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Dog Soldiers

Dog Soldiers

List Price: $9.98
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: WEREWOLVES OF SCOTLAND
Review: A visceral werewolf masterpiece, DOG SOLDIERS (Artisan) is about a bunch of soldiers playing war games in the wilds of Scotland who come across a slaughtered rival team. In the darkness, something not human and not animal awaits. Holed up in an abandoned farmhouse, the humans begin the fight of their lives. And dawn is hours away. An urgent, terrifying chiller.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Enjoyable, engaging B horror flick
Review: I'll echo the sentiments of the other reviewers here - this is a B horror flick, apparently intended to be consumed not by the general public but by fans of the genre. For fans, it will be a pleasing and enjoyable watch. I found the references mentioned in the other reviews (the reviews were the reason I got the film from the local video store) to be well-done; in some cases, they were careful, almost sly, while in other cases they were more obvious.

For the record, the script is good but has some weak points. The acting, on the other hand, is better than what we've come to expect from this type of film.

I'd say it's a worthwhile film to watch. You're going to like it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best underground werewolf movie!
Review: I happened to catch this movie on the Sci-Fi channel and then had to go out and rent it because it was so good. This movie was well written, great dialouge and filled with well done action seens. I have recommended this to fellow horror movie fans and they all agree it was well worth seeing as well as buying.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You Won't Waste Your Time With This One
Review: Every few years a horror film comes along that simply wows genre fans. Maybe it has something to do with awesome gore effects, or a better than average plot, or great performances by previously unknown actors; it might even resemble something like "Dog Soldiers," a recent film that contains all of the above mentioned attributes along with a nifty reworking of one of horror's old touchstones: the werewolf story. Whatever it is that makes a horror film stand out, we need more movies that look like this one. "Dog Soldiers" seemed to come out of nowhere, like manna from heaven feeding weary horror fans slogging through the deserts of slasher film retreads and the recent trend of mediocre remakes. The fact that this gripping take on the werewolf legend comes from the British Isles makes it even more remarkable. The misty climes of the Scottish highlands are the perfect setting for such a bleak movie. Remember how successful "An American Werewolf in London" was when it took place in the same bleak atmosphere? You get that type of oppressiveness in "Dog Soldiers" as well.

No one really believes in werewolves anymore. The whole business about people changing into bloodthirsty wolves when a full moon comes out just doesn't seem as scary in a world of serial killers and terrorism. And shooting a beast through the heart with a silver bullet or stabbing them with a silver blade? C'mon! Something as easy as that wouldn't even turn Jason Voorhees's head for a second! Yep, in today's world you will need something much more involved than a couple of hairy brutes roaming around in the woods once a month. Fortunately, you get much more with "Dog Soldiers." How about an entire family of werewolves, a squad of heavily armed soldiers on a training exercise in the wilds of Scotland, and a deserted house in the middle of nowhere? How about a guy brave enough to take on an eight-foot tall werewolf with his bare hands? How about enough gunfire to make "Scarface" look like a Disney film? If you think lycanthropes and assault weapons go together like milk and cookies, you will adore this film.

The plot is seductively simple: a squad of army regulars, including a tough as nails soldier who recently flunked out of SAS training because he wouldn't shoot a dog, runs into more than they can handle during a routine exercise out in the hills. They uncover a group of SAS troops torn to pieces in the wild, and find only one survivor of the group cowering nearby (who just happens to be the guy who flunked our sturdy hero out of the SAS). This colonel rants and raves about how there are more of "them" then we thought, and how there's no way to stop them, and other seemingly mad statements. One thing's for certain: anything that can turn a group of SAS commandos into hamburger would send me running home to mother. The regular army guys recognize this danger, too, and decide to scoot right out of the hills and back to civilization.

Regrettably, whatever attacked the SAS guys suddenly reappears to wreak havoc on our group of heroes. While fleeing through the woods from these shadowy figures, the men stumble upon a vehicle driving along a country lane. As it turns out, the car contains a beautiful young lass who knows all about what's going on in the woods. It's werewolves out hunting for the night, she says, and as if to emphasis this point the lycanthropes attack the car. The group manages to get to a nearby house and barricade themselves inside, but the vehicle goes up in flames and now there is no way out until morning. The rest of the film consists of one lengthy combat scene after another, as the soldiers use machine guns, blades, and their bare hands to hold off the group of enraged wolves. Another thing: for some reason best left unsaid here, the werewolves seem to resent the soldiers holing up in this particular house. These guys just cannot get a break.

With the exception of one scene well into the movie that strains the bounds of believability, everything works in "Dog Soldiers." The characters are interesting and well developed, especially the Sergeant leading the platoon and the rejected SAS soldier. Even the evil SAS colonel who knows much more than he is letting on adds a fun dimension to the film. Throw in literally gallons of blood and gore, gallows humor dialogue, and pacing that fairly grabs you around the neck and you have a horror classic for the ages with this gem. I should also mention that "Dog Soldiers," at one point in the movie, actually made me jump so high out of my chair that I nearly hit the ceiling. You probably won't see this shock coming, and I won't spoil it for you, but if you don't react in some way when it happens, you're probably comatose. I salute a movie that can inspire such a jolt in my jaded system. It wouldn't surprise me at all if "Dog Soldiers" gets a sequel in the near future, if not for any big box office numbers then for heavy rental numbers and enthusiastic praise from many horror fans. I could watch this film again and again without ever getting tired of it, and I think you will like it too if you give it a chance.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: All Bark---even more Bite. Howlingly good.
Review: Recipe for Piping Hot Werewolf Tar-Tar:

1 Squad of Harried, Nervous British Army Regulars
1 Squad, Sadistic Special Forces Unit on secret mission
1 Sneering British villain (Liam Cunningham) with aristocratic purr
1 Dog-loving British soldier Cooper (Sean Pertwee)
1 lonely farmhouse in Scottish highlands
1 piping hot Scottish love interest with suspicious motives
Assortment of automatic weapons, grenades, RPGs, and various fully-loaded assault weapons
Bowl of hungry werewolves

Introduce British Army squad into woods in Scottish Highlands, let simmer. Dump bowl of hungry werewolves into Special Forces Squad, mix, chop carefully. Add stirringly beautiful cinematography to raw film stock; let sit.

