Dog Soldiers (2002)
A Bitch of a Werewolf Movie.
It’s time for me to finally correct an error of mine - I have yet to do what I feel is the “greatest syfy original ever made.” Sad part is, I remember it as such because that’s where I saw it - but as time goes on I really don’t know if it technically is a SyFy original or not - might even be a bit of that there Mandela effect. Anyways, we’ve got monsters, we’ve got accents - tonight, we visit Dog Soldiers.
The story here follows a couple of things that all quickly branch together. Being an aged flick, it doesn’t really waste time like it has a three hour run time, so you can expect a little bit of character and team building and a quick romp of to the point. We get introduced to a monster in the woods killing a couple, then a man of conscience failing out of Spec Ops school because he won’t kill a dog for no reason. We then jump forward to a military exercise - a little ground ponders versus the spec ops - out in the woods. It isn’t long before weird stuff starts happening - like dead animals falling out of the sky, and a gutted spec ops team. Not long before the ground pounders find themselves in a last stand fighting for their lives against the real bad dogs of the woods.
As far as werewolf movies go, it might not have quite as much depth to the characters as the more thought-provoking ones that are using the were-beasts as a allegory for something else. That said, we do get to spend enough time with the group of soldiers that you can get a bit of a feel for their characters, even if it’s just an over-layer of “likes sports, goofs around, or real professional.” Where it might not build all the characters up with deep stories and tons of background elements, it does help make the group dynamics feel much better as they play off of each other.
Given that the characters aren’t perhaps the deepest, it might call into question how well the acting will be in this. Well, the good news is everyone does quite a good job here. Sure, sometimes it might get a bit over-dramatic or scene-chewy, but for the most part all the actors do a wonderful job playing their characters. Panicking? You’ll know it by how they are acting and delivering those lines. Admittedly, the accent adds a flair of enjoyment to the watch. For something that when I originally saw it so long ago was up against the likes of giant snake movies with bad CG, the acting in this might as well have been award-winning. On re-watch, it’s perhaps not that great, but it is still quite well done and really helps bring you into the movie as far as being interested.
Soldier Buddies
The pacing is good. There are some slower parts, usually before and after the proverbial crap hits the fan. The story is on paper pretty simplistic - it basically turns into army dudes versus monster in the woods. As it goes though, it does try throwing in little twists and turns - the fact the spec ops guys are there to find a werewolf in the first place in itself is presented as a twist in the movie, as an example. That said, perhaps this one isn’t going to be the best as far as a thinking persons movie - as much as I enjoy it, I really don’t feel the movie has a lot that it’s trying to say past anything delivered at the face level of it’s characters talking.
Effects wise it’s pretty solid. Yeah, maybe some folks won’t like the look of the big bad wolf, but I feel the suits hold up pretty well. It keeps using them in closes and rather smartly in quick bursts, so you don’t really have those long moments to call out if it looks bad until much later - which again, I think it looks fine but to each their own. The violence effects are somewhere between zombie movie levels and made for TV stuff - you get a good bit of guts and a whole lot of blood, but it’s nothing super extreme and totally convincing. Some folks might find some of it a bit unsettling, but i do feel like I’ve seen far worse stuff that’s a bunch more believable. Perhaps part of the budget showing - but all that said it’s still convincing enough for the movie to not pull you too far out of it when they happen.
Audio is pretty good. The accent - either British or Scottish of some form I believe - is fun to hear, although perhaps some of the lingo might be lost when it comes to the slang. Lines are audible, even amidst scenes of carnage or action. Music is there to help punch up scenes, but it’s not exactly going to be sticking around afterwards for me (as if most do). Most the plans and actions characters take aren’t bad or out there - at least seeming as reasonable as it can given the situation. There’s characters to like, there’s characters to hate, there’s monsters that look pretty good. It might not be Underworld levels of budget and effects, and I’ll admit it’s not for everyone, but in my opinion it’s a pretty solid flick.
Tree puppy
While it’s a bit more action than horror, especially compared to some of the other werewolf options out there, it’s still quite the fun movie. Fun little nuggets - like giving the “dog soldiers” if you will black and white vision when shot for the first person views - help add some flair to the movie, even if it doesn’t always come off as the highest budget. Monster fans will have a good time, and the nice blend of action and horror elements can probably bring together a wider viewing base - but the violence will probably have some not nearly as interested about it.