FILM: Dog Soldiers

DIRECTOR: Neil Marshall

YEAR: 2002

WATCHED ON: DVD

DATE WATCHED: 22-March-2024

FIRST VIEWING: No

SPOILERS AHEAD:

When this film came out it made quite the impact on my friends and I. 2002, I was 8 years old. A friend at school got it on video, and we watched it at sleepovers and took turns borrowing it. At that age it was scary - but watching it today, its a comedy. Very strange.

Set in the Scottish Highlands, Dog Soldiers is a film about a small group of British soldiers who are on a training exercise in a very remote part of the woods, but they soon discover that they’re being hunted by an unexpected enemy; werewolves. It is silly, but switch your rational thought off and you’ll enjoy the film. Better yet, put yourself in the shoes of an 8 year old boy who lives in the Scottish Highlands and spends most of his time in the woods. You’ll love it.

Kevin McKidd stars as Cooper, one of the soldiers and he’s getting to use his native accent. Truthfully, the reason I put the DVD on was because my girlfriend had been watching so much Grey’s Anatomy, and I found his accent jarring.

Sean Pertwee plays the officer to the wee squad, and Liam Cunningham plays the closest thing to a villain (other than the supernatural monsters). But that isn’t a spoiler. His character shoots a dog in the first 5 minutes. It’s no secret that he’s a bad guy.

The majority of the film takes place in a claustrophobic setting of a rural farmhouse. The soldiers fight off the attacking werewolves in an almost siege type attack.

If you’re a werewolf movie fan who loves a transformation, this isn’t the werewolf movie for you. The creatures themselves are pretty well done. Genuinely scary in appearance, but theres no transformation scene.

An under-appreciated low budget werewolf movie. It’s worth a watch. Just don’t think too hard. Take it for what it is.