Battledogs

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.

With decent actors and a decent script and decent CGI programmers you could make a decent movie out of it. But the problem with this movie is that the actors suck, that the writer is a Van Dyke, and that the computer generated images are made by an amateur. It was really painful to watch. I should have seen it before I started watching it that it would be a disaster. Last time I watched something that Shane Van Dyke wrote (6 Guns) I promised myself never watching something he is involved in again. But my mistake, I forgot to check it before I started watching this abomination. What a total waste of time. Avoid this movie(?) at all costs.

It is always a nice treat to witness when The Asylum manages to spew out a movie that excels compared to the rest of their movies. Every now and then The Asylum manages to put out a movie that is actually above the usual cheesy and campy stuff they dabble in.

"Battledogs", aside from the horrible title, was actually a nice movie. It was a different take on the werewolf myth and genre, and a rather bold take. But it ultimately worked out well enough.

Mind you, I am not saying that "Battledogs" is ready to challenge the leading werewolf movies, but for a movie from The Asylum, then it is well worth checking out.

The story is about a mutated strain of lycanthropy running rampart in Manhattan. The military contains the outbreak, but want to utilize this newfound potential source of power and turn it into a weapon - of course. And they will stop at nothing in order to succeed. But when things get out of hand, the military are forced to take to drastic measures.

Storywise, then "Battledogs" was alright. It wasn't the best of stories, and it was predictable, yes, but still it was a step up compared to many other movies from The Asylum. The story is fast paced and full of action and even an occasional thrill here and there.

As for the acting, then they did have some good names on the cast list, and people did good with the characters and roles they were given. Sure, many of these characters were generic and stereotypical, but the actors and actresses still manage to get something watchable out of that.

Which leads me to the CGI. The werewolves did look good, although at times the CGI animation was wooden and stiff, but still, the effects worked to the extend that they were meant to. Just don't get your hopes up for being blown away by a multi-million dollar CGI extravaganza.

If you enjoy werewolf movies, and don't mind movies that range in the lower scale of the budget, then definitely check out "Battledogs" - don't mind the awful movie title.

I can forgive the ridiculous plot and low budget. And as a career Army guy, I have learned to be tolerant of so many mistakes in portraying the military. But wow, why make them look like such slobs? Unshaven, pants untucked, etc sheesh! Even the guy playing the President (Bill Duke) wears an ill-fitting suit. He also looks too creepy for the role, hunched over and mumbling.

And one thing that really doesn't make sense - why would there be only one doctor working on this problem if it's a worldwide threat?

An ill wildlife photographer enters an airport, unknowingly carrying a werewolf virus. After she transforms, dozens if not hundreds of people are left dead or infected. And then the military steps in.

We all know the Asylum makes films for little money and uses some pretty terrible computer animation for their monsters. This is no exception. The production value seemed okay, but the wolves are just as fake as anything else they have created. Let us just get that out of the way.

But really, this is better than their average story. Decent acting, a generally interesting plot -- even if it may not always make sense. And Ernie Hudson, who never disappoints. Not the best werewolf film out there, but probably also not the worst.