Reviews

Going into this not knowing anything about it or the story I wasn't sure what to expect, with the exception of knowing that Wahlberg is always good. That proved to be the case here, he lead the film's story well, and given his real life injury, made it eminently believable. The story itself is quite remarkable too, but this is where the film suffers to some extent. It's very obvious that there is no way anyone really knows how the dog made his journey, but there are elements of speculation that aren't put across particularly well, one in particular was quite cringe worthy, and I wish the film maker could have focused more on the characters journey in these parts. The background story of the dog is less important than his actual remarkable journey. That is not to say it ruined the film, just knocked a couple of stars off my rating. I also had issues with the Bear Grylls voice over commentary. I know it was actually him, but there was no real tension in his voice, because he wasn't commenting on an actual race at the time. An actor would have been better.

Overall though, it's a very enjoyable, and extremely remarkable story, and I loved the pictures of the real Arthur and owner at the end.

Let's start by saying that the original film is not a great film by any standard, and is looked at with rose tinted glasses because of Swayze, but this travesty is far far far worse.

It started off badly, with stupid CGI enhanced fighting (bad CGI too), and got worse and worse before the absolute pinnacle of crud that was Connor MacGregor appeared and sent the film into a plummeting spiral of excrement. Whoever cast him and then actually used him in the film needs to be had a word with. I think it's the worst performance of anyone I have ever seen in a film, and that's saying something.

The story, if it is that, is simple and predictable of course, and the acting dull and lifeless. What Gyllenhall is doing making trash like this I don't know. He's made some odd choices over the years, but also made some great films (Darko, Jarhead), but this is probably his worst. Maybe he just wanted to get ripped (which he is, being on the Hollywood roid diet no doubt).

Anyway, it's 2 hours I watched be ause it's so bad I had to see what they did. It never redeemed itself. Avoid like the plague.

I'm not sure why there are so many negative reviews of this, as my wife and I (and she is hard to please) both really enjoyed this film.

Yes, there are plenty of riffs from other films, as you'd expect with this kind of storyline, but that's not unusual in any film, and there are plenty of unexpected twists and turns to keep you interested and the film was ended very well.

Gibson fell out of favour with filmmakers for too long and is now rebuilding his career in later life, and while he is a little hammy at times in this, and certainly takes cues from his Ransom performance, he is still a fine actor and he steers this film along nicely. All of the supporting cast, many relatively unknown, give solid performances, nothing too outstanding, but nothing terrible either.

Overall then, an enjoyable thriller with some cool twists that might surprise you. A solid watch.

My wife and I binged watched this over 3 nights, and it certainly started well, with an interesting premise, but then, it just became a bit weird. That's not to say it didn't keep us interested though, you kind of want to know what's going to happen next all of the way through, but not in a way that made it compelling, more curious to see what they were aiming for with the writing. I will also say that some of the effects were pretty shoddy, which, in this day and age, is unecessary. In the end, I thought it was a load of clichéd nonsense, which, while well acted and written, was a great disappointment.

I have no idea of the origins of the characters in the film, but being a Stallone fan I had to give it a watch. A great and stylish beginning leads to a decent and well paced story, with good supporting acting backing up Stallone and his usual grunty and menacing style (nothing wrong with that if you are a fan). The storyline is predictable of course, at least to a point, but that doesn't make it boring to watch, with some nice touches here and there and a few moral lessons thrown in for good measure. There are some good set pieces too, and a good ending. Overall then, worth a watch if you are a fan of sci-fi/superhero/anti-hero films and don't mind Slys "acting".

One thing is certain, Ron Howard certainly knows how to make this kind of film, and this is his best in a while and maybe his best ever. Brilliantly made and well paced, capturing all if the emotion and tension of an incredible rescue and international effort. I have previously watched the (also) excellent Nat Geo documentary and this film mirrors that well and adds no typical Hollywood drama to it at all. Truly excellent viewing.

One thing for certain, is that Disney are very good at making these types of films and this is up there with some of the best they've made. Great story, well acted and paced, and a triumph over adversity for the entire family.

Really nice end sequence too. Well worth your time.

As soon as the film starts you can tell where its going, but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining and enjoyable over its short run time, and Ben Lamb is suitably hateable in the lead make role. Not anything new, but certainly not as bad as many films. A solid watch.

I have this a try without having read a review as I like Efron, he's a good actor, and it does a very good job of drawing you in and keeping your attention, as you feel you need to see what happens, though I did find my attention waning and ultimately accurately guessing what may happen. All good though, until the end, which, for me, totally ruined what was a decent watch. No spoilers, but I just thought it was a dumb way to finish, like the writer didn't know what to do himself. A shame.