Dog Soldiers (2002)

Director: Neil Marshall

Starring: Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Emma Cleasby

A routine military exercise turns into a nightmare in the Scotland wilderness.

Wow, wow, wow, ‘Dog Soldiers’ might just be one of my favorite werewolf movies – even if somewhat unconventional.

A group of soldiers on a routine training exercise encounter far more than they bargained for, and soon their exercise turns into a real-life fight for survival. From the opening scene, to the film’s final moment, there literally was never a dull moment, with suspense all the way. This film just got better and better as it progressed, more intriguing and scary!

This is not your typical werewolf story, and I enjoyed this breath of fresh air. Instead, the film remains very mysterious and foreboding well into its running time, leaving the viewer guessing as to what is actually going on here. The natural acting added to the credibility of this far-fetched tale. While the werewolf and make-up effects might not be the greatest, the film’s tense storytelling more than compensates for that. ‘Dog Soldiers’ is a werewolf horror movie with substance, and likable characters. There’s some humor thrown in here as well, with really funny dialogue, which are never out of place and always appropriate despite the circumstances. ‘Dog Soldiers’ is a very good script and a film that delivers! Bloody friggin’ hell, this was amazing! I LOVED it!

‘Dog Soldiers’ received 12 award nominations, winning 5. Not surprisingly, it was nominated for Best Film.

Would I watch it again? Absolutely!