh. The final acts separate our two "heroes" (bad move) and reveal an insanely creepy underground society attempting to preserve the good ol' days. Or at least, a bizarre approximation of it. Naturally, this means religion. Lots of religion. Oddly enough, this part of the story takes up too much screentime while at the same time is not developed enough. It seems like it could be an interesting story unto itself, but in this particular film it feels like an interruption of our regularly-scheduled prgoram that isn't fleshed-out enough to justify itself. It kind of kills the awesome tone of the film a little although it would be a cool story given more development. Thankfully, the whole thing ends up worthwhile with one of the best and most joyously twisted ending of any film ever. If you see it coming, I will eat my keyboard.
While the tale has been criticized for misogyny, I feel that the world the story takes place in is one where even the heroes are bad people preying on those weaker than themselves and is meant as a statement on humanity as a whole. Having the protagonists on the hunt for girls to rape is not the most PC premise of all time, but it makes sense for the story and the world inhabited by that story. Don't let the fact that the only being (if any) considered worth saving is a dog fly over your head, either. In my mind, that's the premise and any misogyny is a means to that end. A Boy and His Dog is a very entertaining film that makes up for what it lacks in effective exposition with attitude and humor. As far as visions of a post-apocalyptic future go, this is one of the coolest by far. I feel another half hour could have made this a five-star film, but as it is it is still a must-see. Ellison actually made a sequel to the story in graphic novel form (although turns out he did it literally to spite pushy fans), and I do believe I'll check that out.
Movie Review: "He was not a pet, he was a person"
Summary: 4 Stars
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
"A Boy and His Dog" (1975) is based on a well-known novella by Harlan Ellison of the same title. The movie focuses of the adventures of a young scavenger Vic (Don Johnson) and his telepathic dog Blood as they wander through the wasteland where Phoenix, Arizona used to be in 2024 AD after the end of WWIV that resulted in nuclear holocaust. In their duet, Blood seems more intelligent, experienced, sarcastic, and reasonable than Vic but they need each other to survive, to find food for both and the girls for Vic. All females have moved underground where a parody on pre-war suburban middle class life has been preserved and it has been over six weeks since Vic got laid last. Blood will sense a girl who dressed like a boy to attend the screening of an old porn-movie and Vic will follow her as far as the underground city "Topeka" against the Blood's advices. Little he knew that Quilla June was supposed to lure him down under where he will be used as a source for sperm that the underground women desperately need to get pregnant. After series of adventures, Vic was able to break away from the scary looking machine he was hooked up to with Quilla June's help and two of them escape to the surface...
While technically, the movie is not the most spectacular or visually prominent, the acting of the main characters, the communication between a boy (good performance from young and very handsome Don Johnson) and his dog (Tim McIntire was very convincing providing the voice of "Blood" and singing the main title song, "A Boy and His Dog"), and especially the story, dark and funny, make it well deserving of its cult status.
I wanted to see the movie because I am very impressed by Ellison's writings and consider some of his short stories the best, the most brilliant, incredible, shocking, and disturbing ever written. The first one I read literally took my breath away. It was "The whimper of the whipped dogs" that I found in the thick volume "The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century" and it was the brightest star among the works of such writers as O'Henry, John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Patricia Highsmith, Joyce Carol Oates, and many more. Since my first encounter with Ellison's writing, I became his loyal fan. Later, I read Ellison's collection "Deathbird Stories: A Pantheon Of Modern Gods" which "The whimper of the whipped dogs" opens. While reading the story that gave the book its title, "The Deathbird", I first learned about "A Boy and His Dog":
"Yesterday my dog died. For eleven years Ahbhu was my closest friend. He was responsible for my writing a story about a boy and his dog that many people have read. He was not a pet, he was a person. It was impossible to anthropomorphize him, he would not stand for it. But he was so much his own kind of creature, he had such a strongly formed personality, he was so determined to share his life with only those he chose, that it was impossible to think of him as simply a dog."
-Harlan Ellison "Ahbhu", the short story inserted in "The Deathbird"
After having read "The Deathbird", I was not surprised with the ending of "A Boy and A Dog", the story and the movie. Even though, they are attributed to the genre of science-fiction satire (and they are, intelligent, sharp, sarcastic, and biting), I think of them more as the meditation on many important subjects and the tribute Ellison paid to the true friendship, loyalty, and love. He also could've brought to the story resentment and disappointments from his broken marriages and relationships.
Movie Review: The movie where once and for all we learn who is truly man's best friend!!
