Moovy

DVD Reviews

The Descent


Jesus is Magic


Firewall


Walk The Line


Flightplan

This site displays best when viewed with Firefox. To download the Firefox browser free, please click below:

Dog Soldiers
DVD review by Alan Green

British soldiers training in isolated forest encounter giant dogs that walk upright and can see in the dark and have really big teeth and claws and like to eat people--fight ensues.  That in a nutshell is "Dog Soldiers", the 2002 B-horror movie written and directed by Neil Marshall. I wanted to see "Dog Soldiers" because Marshall has "The Descent" in theaters currently, which I enjoyed (my review of the poster and movie). I was impressed by Marshall's confidence in "The Descent" and had read good reviews of "Dog Soldiers" so I gave it a spin.

The two movies mirror each other in many ways.  Both exhibit an auteur's skill with camera and editing, and both have interesting characters with psychological depth.  Both also, however, suffer the same problem after Act I--depth of character is left behind in favor of standard horror movie shocks and superficial suspense.  In both films the good guys go into a closed location, a cave in "The Descent" and a country house in "Dog Soldiers", and end up spending all of Acts II and III fighting the bad guys (blind hungry wall-climbing albino sub-humans in "The Descent"). This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the relentless repetition that an ‘attack-defend' series of scenes has tends to wear you out. It's unfortunate that Marshall was unable to support either story better after the set-up.

"Dog Soldiers" also has the problems inherent to low-budget monster pics. All of the effects are practical and, lo, the animatronics become just a tad tiresome after several ultra-short cuts to the big ass dogs lurking in the woods. Marshall patterns much of the action after ‘Alien' and, rightfully, we don't get a good look at the dog-things until late in the movie. But, where Ridley Scott succeeds, Marshall falls short. ‘Alien' takes place in a really cool spaceship and was shot on a really cool budget -- "Dog Soldiers" moves from one room of the country house to another, then back to the first room where we must endure yet more cussing and shooting as the giganto dogs attack.

For comparison I would point out how character deepens and unfolds and suspense is maintained in the fine script for ‘Alien', by Dan O'Bannon, while it goes flat in "Dog Soldiers". I understand a gem like ‘Alien' doesn't come along every year but, still, it's a letdown to see movie after movie in which character and tension can't be maintained after Act I. Truly, this film's runtime of 105 minutes feels more like, oh, 119 minutes. On the flip-side though, the weredogs look pretty cool and, I suppose, could be considered…scary.

There is a plus side to all this--humor. Marshall has a feel for jokes. The funny parts are everywhere (often covered in blood), and they inject needed verve into the repetitive attack scenes. Luckily, Marshall does not take himself too seriously.

It's very possible that a lot of horror fans have not seen "Dog Soldiers". Even with its flaws, "Dog Soldiers" is better than most and it would be a shame to miss this one. For maximum effect watch the first part, take a break and savor the creepiness, then watch the second two thirds for laughs and standard jolts and twists. Also, use a lot of butter on your popcorn--it helps.

"Dog Soldiers" is a very solid debut from Marshall. The sequel, should there be one, should benefit from having a bigger budget. Certainly, Marshall has the chops and deserves some funding. I'm looking forward to seeing his work down the line. Bravo.

Boovy

Between The Lines...
Are we slobbering sheep?
Are movie theaters history?
Stones Censored

Black Rose
A novella in weekly chapters: A homicide detective chases a vampire in Boston.

Each chapter with screenplay version

Fiction
Garbage Cookie
The Brain Eater
 

Fiction Online
East of the Web

Resources

	Reference

Amazon
Barnes and Noble


This site displays best when viewed with Firefox. To download the Firefox browser free, please click below: