Dog Soldiers (2002) Review

Werewolves… The second scariest thing that happens once a month

Dog Soldiers (2002): 8 out of 10: There are a lot more vampire movies than werewolf movies. (According to an IMDb keyword search 677 vs. 195) This shouldn’t reflect badly on our hairy nocturnal lycanthropic friends. It’s a matter of F/X. For a vampire, all you need is some pancake make-up, some dime-store false teeth, and some Goth clothes, and you’re ready. Werewolves, on the other hand. actually require some special effects.

I’ve noticed as a result independent B-movies that feature werewolves tend to be more competently filmed, tighter scripted affairs (Think Ginger Snaps). Dog Soldiers fits that bill in spades. A combination of Predator and Rio Bravo, Dog Soldiers does not have one boring moment, one unnecessary scene, one bit of extraneous padding so often found in films today.

The Werewolves look pretty good; the gore is plentiful and the movie overall looks great. There also isn’t a groaner moment where someone acts out of character or does something remarkably stupid. (No, we found three dead bodies. Lets go skinny dipping moments.) If anything, the characters seem to become more resourceful the worse the odds get. (And they get bad fast.)

The werewolves also truly terrorize both our protagonists and the audience. (The werewolves are big and formidable fighters). Its bad odds for our heroes, though not impossible. Of course, this being an independent British production, there is a good possibility the werewolves will win. (Not as likely needless to say in Werewolf the Remake starring Brandon Fraser and Kirsten Dunst and rated PG-13)

Once again exciting movie on a tight budget, and when the characters that had been injured start healing a little too fast? Did I mention it’s also a little like The Thing?