Dog Soldiers (2002) ***
When I first saw Dog Soldiers (2002), when it was released on DVD, I loved it. Neil Marshall's debut felt like a shot in the arm for those that appreciated the low budget quality of the early films of Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson. Also, I was 22 at the time, so I fit the prime demographic that a film like that is aimed at—rabid young male gorehounds. Unlike those aforementioned directors' debuts, The Evil Dead (1981) (review) and Bad Taste (1987), respectively, DS hasn't aged quite as well.
Dog Soldiers has a certain frenetic energy that is admirable, particularly on that first viewing. But now that I've seen it probably a half dozen times, I just find the dizzying camerawork and the number of cuts tiresome and particularly fatiguing on my eyes. There is plenty of bloodletting and I enjoy the practical, handmade aspect of the f/x. Obvious callouts to the The Howling (1981) (review) and An American Werewolf In London (1981) (review) are kinda cool (plus a nod The Matrix (1999) that is good for a laugh), but the film that DS borrows from the most egregiously and owes the greatest debt to is Predator (1987) (review), emulating the same macho swagger and one-liners, though much less effectively.
Marshall's second feature, 2005's all-female The Descent, was definitely a step up, but I'm not nearly as enamored with that film as most filmgoers are. I am an unabashed fan of his third film Doomsday (2008) (review) though. Doomsday is admittedly a total mashup/homage—but in the best sense (the way the Italians did so often in the 80s)—of Escape From New York (1981) (review) (complete with the female equivalent of Snake Plissken in the lead), 28 Days Later (2002) (review), Aliens (1986) (review), The Warriors (1979) (review), Excalibur (1981), and Mad Max 2 (1981) (review), effortlessly swinging from genre to genre. (Boy, Marshall sure seems to have been influenced by films released in 1981.)
What I appreciate most about Dog Soldiers is its spirit and fierce independent nature. As to the film itself, it's solid fun but not one I need to revisit often.
Dog Soldiers has a certain frenetic energy that is admirable, particularly on that first viewing. But now that I've seen it probably a half dozen times, I just find the dizzying camerawork and the number of cuts tiresome and particularly fatiguing on my eyes. There is plenty of bloodletting and I enjoy the practical, handmade aspect of the f/x. Obvious callouts to the The Howling (1981) (review) and An American Werewolf In London (1981) (review) are kinda cool (plus a nod The Matrix (1999) that is good for a laugh), but the film that DS borrows from the most egregiously and owes the greatest debt to is Predator (1987) (review), emulating the same macho swagger and one-liners, though much less effectively.
Marshall's second feature, 2005's all-female The Descent, was definitely a step up, but I'm not nearly as enamored with that film as most filmgoers are. I am an unabashed fan of his third film Doomsday (2008) (review) though. Doomsday is admittedly a total mashup/homage—but in the best sense (the way the Italians did so often in the 80s)—of Escape From New York (1981) (review) (complete with the female equivalent of Snake Plissken in the lead), 28 Days Later (2002) (review), Aliens (1986) (review), The Warriors (1979) (review), Excalibur (1981), and Mad Max 2 (1981) (review), effortlessly swinging from genre to genre. (Boy, Marshall sure seems to have been influenced by films released in 1981.)
What I appreciate most about Dog Soldiers is its spirit and fierce independent nature. As to the film itself, it's solid fun but not one I need to revisit often.
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