Dog Soldiers
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Movie Reviews of Dog Soldiers
Movie Review: One of the best (if not the best) werewolf movies to date
Summary: 5 Stars
Having read other reviews of Dog Soldiers and watched segments of the movie on the Sci-Fi channel, I didn't have much hope for this movie. But I was doing research for a book, so I figured it was worth a shot. I was pleasantly surprised.
A lot of parallels are made between Dog Soldiers and Aliens and Predator. To be more specific, the movie is often touted as "Aliens with werewolves." The assessment is accurate, but not for the reasons you might think.
Yes, technically Dog Soldiers is a horror movie. But Aliens helped invent the hybrid action/horror movie ("haction"?). It is very much a war against enemies on their home terrain, echoing Vietnam and now the war in Iraq. The bad guys are everywhere, they know the terrain better than us, and they strike from nowhere, only to disappear into the darkness. But it's important to note that all three movies are about soldiers first, the bad guys second. The monsters are worthy adversaries to be sure, with unique biologies. But it's a war movie that happens to have monsters in it. The Marines of Aliens and Dutch's soldiers are very much like modern day warriors. The poor saps caught in Dog Soldiers are no different.
Okay, they're a little different in that they are distinctly not American. This is one of those movies, like 28 Days Later (which it has a lot more in common), that blithely ignores the U.S.-centric perspective. The grunts are decidedly British, talk in their own slang, mumble their own jokes, and act like...well, British soldiers. This is a turnoff for some Americans, but I was able to mitigate the language barrier (that's a joke, kids) through judicious use of close captioning.
The story begins with our hero, Private Cooper (Kevin McKidd), trying out for Special Forces under the stern tutelage of Captain Ryan (Liam Cunningham). Although he manages to take out four men with just a flashlight, he fails to pass the final test - shooting an innocent dog in the head. Why? We find out soon enough.
Kicked back into the grunts with everyone else, Cooper traipses through Scotland on a training exercise. The Scottish wilderness seems a lot like the Blair Woods from Blair Witch Project - impossibly large and isolated. It's the perfect setting for troops to train, or to bait werewolves.
As it turns out, the grunts are the bait for the Special Forces team who is out to capture a werewolf. The only problem is that werewolves run in packs and the Special Forces team is decimated by a surprise attack. That leaves the grunts, led by Sergeant Harry G. Wells (Sean Pertwee). The troops joke, they talk about football (uh, soccer, sorry), and they just want to go home. They're not so much heroes as kids out in the forest who, given different choices, might never have joined the military. These guys aren't killing machines, they're just regular Joes.
Their leader, Wells, is an affable man who has a surprising tolerance for stupidity. Call it my American sensibilities - when one of the squad forgets his watch, I expect a full public dress-down, American drill sergeant style. Instead, Wells gives the lad his own watch with the lightest of tongue-lashings. Wells cares about his men, first and foremost, and knows full well that war sucks and his team is the unfortunate recipient of a lot of bad decisions.
This is most evident when the man talk about what they fear the most. While the grunts joke about this and that, Wells portrays a gruesome death of his own squad mates. This isn't a camping trip, even though it is a training exercise, and Wells knows it.
The werewolves eventually show up in all their glory, although the director (Neil Marshall) has enough sense not to show them most of the time. Marshall sticks with werewolf standbys - they're essentially invulnerable to normal weapons, turn into wolf-like humanoids at the full moon, and spread their contagion with tooth and claw.
Because there's no CGI in this movie, the werewolves are very realistic. While at times they look like guys in gorilla suits, they are hulking beasts - the prosthetics that the stuntmen wore increased their height to nearly eight feet - and have a terrifying on-screen presence you can't get with CGI (unlike, say, American Werewolf in Paris). These things aren't just werewolves, they're GIANT FRICKIN' WEREWOLVES.
It doesn't take long before the soldiers are in trouble and Wells gets gutted in disgusting detail. Fortunately, they come across a suspiciously friendly zoologist, Megan (Emma Cleasby), who takes them to an isolated house where the troops make their last stand.
The troops act in realistic and organized fashion, but slowly but surely run out of options. Then they start acting like normal people, freaking out and doing whatever they have to in order to survive. In their darkest hour, each character shows his heroic traits as they fight to the end.
