Stars:
Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Emma Cleasby, Liam Cunningham, Darren Morfitt, Chris
Robison, and Leslie Simpson
Writer:
Neil Marshall
Director:
Neil Marshall
Feature
length: 106 minutes
Extras:
Producer Commentary, Featurette, and Trailers
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Surround Sound
Subtitles:
English Closed Captions and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 24
Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Dolby Surround Sound
Year
of DVD Release: 2002
Home
Video Distributor: Artisan Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: R
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
There
are no shortage of vampire and zombie flicks made world wide, but few werewolf
films and even fewer good ones. Last year I reviewed “Ginger Snaps,” which
was in my opinion the best werewolf film I had seen in maybe twenty years. Well
I still love “Ginger Snaps,” but if one were to liken “Ginger Snaps” to
a film like the science fiction horror classic “Alien,” which I know is a
stretch, then I would liken “Dog Soldiers” to “Aliens” even though both
films have absolutely nothing to do with each other and nothing in common save
that they are both werewolf films.
What
makes “Dog Soldiers” fun is that it basically gives the viewer the familiar
horror scenario of a group of people who must defend themselves against the
bloodthirsty beasts in the night, but “Dog Soldiers” cranks it up a few
notches by delivering spectacular action and great gore with a fine English cast
lead by Sean Pertwee. A squad of British soldiers is sent to the highlands of
Scotland on training maneuvers. They are all more or less experienced
professionals ranging from career servicemen to young twenty something recruits.
They discover a lone British Special Forces Captain among the remains of his
team, who appear to have been devoured. Soon the troops are under siege by huge
werewolves as the full moon night sky approaches. The survivors hold up in a
lodge with the Special Forces Captain and a Zoological Ranger, each having their
own a secret agenda, and fight it out against the onslaught of werewolves with
machine guns, grenades, knives, makeshift flamethrowers, pots and pans, and bare
fists as they attempt to survive the night.
Perhaps
I am desensitized to it from watching so many horror pictures, but the gore was
not too much to handle and in fact added to the excitement of the action as we
witness a men being eaten alive by eight-foot tall werewolves, heads and body
parts being ripped out, and a disemboweled man being re-emboweled if that is
possible. The action is truly fast and fierce and the effects are pretty good
for a low budget European import. To put it simply, this is one kick-butt
werewolf film.
“Dog
Soldiers” is presented in both a matted widescreen (1.85:1) and full screen
(1.33:1) aspect ratio with a fairly good transfer. The film is dark and
artifacts are kept to a minimum though they do exist so do not expect crystal
clarity picture wise.
The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is
well mixed with a high fidelity and digital clarity. An English Surround
Soundtrack and English Closed Captions and Spanish Language Subtitles are
encoded on to the DVD as options.
Producers David E. Allen and Brian Patrick O’Toole give a screen specific and articulate feature length audio commentary as well as a production featurette (19:33) with cast and crew interviews is included and the international trailer (: 57) as well as the domestic Artisan home video trailer (: 43) wrap up the extra features included in this DVD release.
This is a must see for any genre film fan and another great fright flick to watch with your friends. “Dog Soldiers” is available on DVD-Video now from Artisan Home Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.