Monster Mutt

No doubt about it, this is a kids and family movie, and not really a movie suitable for watching without children in the household. That is, unless you are a child at heart.

The story is about a family whose dog is exposed to a growth enlargement experiment and becomes a "monster mutt". The dog returns to the family, and the children are faced with a whole new dimension of the family's pet - it's sheer size.

Personally I didn't enjoy this movie all that much, and my son gave up on it fairly quickly, losing interest in it shortly after it had started. So I guess this movie is somewhat of an acquired taste as to whether or not it will appeal to you or not.

I found the dog to be rather fake to look at and it just got annoying that it was so fake. That was the reason for me losing interest in the movie.

If you enjoy family movies with dogs, then something like "Digby" or "The Shaggy Dog" might be more interesting for you.

Ashley (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) and her brother live with their widowed fireman father. It was hard to lose their dear mother and Ashley copes with the help of her beloved dog Max. In truth, Max is a dear canine but, at times, he gets into trouble. This upsets neighbors, especially the block watch chairlady. Then, too, the little doggie often runs free, despite Ashley's best efforts. Meanwhile, a scientist is developing formulas to increase the size and strength of ordinary animals, like rabbits. His boss sure likes the looks of his enormous bunny, for this evil man wants to eventually sell it to world powers for use with humans. Needing another "test" creature, the scientist is forced to give the formula to Max, who has been kidnapped on one of his runs. What they don't count on is Max turning into a giant, very strong dog who breaks free and runs back to Ashley. Once the little girl's shock wears off, she and her brother take Max to a nice veterinarian lady to see if she can bring Max back to his normal self. Mayhem ensues as Evil boss, the scientist, a Russian spy and others try to capture Max for their own benefits. Is there an antidote for Max's condition and will the good guys win the day? This darling family flick will have kids enthralled and giggling. Borrowing from the effects put forth in the movie The Mask, Max's transformation into superdog is quite thrilling. The actors, all unknowns, are entertaining while script, direction, costumes, and sets are more than adequate. Do, do get Monster Mutt for a future family film night.

My kids and I laughed at how bad the effects were in the movie. If there was a story with heart in this film - I missed it. The only bright spot was when the actress who played Tootie in Facts of Life came on screen. My wife and I looked at each other and recognized her immediately. Wondered what she'd been doing all these years. A positive about the film would be that there wasn't anything offensive, from my standpoint, for a young family. Mildly aggressive behavior between the antagonist and other characters, but nothing that had me shielding the kids' eyes. I'm not sure that even some SFX wizardry would have saved what was truly a lame plot idea from the start.