Breed, The
 DJ Hufford  rates it:    Community rates it:
   117 of 245 readers found this review helpful.

This film did a lot of things very well. It took the simplest of concepts and worked really hard at getting the details right. This movie was not bogged down with a lot of over the top effects and self indulgence.

This film is about a group of college kids who decide to go away and party for the weekend. The group contains a set of stereotypical brothers with conflicting personalities. One is a typical slacker while the other is driving himself mad trying to get into medical school. There tagged along by the flirtatious virgin and the token black guy. Finally the cast is rounded out by the ever bodacious Michelle Rodriguez.

We quickly learn the place they are going is the boyhood home of the brothers. It has been abandoned for a decade. The only way to reach it is by boat, or in this case one of those airplane-boat hybrid thingy’s. At first, it seems like the ultimate vacation. The house is plush with amenities and the alcohol flows liberally. There are lots of bikini shots and bouncing boobies and fun had by all. Heck, they even find a cute little puppy. If that doesn’t smack of foreshadowing…

Later in the evening as the party winds down, the previously mentioned puppy starts growling at one of the guys. He yells at it, and it runs off. The virgin, being incredibly stupid and niave, chases after it. She quickly has an introduction with the mother, who proceeds to bite a chunk out of her leg.

From there we learn the island is inhabited by killer dogs, a result of an army experiment gone bad. These dogs have been genetically engineered to kill. We find the cast spending the rest of the movie trying to escape the island. The dogs prove themselves to be rather brilliant, such as working together to trap people, and disabling their boat-airplane thingy.

What I think impressed me the most with this film was the fact that the dogs were not CGI as one may expect. They are all real flesh and blood. The fact that they are real becomes all more impressive when you consider how well trained they must be. There were so many scenes of brutal gore and rabid abandonment that the set must have been on the brink of chaos throughout filming.

The cast did an adequate job. It’s easy in the horror genre to overact the fear, but these guys kept it in check. They all seemed very understated and committed to letting to the story roll. The writers did a great job of establishing these characters by giving us a lot of back-story. When the two brothers predictably square off in a fight, we actually care who wins.

The ending wasn’t bad, if not predictable. This movie did a tremendous job of giving you jump in your seat moments. It’s exactly what a horror movie is supposed to be. It’s fun, gory, and it makes sense. This wasn’t the best animal horror flick I’ve seen, but it was far from the worst. A solid effort. I would highly recommend it to fans of the genre, and also to anyone in need of some timely thrills.

Added:  Tuesday, April 24, 2007

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