Analysis
There certainly aren't many werewolf movies unleashed on the cinema going public each year and most of the ones that do see the light of day tend to collect dust on the shelves of HMV and Blockbusters on account of them being so poor. But when one comes along that gets the general entertainment press talking, you know that something special is on the horizon. But just how special are we talking here?

Dog Soldiers is a British film that is set in the remote Scottish Highlands and follows a troop of soldiers as they face the onslaught of a pack of hungry werewolves. Set over a single night, the squad have to battle a foe like no other they have ever faced before. Physically overwhelmed they have to improvise and adapt to there situation just to stay alive. Basic training could never have prepared them for this......

It's been a long time since I've seen a film that makes a conscious effort to detach it's self from the onslaught of CGI monsters and effects that are slowly destroying the enjoyment that can be had from watching something that casts it's own shadow. The FX crew have sat down, and for whatever reason, have decided to go the traditional route when it comes to their creature feature and have opted for a natural solution. OK so it doesn't look all that great at times and the heavy us of gloomy sets and quick flash frames show that they are hiding something. You just can't help seeing the creature as a man with a three quarter fury suit over his head. But I don't think I'm alone when I say that the look of these creatures doesn't distract the viewers eye as much as a Hollywood CGI monstrosity would so it achieves it's aim I guess.

The deliberate lack of set variety works well and allows the viewer to come to know the characters a little better in what is essentially a very confined space. The continual violent onslaught in such a cramped environment heightens the tension and leaves you a little dizzy from all the fast paced scene transitions that occur during the frenzied action.

It's great to see a mainly British cast for a change and the performance that Sean Pertwee puts in is just fantastic. For me he stood head and shoulders above the other cast members and gave a gritty but witty performance. Unfortunately he and the other cast members were, at times, subject to some cringe worthy dialogue. Director Neil Marshall wrote the script for this film but I guess he forgot to take into account the British accent of the cast (Scottish included) as some of the lines that are delivered towards the start sound odd coming from the mouth of anybody but an American.

Key Area	Rating (out of 5)	Comment
Action		Most of the film involves shooting something, running away, shooting some more then driving irresponsibly away from the shooting. Once hauled up in the cottage, all manner of fire power gets unleashed on the Lycanthrope's.
Thrills/ Tension		The tension is heightened by the claustrophobic environment that the troops find themselves in. Thick woodland and a wee house in the forest help with the 'less-is-more' approach that the Director tries hard to establish.
Violence/ Gore		You are treated to some nice moments that show us all how the lower colon is arranged within the human body. The usual 'devouring' shots that show why we should all run away from werewolves are also present.
Bare Flesh	NONE	The werewolf's are naked but not very friendly. I'd leave em alone if I were you.
Plot		Pretty much a brain-out affair, but there are a few surprise bites in the ass to contend with. Defiantly inspired by the onslaught that Ash from the 'Evil Dead' films has to go through, complete with cottage in the woods.

Verdict This is a good film if you are into horror's and love your werewolf sub-genre. This is defiantly not a cross over film that will interest anybody other than fans of this type of adrenalin fueled mayhem. It's great to get back to basics with the monster special FX and whilst being nothing original still gets the knuckles to whiten when on screen. Overall a good film that holds it's own against the upper class competition.