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This movie is really, really trying to be actually entertaining. And, in some ways, it is. Sure, Agnes Bruckner is very pretty to look at, as is Hugh Dancy and Olivier Martinez.

But, I have to say that there is something hollow about the film. Perhaps it's the "special" effects which turn humans into, well, dogs. And perhaps its that the dogs aren't really that menacing.

That aside, the synopsis is this: Vivian's (Agnes Bruckner) entire family were mysteriously killed by men bearing rifles as a child. Fast forward to present-day (?) Romania where Vivian is living with her "aunt" Astrid (Katja Riemann) selling chocolate in her storefront.

We quickly learn than Vivian is extraordinary, especially at jumping off of walls like the French "Parkour" sport but much less spectacularly. The director flirts with revealing the "wolves" for as long as possible, and we learn that Rafe (Bryan Dick) can be a complete, uh, Bryan Dick. Oh, and he's Vivian's brother, apparently.

We learn than Vivian may be "chosen" to be the next wife of current pack leader Gabriel (Olivier Martinez) and there's a lot of big talking about tradition and sticking with the rules of conduct for wolves.

Of course, Vivian is not into that whole "tradition" stuff, and instead becomes interested in a "Meat" named Aiden (Hugh Dancy) who is acts cute and charming and whose acting probably adds points to this flick.

After playing hard to get for a while, Vivian softens up and she and Aiden become an item with the happy segues and cut shots as a happy couple together, sharing lollipops and ice cream together.

Of course, this movie is a tragedy and it turns into darker times when Rafe discovers the romance and brings it to Gabriel.

This brings us to the pinnacle of the movie, which by any account, was pretty unspectacular. It ends in a predictable fashion, and not in a "gee that was a predictable but entertaining ending", more of a rather, "gee that was a predictable ending that just wasted another 40 minutes of my time."

We'll break from the synopsis here to just give the raw review:

• In general, this movie is trying so hard, but fails in so many ways

• The acting is tough to pull off as authentic, the director could have done a lot better to create real drama

• While the score brings the movie up a notch, it's almost all it's got going for it

• The effects, while cutting edge for 1985, are pretty low-budget and do not much more than transform a human mid-leap into a dog. And when I say "dog", I mean "dog". Even "An American Werewolf in London" was a scarier creature than these puppies. Really.

In short, save your hour and 38 minutes for something more worthwhile.

Alfonso Cuarón has created a movie which transports you 20 years into the future and blows your mind away with incredible cinematography, exceptional acting and action, and long, complex film takes which seem almost impossible to accomplish.

In short, this movie is highly recommended.

Clive Owen plays Theo, a depressed alcoholic who, like most of the planet, has lost hope for the world as women worldwide have suddenly lost the ability to bear children. He becomes embroiled in a plot to transport a pregnant woman to a project intended to solve the infertility crisis. The world's governments have become more of a police state, and Theo walks through life with a keen sense of depressed normalcy.

The movie makes indirect points about government and military use of power, terrorism, what we take for granted, living in a war zone, minority and immigrant rights, and how one would act in a crisis.

The movie was gripping and poignant, and I re-watched many of the scenes again on the DVD to try and figure out how they made such an incredible world.

Obviously, not for all; I have read many of the negative comments about people finding the plot and character development to be poor, the storyline to vague, and all of the "unanswered questions" that were never answered, as well as the "I must be crazy but this movie sucked." To the detractors: IT'S A MOVIE. You have 1:40 or so to get a story across. It's not a book where you have 300+ pages to go into intricate detail. You can't explain everything, and in many ways, not explaining everything stimulates your imagination which I assume those who couldn't figure out "why" the world went to hell. Much is explained about Theo, Jasper, and even Julian to give you a rather good idea about their past and what motivates them.

All in all, go see this film on DVD, it's a great political action movie.