Dog Soldiers (2002)

We are now up against live, hostile targets. So, if Little Red Riding Hood should show up with a bazooka and a bad attitude, I expect you to chin the bitch!

Six squaddies are on a training exercise in Scotland, but a group of special forces plan to use the soldiers as bait for a rumoured lupine predator. Of course it goes horribly wrong and our group of soldiers become besieged by werewolves in a remote cottage.  The first act of the film is easily the best; the introduction of the 6 main soldiers is certainly on a par with Predator, probably better because of the British humour; the atmosphere created by Neil Marshall and DOP Sam McCurdy is very sinister, spooky and adds real tension to the unfolding story.  The chase through the woods is really well done; lots of sinister back lit trees, werewolves flitting in and out of view, desperation of the soldiers, and all mixed up with a wolf view point adding a different dimension.

By the time the guys are holed up in a deserted cottage we are into the familiar territory of any number of siege films; not least Zulu, Tremors or a "Living Dead" film.  In fact Zulu is explicitly mentioned once and there are a few other nods to the classic film, but not the only film that is referenced.  However, though they are stuck in a cottage the film doesn't stagnate; a smart story and the British sense of humour wins out, and everything clips along at just the right tempo.  Sean Pertwee is magnificent as Sergeant Wells, and Kevin McKidd is very good as Private Cooper, but there is also a very clever understated performance from Liam Cunningham as Captain Ryan.

Overall Dog Soldiers is a really cool film, not amazing, not even that scary, but really good fun.  The characters are all well written and introduced in a way that allows a lot of fun to be had with them.  The effects are good (given what presumably is a modest budget) and the werewolves look like nothing seen before.

Brave (2012)

Let’s not beat about the bush here, Brave looks fantastic. I think I spent the first 10 minutes admiring how amazing Merida’s hair was. Clearly all the characters still looked like animated people, but the world in which they lived could easily have been real. The stone circle, the forests, the mountain landscapes all looked phenomenal.

Though there are plenty of funny moments (the three younger brothers notwithstanding) there aren’t as many LOLs as Monsters Inc or Finding Nemo for example. Rather Brave focusses on the teenage growing pains of Princess Merida and her desperation to live her own life and not be forced into being the Princess that her Mum wants her to be. Though I did really enjoy the film, I wonder if the story was really the best they could have come up with; a couple of times in the second half of the film I found myself asking “Why?”, and though it wasn’t boring, it wasn’t excellent.

The voice actors however, are all excellent. I was worried having seen the trailers that the Scottish accents were going to sound horrendous, despite most of them being Scottish actors (Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connelly, Robbie Coltrane and Kevin McKidd to name a few); but they were all great; as of course were the non-Scottish actors such Emma Thompson and Julie Walters.

Overall a very enjoyable film, not perhaps Pixar’s finest hour (you still have to go far to beat the enjoyment of Monster’s Inc in my opinion, or the genius of Wall-E), but certainly their most luxuriant.