Max

I liked part of it, and was disappointed with another aspect of it. I liked the dogs, the "name" actors, and the overall, one-paragraph story. I had trouble with the script, the execution of the story, and some of the minor character actors.

I was also nervous about seeing a corny, ultra-patriotic political war message. That was surprisingly absent. Handled with subtlety, it was in very good taste. I was also nervous about the prospect of an overly sentimental dog story, one that might even be maudlin. tear-jerker (Sad is OK, but intentionally "pushing buttons" over and over just to create melodrama is tiresome). Needn't have worried - it was handled with a deft touch - subtle, yet moving. Good job with that.

The problem I had was the script, and thus the movement of the plot. It felt like some pieces were missing, somehow. Not fluid, not smooth. It was clunky and a bit clumsy - like a hastily made afternoon TV movie.

The girl, Carmen, was actually the best all-round kid here. Good actor - I totally bought her emotions, her dog training skills, and her overall motivations. The curl-haired guy, Chuy, was so annoying as a character - I couldn't tell if I was disliking the kid or the character. I suspect it was the character (so maybe that was good acting? Dunno).

I am a university teacher, and in my line of work this story would be great, but again, the script itself came off as a rough draft. A few more rewrites and 6 months of polishing would have made a big difference.

All in all - not bad. Probably family friendly, from 8 years old and up.

Don't let those Rotten Tomato critics sway you. This was a great movie and I am an adult who is also a veteran and German Shepherd Dog owner. While I thought it was going to be more about the dog adapting to civilian life it was something a lot different. I still liked the story and action scenes with the dog. The storyline actually had me guessing which I like in a movie. Even though most of the main characters were kids, it took me back to my days as a kid and when I had my first dog. Anyway, this movie will hopefully show people that dogs are actually very smart creatures and how we as humans need to find the best ways in order to provide them homes and prevent unwanted litters of pups. My dogs have never failed me while people have so many times. It's just a good feel good movie that people need to take in once in awhile.

I recently watched this movie and really liked it !! This movie is so much better than other new, cool movies !! It's not just about sex and brutality ! And not just a doggy family adventure movie !! It has serious content !! How an animal (dog) can change a person's life Not a perfect movie! There are mistakes!! BUT let's look at its content and not just for kids !! One of the most significant movies I have ever seen for me !! I recommend anyone to watch and not just watch brutal, scary, horrible movies !! Such a movie is much more valuable than other famous big movies !

+I'm sorry about the second part😥😥 The real is family adventure movie with no more content !! I was expecting more from a MAX 2 !!

Max is a film following a dog whose owner was killed in battle and gets moved to stay with the family of his late owner. However, like people he suffered from PTSD and so he found it difficult to be around other people and trust anyone. And that was the aspect i loved about this film, seeing how the war affected this dog and how it affected his relationship with the people around him. They did a great job at capturing the emotions of this dog, and really showing how these events affect dogs in the same way they affect the soldiers. You really get to see how it affects him through his interactions with the various characters in the film, especially Justin; the brother of the deceased played by Josh Wiggins. The scenes where his and Max's relationship is being explored are definitely the highlights of the film and most of that is in the first third to half of the film. But i felt that the film wasted the perfect opportunity to really go in detail about how Max adjusts to trusting people other than Justin as he trusts Justin right from the beginning. After the first act, a lot of the character development was actually focused on Justin and some other life decisions he faced, now although some of this was interesting i felt that it lowered the importance of Max's transformation a little.

Where the biggest flaw with this movie lies is the plot, it is mostly fine for the first act or so but after that they bring in this side plot involving some secondary characters you don't want to really see. They begin to show up here and there and they were also useful for Max's transformation at one point. But then it just takes over the film in the last act and it turns into a completely different movie that really didn't fit the tone of the rest of the movie. It felt messy and turned into your generic good guy bad guy film where the family dog pitches in and helps out a little. During the entire third act, Max undergoes a pretty important change that i feel was rushed and not focused on when it was a big thing early in the film, and that kinda bugged me. How i would describe this film is, if you take the PTSD elements and all of the emotional family relationship stuff from American Sniper and get rid of the war moments and replace them with a generic young kid takes on the bad guys story you have this movie. So in the end, this film really captured my attention with depicting Max, his relationship with the people around him especially Justin, but it lost me with a sloppy, generic side plot that takes over a lot of the movie. - 4.5

I saw Max with my 10 year old sons. Absolutely awesome movie to see with your age 10 to 16 child. It is much more than a movie about a heroic dog. It is also a coming of age movie that has some deep dives into responsibility, relationships, and ethics. Oh, and it is a great adventure flick too.

The dog will hook your kids and get them past some early dialog. But once the movie gets going, hold onto your seats! Very exciting. Suffice it to say that the audience gave the movie a long round of applause as the credits rolled. And hopefully some of the life lessons will rub off on the kids...