Battledogs (2013)

This somewhat original werewolf flick by The Asylum is more fun than it deserves to be, thanks to a its cool premise, some neato plot elements by scriptwriter Shane Van Dyke, some attractive location shooting, and the surprising and welcome presence of Ariana Richards, who's grown as hot as you might have expected since she uttered her infamous "It's a Unix system! I know this!" as a teen in "Jurassic Park."It is, however, nearly undone by ridiculous-looking CGI werewolves, a script devoid of humor, and a couple of "Wait… What?" turns that all remind you you're watching a film from The Asylum.Richards plays a wildlife photographer bitten by a wolf in Canada who arrives in New York's JFK Airport, where she promptly turns into a werewolf and goes on a killing rampage, turning more people into werewolves.Without explanation, we learn the government has immediately decided to train werewolves as soldiers. That revelation provides the film's only laugh-out-loud moment, albeit unintentional, when one character asks what any sane viewer would at that point: Wouldn't that just serve to turn the enemy soldiers into werewolves, too? And then, you know, the world?Nice of the film to take its biggest gaping plot hole and just lay it bare for the viewer.That said, direction by Alexander Yellen is surprisingly tight and solid for a first-timer; and the Buffalo, N.Y., backdrop is a suitable stand-in for New York City. I especially enjoyed the abandoned train station that resembled Grand Central Terminal, which served as an Ellis Island of sorts for recently bitten werewolves.But when your werewolves look like 3D versions of various cartoon "Big Bad Wolf" characters, you have to admit your audience isn't going to take your movie seriously. Therefore, you as a filmmaker shouldn't either.And that's the major flaw in almost every film by this company – they play it straight. A little self-referential humor (I would have LOVED to see Richards save the day with a Unix system again. Just sayin') would have made "Battle Dogs" a classic.As it stands now, it's a decent rental at the Redbox, but worth little more than that.

Watch this if....you don't mind terrible acting and awful special effects for a couple hours. Even for a Syfy original, this movie is bad.Acting/Casting: 2.5* - There is some noticeable B-movie actors for the most part giving noticeably bad performances. If you can distance Dennis Haybert from the All-State Insurance commercials he does a serviceable job, but that was beyond difficult for me. Craig Sheffer is rundown and Ariana Richards should have stopped at Jurassic Park years ago.Directing/Cinematography/Technical: 2* - Almost equally as bad is the directing and special effects. I realize this is on a strict budget, but even then the special effects are shameful. Plot/Characters: 4* - A rogue general looks to create an army of werewolves from a disease originating from a cursed woman who was bitten. The plot isn't terrible, but is overshadowed by poor acting and terrible special effects. If you can get by those two things, then you might get some enjoyment out of this film.Entertainment Value: 3* - It is only entertaining for a comical standpoint (laughing at how bad it is). Otherwise steer clear of this one.My Score: 2.5+2+4+3 = 11.5/4 = 2.875Email your thoughts to [email protected]

SyFy have a notoriously bad reputation, though there are some tolerable movies of theirs out there even if they are too far and between. Battledogs was a movie that I wasn't sure what to make of, it wasn't a particularly good one but neither was it a disaster. I am in complete agreement with the acting being the best asset, the cast were a good one to begin with and they all give fun performances, especially Ernie Hudson. Battledogs is a better-looking movie than most SyFy movies, true the CGI is not particularly great(not really much of a surprise though) but the dogs/werewolves were fairly convincing, the scenery is good and the editing is not too choppy. The music and sound mayn't win any awards as such, but they are atmospheric and sharp enough and serve their purpose well. The car wreck scene was quite an exciting set piece, and the gore isn't too shabby either. Battledogs is not without its flaws though. There is some nice tongue and cheek humour in the script, but too much of the dialogue is cheesy, unnaturally flowed and not always fitting in certain scenes. There is also a rather make-it-up-as-you-go-along feel. The story is a mixed bag. The good news is, it didn't bore me particularly and the nods to King Kong, Free Willy and Day of the Dead original were nice; the bad news is, nothing comes out as original and the mix of sci-fi and horror is confused. Maybe it would help if those two elements individually worked, sadly they don't; it is not thrilling enough to be good sci-fi and it's not scary enough to be good horror either. And it is largely to do with the overall quality of the CGI, the poor suspense and how tame and uninventive the attacks seemed to be. I'd forgive the fact that the characters are overused stereotypes if anything interesting was done with them, but despite the efforts of the actors the characters never were developed or likable enough. And how inaccurately and poorly the military are portrayed is likely to get people even more infuriated, especially if they're part of the military themselves. In conclusion, not terrible or great. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Battledogs is movie for those who are 13 years old and up. It is also for those who like a SciFi Horrox mix. Battledogs is a different kind of werewolf story that most of us are used to. Usually, it is the moon which triggers the werewolf. In this movie, it is the heartbeat. Battledogs is a scary movie. The werewolf adds to the scariness, but the most scary part of this movie is what people in power can do with such weapons of power and knowledge. That makes it scary. We always wonder just what our Government has in it bio-warfare arsenal. I am sure that it all stays out of the press. Teens like werewolves and vamps so this is right down their alley. Bring out the popcorn in this movie. I give Battledogs 5 thumbs up.