Werewolves vs. Scotsmen - DOG SOLDIERS

Dog Soldiers
2002 - 105 minutes - Horror/Action
Director: Neil Marshall
Country: United Kingdom
IMDB: 6.7
Metacritic: N/A
RT: 76%

CinemaChagrin's Rating: B

Watch this movie if you enjoy:

• Horror-action films
• Great B-movies
• WEREWOLVES!
• Tons of great gory violence/action

Avoid this movie if you dislike:

• B-movies or horror films
• Extremely gory movies
• Werewolves...duh
• Some plot holes/horror cliches

If you were to combine George A. Romero's 1968 classic horror film Night of the Living Dead with James Cameron's pulse-pounding 1986 sci-fi action film Aliens, you'd probably end up with something like Dog Soldiers.

Of course, the antagonists in this English horror flick are werewolves, not zombies or aliens. A direct-to-DVD directorial debut (hence the cheap-looking poster), Dog Soldiers established newcomer Neil Marshall as a promising new horror director back in 2002. I initially took interest in this film after seeing one of Marshall's later productions, The Descent (an absolutely fantastic and terrifying horror film about a group of six women trapped underground and fighting for their lives against vicious creatures after a spelunking expedition goes wrong). Many of Marshall's talents as a director seen in The Descent are on display in Dog Soldiers, albeit in a less-refined form.

The protagonists of Dog Soldiers

The plot of Dog Soldiers is pretty straightforward (which is a good thing): a squad of 6 Scottish soldiers are sent into the Scottish highlands on a routine training mission. They trudge through the woods, making their way towards a rendezvous point before coming across the gory remains of a special forces team that was supposed to serve as a mock enemy for the mission. They soon afterwards encounter the enemy that inflicted so much carnage - a group of vicious werewolves. Outnumbered, the Scotsmen retreat into an abandoned farmhouse to make a last stand.

Dog Soldiers is an unabashed B-movie - obviously low budget, filled with stock characters, flush with plot twists seen coming a mile away - and a damn fine one at that. Though it is very horrific at times, the film never takes itself too seriously, and features several hilarious moments. The violence is ridiculously over-the-top and gory, while the plot is pretty predictable. Characters oftentimes make nonsensical decisions, and there are some pretty big plot holes. Why do I like this movie so much, you ask? Mainly because it's ridiculously entertaining!

Bad doggy!

What makes Dog Soldiers so entertaining, elevating it above most horror B-movies? A number of reasons, really. Firstly, Neil Marshall successfully builds tension through a variety of methods, including really neat black and white "werewolf-vision" shots, excellent camera angles, and swift editing. Marshall also doesn't make the mistake of showing the audience the monsters too early on the film. Throughout the first half of the movie, all we see are quick cuts of the werewolves running through the woods or lunging towards the soldiers. There are also also some really cool moments where a werewolf is just off screen, its visible exhalations fogging up soon-to-be broken windows. 

Though the film is very action-heavy, there are several suspenseful and terrifying moments. Additionally, while most of the characters in the film constitute stereotypes (the gruff sergeant, reluctant leader, crazy bad-ass), they are developed much more than your average horror flick. Several have very memorable personalities and scenes;  it is much easier to root for them to prevail as a result (even though they don't have much of a chance). 

What really makes Dog Soldiers stand out is the action. Once the werewolves are introduced, the rest of the film is almost constant action. Part of the quality of the action can be attributed to Marshall's direction - the action sequences are all well-shot - but a lot of the entertainment stems from the premise itself: a horde of vicious werewolves duking it out with six Scottish soldiers (by the way, the accents are hilarious). The werewolves look absolutely fantastic, no CGI bullcrap, just cool werewolf suits that look really scary. Finally, the film avoids many of the worst horror cliches, including random/pointless nudity/sex or a forced romantic subplot.

I don't really have a lot of substantive things to say about Dog Soldiers (cause it's not really that deep); it's just a lot of fun! If you in any way like horror films, action films, or werewolves, this movie is a MUST SEE! It is supremely entertaining, a horror film with a good blend of action, suspense, comedy, and yes, horror. It also has a really cool soundtrack. Oh yeah, and characters we actually like and care about (always a good thing). As far as B-movies go, you can't go wrong with Dog Soldiers!

-CC

Watch the full movie on YouTube!