There are a handful of brilliant films based on lycanthropy, that is, the tendency for normal folks to turn into a wolf-like creature, usually during a full moon.  From the Reverend Werewolf of Silver Bullet to the tortured American tourist in An American Werewolf in London, there’s something that draws a viewer to this Jekyll and Hyde mythology.  When director Neil Marshall approached the subject in his 2002 feature debut Dog Soldiers, no one would suspect Marshall to on his way to horror fame (which he arguably achieved with the thrilling The Descent), but Marshall showed his chops early.  Finally available in HD format, Dog Soldiers deserves another look.

Marshall, who also penned the script, lures the viewer in with a massacre at a remote campsite in the opening scene, then transitions to a training exercise involving Special Forces hopeful Pvt. Cooper (Kevin McKidd, Grey’s Anatomy), who is ultimately refused entry into the elite forces by the tyrannical Capt. Ryan (Liam Cunningham, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor).  Flash forward several weeks and we find Cooper among his platoon, led by Sgt. Wells (Sean Pertwee, Mutant Chronicles).  

Cooper and Wells and the rest of the group, made up of the guy who loves football (soccer to we American Philistines), the guy who tells dirty jokes and some other guys who round out the cast.  We take some time to get to know them, but Marshall and the viewers’ attention are drawn to Cooper and Wells throughout these introductions.  Ostensibly, the platoon is conducting war games, dropped behind a fictional enemy’s lines, and forced to make their escape.  When a mauled cow is unexpectedly dropped on their campfire, things take an unusual turn, to say the least.

The following morning, Wells leads his men to investigate.  They come across Ryan, wounded, howling about how there was only supposed to be one.  Never a good sign.  The rest of his unit is slaughtered, and, as the sun sets, Wells finds himself and his men chased by the very things that decimated Ryan’s crew.  In the escape, Wells is wounded, and rescue appears in the form of Megan (Emma Cleasby, Doomsday), providing safe transport for the soldiers to a local farm.  When werewolves surround the farm house, trapping Megan and the remaining soldiers within, including the partially eviscerated, yet rapidly improving Sgt. Wells, we know that trouble is sure to come from within, as well.  Ryan’s condition is also improving, and we know that when he wolfs out, he’ll be even more dangerous.  And then,  

What are we to make of the ever-helpful Megan?  Is she truly an ally, or a hidden danger in their midst?

What separates Dog Soldiers from the run-of-the-mill action horror flicks is the sense of fun that pervades the film.  Marshall has tipped his hat to other films that no-doubt inspired his movie, including a character named Bruce Campbell, a must if you are to have survivors trapped in an isolated house, and even cops lines from the likes of Aliens (“Short, controlled bursts” anyone?).  There’s a bit of melodrama as Wells fully realizes his hairy fate, and Cooper’s heroics are sometimes too… well, heroic… but this is all part of Marshall’s sense of joy.  It’s rare to find so much grinning translate to the screen as it seems to here.  And, coupled with some fine commentary available on this release, one gets the sense that there was a lot of fun had in the production of this film.

Pertwee is rock solid as the gruff Sgt. Wells, and McKidd makes Cooper both likable and sensitive in his heroic way, but we all know why we’re here.  The werewolves.  And there are several of them, a nice change of pace from the mono-lycanthrope films that are so prevalent in the sub-genre.  The pack of monsters at the door is well-designed and realized, though there are times when the budget strains to realize fully articulated expressions.  Nonetheless, there is a distinct look to these creatures, and it is different and satisfying.  We never get the chance to see a full-blown transformation, but I respect Marshall for steering clear rather than produce a sequence that would ultimately be measured against The Howling and American Werewolf and, probably, come up short.  

Dog Soldiers is a fun, fast-paced, bloody take on the werewolf myth and it heralded the coming of a legitimate voice in horror.  But forget the historical nature of the film and enjoy it for what it is – one of the best werewolf movies made and a treat for first time viewers and those returning to the film now that it’s found its proper format in Hi-Def.  

trapped in an isolated house, and even cops lines from the likes of Aliens (“Short, controlled bursts” anyone?).  There’s a bit of melodrama as Wells fully realizes his hairy fate, and Cooper’s heroics are sometimes too… well, heroic… but this is all part of Marshall’s sense of joy.  It’s rare to find so much grinning translate to the screen as it seems to here.  And, coupled with some fine commentary available on this release, one gets the sense that there was a lot of fun had in the production of this film.