Summary: 4 Stars
Based on a Harlen Ellison novel, "A Boy and his Dog" is a cult classic that is part dark comedy, and part post-apocalypse sci-fi. This is one movie where the more time that went by after I finished watching it the more I realized I enjoyed it. "AB&HD" is set in a post-nuclear wasteland where people wander around attempting to survive in a "Road Warrior" type fashion; but also where pockets of society have sprung up underground in a quasi-dystopia state.
Don Johnson's character ("Vic") wanders the surface...not as part of one of the bands of humans who've ganged up for protection...but rather Vic travels solo, with the exception of his dog who Vic can communicate with via telepathy. The dog alternates between providing Vic helpful information, and making sarcastic quips- usually at Vic's expense (and often to Vic's consternation). In addition to protection, one of the services Blood the dog provides is the ability to sniff out human females. The state of the above-ground world and the "dystopia" society that crops up may or may not be a literal prediction of what is to come after nuclear annihilation. But then again who's to say what type of nutty cults or societies may pop up.
This is one of Don Johnson's earlier movies and one can certainly see rumors of his later characters like Sonny Crockett. In addition to Don Johnson and the voice of Blood the dog played by Tim McIntyre, other fine acting performances in the movie include Susanne Benton and Jason Robards, Jr.
Every viewer can decide for themselves how seriously to take this movie (but after all, it's about a talking dog...). Overall, this movie may not be for today's average movie-fan, but it's definitely enjoyable if you like cult classics and 60-80's "B-type" sci-fi's. (warning- mild spoiler) As the movie progresses, no overt explanation is given as to why or how Don Johnson's character can communicate with the dog...whether Blood obtained this ability as part of the holocaust or whether there is something special about Vic, or whether Vic is just crazy and Blood's just a regular dog. I personally think this adds to the humor that they don't bother trying to explain it..
Movie Review: Watch it if you have good "taste"
Summary: 4 Stars
Years after WW4 decimated the earth you're stuck in a post-apocalyptic, wasteland. After food and water, what is next on the list of "necessities" for a lonely survivalist? Well, if you're Vic (Don Johnson), the obvious answer is sex. Lucky for him he has a telepathic link with a pet dog named Blood who is willing to traverse the desert landscape and sniff out the feminine scent.
Despite the dire situation, A Boy & His Dog plays out as more of a dark comedy than anything else. The constant sarcastic exchanges between a dense human and genius dog - voiced dryly and hilariously by Tim McIntire - carry the movie from beginning to end, and through a few slow moments on the hunt for women. When Vic and Blood encounter nomadic villains and scheming seductresses, the action or plot advance only as far as dialogue can carry. Johnson acts nearly solo the entire movie, and does so admirably, but Jason Robards provides a reserved performance as the ruler of a warped subterranean society.
Somehow this movie about a serial rapist and his mutant dog is charming, even if the charm isn't expected - which is why it's often referred to as a cult classic. There are definitely filming and transfer issues, but neither dates or distracts. Ultimately the movie is just an odd perspective of dystopian future that paved the way for films like Road Warrior and Postman. Stick around until the ending, when Blood utters one of the funniest closing comments in movie history (sums up the movie perfectly).
Jason Elin
Movie Review: aspect ratio of A BOY AND HIS DOG - CORRECTION
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the latest A BOY AND HIS DOG from amazon based on the aspect ratio listing as 2.35:1 widescreen - and the following paragraph in Michael R. Gates's review in this site stating:
Several DVD editions of A BOY AND HIS DOG have been available over the past few years, and all have delivered good letterbox widescreen digital transfers. THE CURRENT OFFERING FROM FIRST RUN FEATURES IS AN ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN VERSION, and it also contains an interesting feature commentary and theatrical trailers.
In fact, the currect offering is not anamorphic, but letterboxed - and purchasing a DVD with a film in 2.35:1 aspect ratio that is letterboxed is a great mistake as you will only see the movie in a very small portion of your screen making it not a pleasant experience. Even if you zoom it up - the grain becomes a problem.
I called First Run Features and they tell me that they have not changed the presentation of this film on DVD since they have distributed it - and it is, indeed, letterboxed. There in no anamorphic version from First Run Features they tell me as of March 2011 and they did not know of any near future plan to release an anamorphic version.
So, there it is. If Mr. Gates can tell me where I can get an anamorphic version of the film - please let us all know. I would be one of the first to get it, as this is a very original, and great film.