Drop the now fully tenderized bits of Special Forces soldiers into pot, blend together with now terrified British regulars. Re-introduce Cooper to Captain Ryan (now fully tenderized by werewolves, see above for instructions), toss lonely Scottish farmhouse into pot. Season with tasty bits of "Evil Dead" and "Aliens". Leaven and lighten with lots of blood.

Mix, let simmer, then bring to full boil. Chop, slice, dice and puree British soldiers, draining regularly. Serve with side of raw long-haired Scottish cow. Feeds a family of werewolves for the entire winter.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Werewolves of London.
Review: This has got to be the best werewolf flick I've ever seen. With tongue thoroughly in cheek, DOG SOLDIERS would make an excellent double feature companion with ARMY OF DARKNESS (or any EVIL DEAD film). Great use of budget with the wolfen effects, they look creepy enough without any CGI, and are presented in a menacing way. All aspects of this film are well done, from the excellent performances (SEAN PERTWEE is a great actor) to the taut direction and swift, exciting pacing. Works great on both levels of action and horror without taking itself too seriously, making this movie down right fun to watch. Excellent DVD bears good sound and picture for some bloody good late night viewing.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good, wholesome horror film. Grab your popcorn and sit!
Review: Once upon a time, in the days before CGI, a director might depend on the talents of costume designers and special effects to create the illusion of monsters in our midst. This art became scarce in the Nineties. Now, even B movie makers have access to computer animation that would rival anything seen in the original Jurassic Park. So it is a rare film indeed that is so...low-budget, that it might resort to costumes and quick camera editing angles to present us with convincing werewolves.

Soldier Dogs has a grand old tradition behind it. Borrowing a werewolf look that hit its heyday with the Howling movies and a plot recalling Aliens, this film screams "B Movie". But it is a kind of B movie at its best, in which we can enjoy the storytelling and the delicious scares lurking around the corner. True to modern films, however, there is a little morality subplot in which we are forced to confront these monsters as people who never wanted their lives as murderers but cannot control their baser compulsions. I think this makes for a stronger tension between the humans' desire to survive themselves and the irony of having to slaughter the werewolves to do so.
If you are not so jaded that you cannot enjoy the occasional B movie, Soldier Dogs is a worthwhile two hours of your evening in front of the TV.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Bloody Fight, Soldiers vs Monsters; Well-Made Horror
Review: This is a good, old-fashioned horror film using the popular theme of werewolves, with added modern taste of very dark humor. Sam Raimi, whose "The Evil Dead" will come up instantly after seeing this one, started his career like Neil Marshall, first time director whose talent is undeniable.

"Dog Soldiers" is in fact very scary when it wants to be, but I must tell you that the story is nothing new. Six soldiers are on weedend exercise deep in woods of Scotland, led by Sergeant Wells (excellent Sean Pertwee). But it soon gets clear that they are watched by someone else, not only by cold-hearted special opreation division captain, but someone more superhuman that would turn the routine work into nightmare.

The story goes as you expect -- someone joins in the group while hunted down, while they are captured one by one in a bloody fashion. The film's strength is in its balanced pace and skilled shock-tactics, some of which go beyond our expectations. See how Sgt. Wells has to endure the pain with superglue, and how a dog annoys him, biting some part of his body. Even directors of "Night of the Living Dead" wouldn't think of that idea, which makes you either laugh or sick.

The actors are comparatively unknown, but the fact helps because you don't know who will survive. The acting is all convincing and strong. Actually, Sean Pertwee should be more famous; he stared in cult British film "Blue Juice," but unluckily the co-starring, then unknown guy named Ewan McGregor gets more famous (even if Sean, Ewan, Jude Law, Jonny Lee Miller, and Sadie Frost are the members of their company Natural Nylon Films).

Within the low-budget limits, "Dog Soldiers" shows very good quality of images, make-ups and sound effects, and the monsters themselves are fairly authentic without using the CGIs, supported by tactful lighting and camera angle. The film is recommended not only for genre fans but for the thrill-seekers in general.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This Movie is fun and gory,just what u need!!
Review: Because Dog Soldiers is desgined for a new breed of horror fan it has a few of the usual things you predominantly expect a werewolf movie to have incorporated in it.Like a full moon,howling etc.But this film promises way more to the viewer than Ginger Snaps or The Howling combined its fun to watch and it has some shock value as well,but if you buy this movie or at least watch it then you will discover that for yourself.Overall i thought this movie kicked bum and i have not seen a better werewolf movie released in a good few years,so if you are into this type of movie or even if your not just check it out and enjoy!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great for straight to video
Review: I despise most of the .... that tries to be played off for horror or comedy or most movies in general. I saw the box and laughed at what I thought would be a horrible "B" level horror flick. Wrong. I decided to rent it finally and found it to be quite entertaining, the werewolves were almost as creepy as the ones in howling. My only gripes were the lycanthropes were really friggin' tall, almost spider-like, and where was the obligatory nudity for a horror flick? Other than that I was pleased, the taste of "Evil Dead" in it made part of it quite entertaining. Rent it and be suprised. Crazy Brits, I can't wait to see 28 days later.


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