The acting is excellent, once you get past the high-speed, heavily accented dialogue. The plot is filled with alternate humor and desperation. Most importantly, the writing is very tight - every strange coincidence is explained. Marshall achieves this cohesiveness by keeping the movie tightly focused, which helps reinforce the claustrophobia of the werewolves outside the house.
Although it is not a pure horror movie, Dog Soldiers is one of the best (if not the best) werewolf movies to date, although that not may be saying much given the sheer amount of garbage that passes for werewolf films.
Movie Review: "I came here to be at one with nature, well I got what I wanted. Now I have to live with it."
Summary: 5 Stars
After watching THE DESCENT earlier in 2006, I learned that that the director of that film, Neil Marshall, had made one previous "major" motion picture: DOG SOLDIERS. I had never heard of the film before because it wasn't shown in very many theatres in the U.S. I was so impressed with THE DESCENT that I was determined to find a copy of DOG SOLDIERS and view it.
DOG SOLDIERS is categorized as a horror movie because of gothic elements involved in the film. A special group of British soldiers is sent to Scotland to play a type of war games with a Special Operations squad. The regular soldiers discover the mutilated bodies of the Special Ops squad. Only one man, Capt. Ryan (Liam Cunningham), from the squad is alive, but just barely with his guts protruding from his stomach. The moon is full and the hunt is on as the soldiers find themselves being hunted by a group of unknown killers. Their rescue chopper isn't scheduled to arrive until the next morning and dawn has never been longer away. As the soldiers race from the creatures hunting them, they are saved by a female zoologist named Megan (Emma Cleasby) who has been studying the creatures that are hunting them. It turns out the fierce creatures are lycanthropes or werewolves. Megan tells the soldiers that she has been studying the creatures for years, but it is obvious that she is hiding something. Later we learn that she and Capt. Ryan have met before, but the full secret isn't revealed until much later. So, the group of eight drive to the only shelter in the area, a quaint two-story farm house at the end of the lane and set up to defend themselves against the onslaught that is to come. Werewolves are smart creatures, though, and as much as we come to care for the soldiers as the tagline says, "Six soldiers. Full moon. No chance."
Out of all the different monster movies around, I have been fascinated by werewolf movies more than any other. From the classic original WOLFMAN starring Lon Chaney to TEEN WOLF with Michael J. Fox, werewolves have held an appeal for me that no other monster movies have. There have been a lot of variations on the genre, but often werewolf movies simply rehash the same stories over and over only using different names and locations. DOG SOLDIERS doesn't do that. It acknowledges the classic werewolf films of the past, but attempts to add something new to the genre.
It helps a lot that Neil Marshall decided not to use digital effects and stick to old fashioned make-up and costuming. Of course, we don't see the creatures until almost halfway through the picture. However, once we do they look more realistic than something computer generated. Sure, they look a bit cheesy, but they also look better than most other werewolves I've seen. Instead of ape-like costumes, we get giant two-legged creatures that have facial features actually resembling wolves.
DOG SOLDIERS is labeled as a horror movie because it involves werewolves, but the film really isn't a werewolf movie at all. Instead, the film is an army buddy picture (dog soldiers is another name for grunts, after all). The film revolves not around the werewolves, but the soldiers that they hunt. The relationship between the members of the group is explored in depth and considering that we are only glimpsing two nights in their lives, it is an impressive bit of storytelling. I was actually hoping I would never get to see the werewolves because I wanted to spend more time with just the soldiers.
The other thing I liked about DOG SOLDIERS is the numerous pop culture references and homages scattered throughout the movie. For instance, Sgt. Harry G. Wells is named after the famous sci-fi and fantasy author H.G. Wells while another soldier in the group is named Bruce Campbell after the actor who plays Ash in the EVIL DEAD movies. These various references might seem unnecessary, but they illustrate that the Neil Marshall is an educated filmmaker well-versed in the genre.
In my opinion, DOG SOLDIERS is the best werewolf movie made since the original WOLFMAN. It isn't as violent and gory as many pictures in the horror genre, but it does have a great plot and is full of endearing characters. Recommended for people who like werewolf movies, horror fans, and people who have seen THE DESCENT but who don't know who Neil Marshall is.
