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Dog Soldiers  Hot
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Written by Dave Anderson   
Friday, 21 January 2005


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Dog Soldiers

Grade

Content Grade: C+
Sound Grade: B
Extras Grade: B-
Picture Grade: C+

Specs

Artisan Entertainment-MSRP $19.98 Widescreen / Full Screen 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround; 2.0 Dolby Surround Spanish subtitles 105 mins., color, 2002 Rated R

Review

Red flags should pop up in the mind of any potential viewer when considering a movie where all the critical praise on the DVD box compares it to other movies, especially if you hadn't ever heard of these critical sources before. Such is the case with the British werewolf thriller, Dog Soldiers. Indeed, one nameless critic touts the film as a cross between Aliens, Predator and Jaws. Such praise for a title most folks will likely not have heard of should serve as a sign: either pass this one by, or keep your expectations low. Those who choose the latter may find themselves pleasantly surprised. No, it won't make one forget An American Werewolf in London or The Howling, but as modern werewolf thrillers go, Dog Soldiers offers a reasonable amount of fun. A theatrical hit in England, it is now available on DVD in the U.S.
In the Scottish woods, a small military team (lead by Sean Pertwee, whom American audiences may remember from Event Horizon) are performing training exercises, much to their chagrin - a running joke throughout the film involves several soldiers' angst at missing a soccer match on TV. They come across a camp whose inhabitants have apparently been slaughtered. The lone survivor is the leader of a Special Ops team, Captain Ryan (Liam Cunningham, who is rather heavy-handedly introduced as a villain by performing the obligatory "unspeakable act of violence" to show how evil he is). He's obviously got a hidden agenda out in those woods, but for the sake of suspense, it isn't revealed until later (though seasoned viewers will see it coming a mile away). He warns them of the creatures that killed his team, and sure enough, a pack of half-wolf/half-human creatures - elaborate, but unconvincing - begin their attack on the team, in brutal, gory fashion. The remaining soldiers are rescued by Megan (Emma Cleasby), a zoologist who's lived in the woods for two years; she is also aware of the existence of these creatures - for quite some time, they have come out to kill campers during full moons. The group retreats to an abandoned farm house, where they try to defend themselves against the ravenous pack of werewolves (a la Night of the Living Dead) for the remainder of the movie.

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Picture and Sound

Picture: The transfer to DVD is fairly poor. The picture looks rather grainy, making it sort of accentuate the film's B-movie origins. Both widescreen and full screen formats are available on this disc. Sound: It is presented in both 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and 2.0 Dolby Surround, and the quality is serviceable.

Extras

There's a commentary by producer Christopher Figg (Hellraiser), though one from first-time director Neil Marshall would have been more appreciated (I prefer commentaries by those who are more actively involved in the filmmaking process). Also included is a 15 minute making-of featurette, featuring interviews with the cast and crew, most of whom merely summarize the plot of the film. There is some interesting footage behind the scenes, but not enough. Two versions of the theatrical trailer are also included.

Summary

Dog Soldiers adds nothing new to the genre - its plot is lifted from countless others of its ilk, the creature effects are so-so, and the "surprises" in the script will surprise no one. But, it is also fairly well-written and acted (it is sometimes intentionally funny, and the characters talk and behave believably...well, at least not stupidly), and a few scenes (such as the finale) have a lot of energy behind them. It's definitely worth a rental if all the stuff you originally came for is already rented. Also...make sure you don't shut it off when the end credits roll...that's where the biggest laugh in the picture comes.

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