I must admit that I didn't really care for "Dog Soldiers" when I first got around watching it back in 2002, right after its release. I thought the concept of a lost patrol fighting a troop of werewolves was overly hectic and the monsters themselves didn't look half as frightening as the elderly ones from "American Werewolf in London" or "The Howling". Maybe it's because I've seen so many crap horror since then or maybe I just didn't pay enough attention the first time but my second opinion is much more positive. Neil Marshall wrote and directed an enthusiast gore story about a squadron of soldiers on a routine training exercise in the Scottish forests and all of a sudden their lives are in danger because of ravenous werewolves lurking around the area. They also encounter a captain from another platoon (who's acting very mysteriously
) and a young environmental researcher who eventually rescues them and shelters the group in a nearby farmhouse. Completely isolated and low on ammunition, the group has to survive the night as the aggressive creatures won't go away as long as the moon is full. The lines and dialogues in "Dog Soldiers" are well-written and often blackly humorous, while Marshall allows his cast to overact in several sequences. Tension is successfully reached thanks to the hopeless surrounding of the farmhouse. This film will especially be remembered by horror freaks because of the explicit gore and violent action scenes. I particularly appreciated the fact that many of the special effects were developed in the 'old-fashioned' way, without using dreadful CGI. The werewolves clearly are tall men in suits but I easily prefer them over the artificially constructed things in "Underworld" or "Van Helsing". I suspect that this film will become an "underdog" in the modern horror genre and, in time, it'll develop quite a large fan base (if it hasn't already). Personally, I still like the "Ginger Snaps" films better when it comes to post-2000 werewolf-flicks, but this "Dog Soldiers" is a worthy second. Recommended!
Review of Dog Soldiers