Movie Review: THEE BEST WEREWOLF MOVIE TO DATE!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
'Dog Soldiers' is a 2002 British film directed by Neil Marshall and stars Kevin McKidd, Liam Cunningham, Emma Cleasby, and Sean Pertwee. The film was released direct-to-video in the States and has built up a large cult following.
Our story starts off with a few broken scenes. The first shows a couple camping in the Scottish wilderness. They are suddenly and violently attacked by something unknown.
The second shows the main protagonist, Private Cooper, on some kind of training course for the purpose of joining a Special Ops. military squad. Upon completing the course, he is ordered to kill a dog by the commanding officer, Capt. Ryan. He refuses and subsequently fails.
The final cut gets the movie moving. Some time later, Cooper has joined another squad that is conducting a training exercise in the Scottish highlands. They come across the remains of a rival team(who is part of the same exersice)that had been slaughtered. Oddly enough, the soul survivor of the attack is Capt. Ryan. As they are examining the area for clues to what happend, they are suddenly besieged by the attackers. On the run, they are picked up by Meagan, A zoologist studying the morbid phenomena. She takes them to a lonely cabin in the forest, and they soon become trapped by what are revealed to be werewolves.
This is the best werewolf movie made thus far!! The plot is fairly straight foward, and is a mix of 'The Howling', 'Predator', and 'The Evil Dead'.
The acting is spot on. Each character is well defined, acted, and has a sence of purpose. The cast are relativly unknowns, however some might recognize Pertwee(Sgt. Wells)from 'Event Horizon' and McKidd(Cooper)from 'Trainspotting'. They all convey a sence of realism, that only increases as the suspence of the movie picks up as the story unfolds.
The editing is great, but the one flaw with the movie is it takes about 20 min. for the tense action to pick up. The broken scenes at the beggining work well to set the story up, but drags a little, and is probably the one and only flaw of the film. Once the action and suspence picks up...WHOA BUDDY!! You'll be jumping out of your seat, garanteed!!! The editing and pace of the film really brings a sence of claustraphobia(sp?)that adds to the overall vibe of the film.
The cimenatography is excellent! This movie takes place at night, and uses natural darkness to create a creepy atmosphere. The blood and gore really, really pops, but is tied heavily in with the editing, and paced perfectly throughout the film. This does have a slightly 'gritty' look to it, but brings a 'you are there' feeling to the film and only adds to the claustraphobic feeling.
The effects are what makes this movie shine. No C.G.I. was used in this film and is another example that C.G.I. should only be used as a background effect in horror movies! This movie gets really bloody and gory, but is balanced really well with the suspence and tense action. The werewolves themselves look quite real, but are sparingly revealed throughout the film; as the film progresses, we see more of them. This only adds to the tense feeling of the film.
I can't say enough good things about this film!!! Like many other people, I had grown burnt out on the werewolf genre and was tired of lame movies that ripped off 'The Howling'. This flick is such a breath of fresh air, and is(IMO)superior to 'The Howling' and 'An American Werewolf in London'. If you're a fan of either of those, 'Predator', and 'The Evil Dead' DO NOT HESSITATE TO GET THIS!!! You will not be dissapointed, I garantee it!! BY FAR THE BEST WEREWOLF MOVIE EVER!!
Movie Review: Not just another "dog" of a movie top notch horror film benefits from strong performances
Summary: 5 Stars
Revised: 6/09
There is now a new DVD edition of the film and Blu-ray that were released in 6/09. Neither one has any extras beyond trailers--which is a pity because the previous version had the following:
Special Features
Director, Cast and Crew Commentary
Producer's Commentary
Deleted scenes
"Making of" Dog Soldiers
Gag Reel
B Roll footage
Storyboards
Photo Gallery
Theatrical trailers
The new DVD looks quite good but the film always has looked a little rough. The new high def transfer tends to show the limitations of the digital video the film was shot on.
The Blu-ray looks quite good but it isn't a huge step up from the DVD so if you already have this, you may want to think about buying something else on Blu-ray. Although the transfer here is better than the previous release you sacrifice all the special features.
