Dog Soldiers (2002)

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Dog Soldiers (2002) - 13/5/2012 7:08:16 AM

Phubbs

Posts: 658
Joined: 3/4/2012

Could this be the British werewolf equivalent of 'Aliens'? a group of soldiers forced into a tight space, trapped and being taken down one by one, it does feel like it when you watch.

But lets not take anything away from this film, its a low budget basic thriller which works beautifully utilizing all the right tricks in the book. The werewolves are kept out of sight for much of the time, lots of shadows and darkness, a good barren wilderness location, tense sweaty and claustrophobic with some good amounts of gore, not overblown.

Marshall really has taken a leaf outta Cameron's book, a leaf? nay...a whole flippin bush! as previously said the film really is 'Aliens' with werewolves but its so damn fun to watch (and British made) that you have to forgive the blatant concept rip off. The small group of soldiers really work well together and you do care for them as Marshall wisely builds the characters before hand, you know they're all gonna die but never sure which one will remain in tact at the end. Of course everyone is rather cliched and predictable with their dialog and portrayals, Cunningham is the nasty outsider ('Burke') who obviously will die but calmly growls and snarls his lines of doom to the rest in the mean time...just asking for it really.

Some brilliant sequences that go from outright horror to dark gallows humour such as Pertwee having his bowels/intestines superglued back inside him after a nasty attack. Things get quite tense towards the end as the lycans get too close for comfort and we start to see more glimpses of the pretty solid effects used. Men in suits of course and they do look original in design albeit a little like over grown Alsatians.

Its gritty, dirty, bloody, basic, effortlessly British, has cool movie posters and you want Cunningham to die right from the very start after he kills that poor doggie. At times it does feel like it could use a bit of Hollywood to really make more of an impact for some sequences and the score seems a tad lackluster. Overall this is a great human vs werewolf flick that really does show what 'Underworld' could of been.

< Message edited by Phubbs -- 13/5/2012 4:11:57 PM >

Post #: 1

RE: Dog Soldiers (2002) - 13/5/2012 8:07:20 AM

NCC1701A

Posts: 3834
Joined: 12/3/2011
From: Space Dock

It's a great film and is still my favourtite film that Neil Marshall has made.

Sergeant Harry Wells: We are now up against live, hostile targets. So, if Little Red Riding Hood should show up with a bazooka and a bad attitude, I expect you to chin the bitch.

< Message edited by NCC1701A -- 13/5/2012 8:08:03 AM >

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Post #: 2

RE: Dog Soldiers (2002) - 14/5/2012 2:17:15 AM

Djinnie

Posts: 5
Joined: 5/3/2012

I loved Dog Soldiers and have to admit that rather than The Descent, this is the film I would have picked for a sequel. The implied shady conspiracy and secret elite training squad that our heroes run into has fueled many a drunken debate in the pub. Is there a secret government funded black ops squad of werewolves? (please god yes.) Are the werewolves hero or villian? (depends on if you're suffering from PTSD - Post Twilight Stress Disorder) Does any of this really matter amidst the sarky banter, cracking one-liners and bloody fantastic action?

I just wish that instead of The Descent 2, Marshall had fused the two worlds together and we could have had an epic creature feature showdown. In this post-twilight world, we need more examples of just how werewolves should be treated on film. And that doesn't mean angrily stripping your shirt off in a trailer.

(in reply to NCC1701A)

Post #: 3

RE: Dog Soldiers (2002) - 14/5/2012 3:15:19 AM

Spaldron

Posts: 10487
Joined: 6/10/2006
From: Chair

quote:

ORIGINAL: Djinnie

I loved Dog Soldiers and have to admit that rather than The Descent, this is the film I would have picked for a sequel. The implied shady conspiracy and secret elite training squad that our heroes run into has fueled many a drunken debate in the pub. Is there a secret government funded black ops squad of werewolves? (please god yes.) Are the werewolves hero or villian? (depends on if you're suffering from PTSD - Post Twilight Stress Disorder) Does any of this really matter amidst the sarky banter, cracking one-liners and bloody fantastic action?

I just wish that instead of The Descent 2, Marshall had fused the two worlds together and we could have had an epic creature feature showdown. In this post-twilight world, we need more examples of just how werewolves should be treated on film. And that doesn't mean angrily stripping your shirt off in a trailer.

There was actually supposed to be a sequel but ran into script/financial trouble and never happened.

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Post #: 4

RE: Dog Soldiers (2002) - 14/5/2012 8:35:49 AM

Russ Whitfield

Posts: 425
Joined: 10/4/2012

Yeah, I remember there was a bit of a kerfuffle over this. It was mooted that the sequel would have a bigger budget, but that meant American money and British fans were wailing and gnashing our teeth at the prospect of clean-cut Delta Force types calmly dispatching hordes of Werewolves. Our badly trained, crap soldiers have been turned into mincemeat and the Delta Force have to come in to "save our asses."

That's from memory, mind - I'd have to goggle it, but I do remember there was some forum angst about it.

< Message edited by Russ Whitfield -- 14/5/2012 8:36:49 AM >

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Post #: 5

RE: Dog Soldiers (2002) - 14/5/2012 10:19:56 AM

elab49

Posts: 52028
Joined: 1/10/2005

Wasn't the presumption they'd be ripped apart leaving Cooper standing again? I used to have a couple of update links I checked to to see how it was going - I'm pretty sure there was a second range of suggestions for a sequel too.

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Post #: 6

RE: Dog Soldiers (2002) - 8/6/2012 6:47:04 PM

Emyr Thy King

Posts: 2154
Joined: 13/4/2006
From: The Grid

There's a web series called Dog Soldiers: Legacy and also a sequel in the works.

There's already a review thread though:

Here

"Back-seat mod"

< Message edited by Emyr Thy King -- 8/6/2012 6:51:59 PM >

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Post #: 7

RE: Dog Soldiers (2002) - 12/6/2012 2:59:58 PM

Happy Shrapnel

Posts: 17420
Joined: 19/1/2006
From: Wishing for the Clothes of Heaven

Sooooooooo much better then The Descent

< Message edited by Happy Shrapnel -- 12/6/2012 3:00:22 PM >

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Post #: 8

RE: Dog Soldiers (2002) - 17/6/2012 1:29:01 PM

lyssyweip

Posts: 3
Joined: 17/6/2012

At times it does feel like it could use a bit of Hollywood to really make more of an impact for some sequences and the score seems a tad lackluster. Overall this is a great human vs werewolf flick that really does show what 'Underworld' could of been.
[img]http://www.avufo.info/g.gif[/img]

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Post #: 9