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Dog Soldiers (2002)

post #1 of 18
10/16/09 at 10:16pm
Thread Starter 
So I just watched this. Nice riff on Predator/Aliens with NO BUDGET. Marshall does a lot with very little (amping up the fog, using the POV shots, having characters talking about what they're seeing) so the werewolves look pretty good and intimidating.

Few funny moments, like the dog pulling at the Sergeant's bloody bandages. Few clever movie references to Star Trek and Zulu show Marshall's self-awareness of his roots. The homages sometimes border on plagiarism ("short, controlled bursts."), but it's all in good fun.

The acting is nice and tough guy, but (aside from Ryan and Cooper) I could barely tell the soldier characters apart. Bunch of generic buzz cut Scottish guys.

Heh, the werewolf stole a shotgun and shot back.
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post #2 of 18
10/16/09 at 10:21pm
Saw it first on Sci-Fi as a premiere back in 2002 and really dug it a lot. It's a staple on there, and even though I have the dvd, I'll still check it out when it's on.

Marshall is one of the few directors that I can think of whose every single film (so far) has been a really great.
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post #3 of 18
10/17/09 at 7:42am
Ditto the love here. Marshall is one of those directors who keeps a stable of solid performers and uses them for most of his films, IE; Sean Pertwee, Darren Morfitt, Craig Conway. I think it's good that he does not pigeonhole them into specific types of roles. Such as Pertwee... in Dog Soldiers, he's hard as fuck. In Doomsday, he screams a lot, and ends up as supper.

Good film, good times.
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post #4 of 18
10/17/09 at 7:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lima Oscar Lima View Post
Good film, good times.
It's true. He loves this movie.

And the quotes.

Occasionally, on a quiet night, you can hear him yell "Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough!" when he plays Call Of Duty 4 online.
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post #5 of 18
10/17/09 at 1:49pm
This film made me an instant Marshall fan, his subsequent films have simply cemented my first impression of him thanks to Dog. Not only does he bring back many of his actors, he often chooses some very good thesps to wander through his genre landscapes. Dog Soldiers wouldn't be anywhere near as believable as it is without Marshalls words in the mouths of brilliantly talented dramatic actors like favorites of mine like Kevin McKidd and Sean Pertwee or even Liam Cunninghams delicious villan.

Marshall just does so much with so little in this film, by the time the spindly standing b-movie werewolves arrive it really shouldn't work but it does, beautifully.

A big favorite of mine.
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post #6 of 18
11/5/09 at 12:27am
A cool lil' movie. This is what got me on the Neil Marshall train. I need to re-visit this again.
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post #7 of 18
11/5/09 at 10:59am
While I like The Descent and Doomsday a lot, this one is definitely my favorite. I love it because of the humor (while never becoming a comedy) and for Marshall's ability to work with such a great cast. All of the characters are given enough time to shine without getting in a way of each other. You can see budget limitations and that Marshall is still learning the technical aspects of filmmaking, but it is a very entertaining flick that I rewatch quite often.
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post #8 of 18
11/5/09 at 12:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bartleby_Scriven View Post

Few funny moments, like the dog pulling at the Sergeant's bloody bandages. Few clever movie references to Star Trek and Zulu show Marshall's self-awareness of his roots. The homages sometimes border on plagiarism ("short, controlled bursts."), but it's all in good fun.
"There is NO Spoon!"
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post #9 of 18
11/6/09 at 3:48am
I really enjoy this movie.One of the better Werewolf films in a long time.
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post #10 of 18
11/6/09 at 4:57am
Yeah I actually bought this on Region 2 DVD once upon a time but now I cna't play it with my PS3. When I heard there was going to be a blu-ray I got excited but of course then I found out how terrible the transfer was so im pretty fucked.
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post #11 of 18
11/6/09 at 2:34pm
I'll echo what Rain Dog said; this made me a Marshal fan for life. It's a lean, mean film that has no business being as good as it is considering its tight budget. I like that it doesn't try to de-mystify the mythos of the Werewolf; it's just soldiers fighting for survival against a much deadlier, more primal foe, as opposed to soldiers stumbling upon X bullshit that reveals the Werewolves secret origins or hints at some greater plot outside of their own circumstances.

It's a very trim, tense film, and would be a great way for *any* director to kick off their career.
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post #12 of 18
2/19/10 at 7:02pm
Saw this for the first time a few days ago.

I liked it alot. HUUUUGE Kevin "Vorenus" McKidd fan here. He is just too cool. The scenes where he had the broad sword must have been what inspired his casting in ROME


Clan Vorenus


The movie managed to scare me and was pretty well shot. It *did* look a bit cheap, like a Very Spooky Episode of BBC's COUPLING or something. That probably has more to do with the quality of cameras and lenses used than the talent involved though

PS I really liked the wolf designs. The thin elongated torsos were freaky, and it was one of the better WW concepts I've seen. I think it was slightly hurt by the fact that the faces were pretty static and didn't move or emote, but that was an issue of budgetary restrictions and not limited imagination
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post #13 of 18
2/20/10 at 3:49pm
Hadn't realized they released a toy from this...

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post #14 of 18
2/20/10 at 3:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DARKMITE8 View Post
Hadn't realized they released a toy from this...
Eh, that doesn't quite capture what was scary about them in the film. Maybe you have to see it in motion, with the lanky body, who knows..

Cool though, thanks for sharing
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post #15 of 18
2/20/10 at 4:12pm
One of these days I'm going to actually watch this movie, again. I've only saw it years ago cut all to hell on the SciFi Channel.

I also agree that Marshal hasn't made a bad film so far.
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post #16 of 18
3/20/10 at 7:17pm
Watching it now. Great music and holds up just fab.
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post #17 of 18
3/20/10 at 10:41pm
You put very good Brit thesps like McKidd, Pertwee and Liam Cunningham in a film like this and it ratchets it up to eleven. You'll buy the most nonsensical b-movie plot developments and stylings if the acting is good enough. Marshall knew what he was doing when he cast this. I'd argue it's that factor that still makes this superior to The Descent.
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post #18 of 18
8/30/10 at 9:58am
Love this film. But where's the proposed sequel? That seems to be in limbo since forever.
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