Neil Marshall's "Dog Soldiers" takes a standard situation and turns it inside out. Six soldiers commanded by Sgt. Harry Wells (Sean Pertwee "Event Horizon")go out into the Scottish wilderness on an exercise. They arrive to discover a single survivor from a special ops team (Liam Cunnigham)who has had his forces deceimated. "There was supposed to be only one!" is all he will say initially. Cooper (Kevin McKidd "Rome", "Kingdom of Heaven")must lead his group when Wells is injured. They must run for their lives and find some place they can hole up.
It turns out that the soldiers are being hunted by a pack of werewolves.
A clever, intense thriller "Dog Soldiers" makes references to classic films such as "Night of the Living Dead", "Evil Dead" and other horror films. It's well made and intense with great performances from a largely unknown (to America) cast. I saw part of this on Sci-Fi but didn't know what it was called or what it was about. Luckily I rediscovered it on DVD and caught it the second time around from beginning to end.
Marshall's second feature length film "The Descent" has appeared and will be compared no doubt to this fine first full length effort. Both films are terrific in their own way and quite different. Look carefully in one scene and you'll be able to see the tennis shoes of the werewolf as he goes out the window. Despite a low budget for the creatures the film works quite well although the first suspense filled half where we don't see the werewolves is stronger than the second half.
The (earlier) DVD has both full screen and widescreen editions of the movie (at least the first release). It also has the international and domestic trailers as well as producer's commentary tracks and a featurette on the production of the film. It's a nice package for a great little film that fell beneath the radar. Like "28 Days" this is a great horror film that plays with the conventions of the genre.
The new DVD (and Blu-ray)has NO special features and while it was prepared from a better looking high def master (and it does look better),it isn't a HUGE difference. At this price however it's a good buy.
(PLEASE NOTE THAT I WAS PROVIDED WITH REVIEW COPIES OF BOTH THE NEW DVD AND BLU-RAY AND COMPARED THEM TO MY PREVIOUS EDITION WATCHING SELECTED SCENES FROM A SONY BLU-RAY PLAYER, PANASONIC DVD PLAYER WITH UPSCALE CAPABILITY).
Movie Review: Dog Soldiers is Bloody Good!! (Literally!)
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked up this relatively unknown (in the States, at least) gem of monster flick based on the reviews from the Amazon USA and UK websites. I was not disappointed in the least. "Dog Soldiers" is the type of horror movie that a lot of us have been looking for - something with real "bite" and characters we care about, and not chock full of over-the-top CGI effects. The comparison to James Cameron's "Aliens" with its colonial Marines is a valid one, because these gritty British squaddies can more than hold their own while doing battle with their lethal foes, and keep their sense of humor throughout the combat.I appreciated that this film features a British cast and is set in Scotland (though it was primarily filmed in Luxembourg). And I really enjoyed the soldiers' accents and slang (though I may not have understood every word the first time). The dialogue is sharp, clever, and often hilarious. The pacing of the story was quick, but not at the expense of necessary details or background. A consistent sense of tension and dread prevailed throughout the movie. The cast was excellent; all of the characters in Sgt. Wells' unit were believable. Liam Cunningham's pure evil Ryan character was right out of a comic book, but that was part of the fun - you can tell he had a blast playing that role. I knew of Sean Pertwee and Kevin McKidd and liked their portrayals, and thought the remainder of the actors, particularly Darren Morfitt as "Spoon", were top notch as well.
The fact that this was a lower budget film did not hamper it at all; if anything, it may have helped. It had a more authentic look and feel to it (similar to "28 Days Later") than most of the multi-million $ trash that Hollywood typically produces. The camera work was excellent, especially the "shaky cam" technique used during the soldiers' initial departure from the helicopter, and during Spoon's valiant last stand in the kitchen (my favorite scene in the film - absolutely BRILLIANT). The music soundtrack was the perfect accompaniment to the visuals onscreen. The numerous references (or tributes) to other films such as "Aliens" and "The Matrix" were fun to spot. My only regret is that the USA version of the DVD is lacking some of the special features of the UK version (commentary by the cast, storyboards, deleted scenes, etc.), but for less than $10.00 US, it is still a worthwhile buy.
Congratulations to Neil Marshall and the rest of the team on producing a truly enjoyable film.