Dog Soldiers

What genre was Dog Soldiers?

The genre of dog soldiers I thought was a horror due to the amount of guts, gore and blood in the film and how graphic it was. Usually in an action the typical amount of blood used would be cuts on the head to maybe gunshot wounds(realistic) whereas in dog soldiers, warewolves are ripping the soldiers stomachs open and their guts are falling out and gallons of blood is shown everywhere (non-realistic) which is why I believe this film to be a horror. Also the monsters in this film are warewolves, warewolves are stereotypically a bad monster that will rip you to shreads and eat you, due to that and the fact that this film could never be suitable for children, this films genre would be a horror. However it could also be an action due to the army, weapons, explosions etc.

What production context does Dog Soldiers fit into?

I think that the film dog soldiers fits into the British production context. Mainly because of the location where the film was shot which was in Scotland highlands, also all the actors within the film were either English or Scottish and the slang within the film such as “twat” is not normally something an American would say. Also dog soldiers didn’t have a big budget, you can see this from the quality of effects used. Compared to a Hollywood film, for example: resident evil, they created dogs from CGI which looked alot more realistic, whereas in British films they use men dressed up in suits and costumes.

 

Were there any stars involved in Dog Soldiers?

Yes there were more than a few stars in dog soldiers, such as the main character Cooper who was played by a really well known actor Kevin Mckidd, Kevin has played roles in films such as Hannibal, brave, kingdom of heaven where he has played a scottsman in all apart from when he played a character in a hit American TV show Greys Anatomy. Another well-known actor is Liam Cunningham, who played captain Ryan, Liam has been in films such as War horse, Safe house and recently he is playing a character in Game of Thrones. Kevin is Scottish and Liam is English therefore perfect for the part of playing British soldiers in a British production.

 

How did the narrative, dialogue, characters and location relate to the production context?

The film was shot in Scotland highlands, the weather looked cold, wet and misty, typically normal weather for Britain and Scotland. Stereotypically Britain is known for its cold wet weather, which is commonly found in British films. The banter between the soldiers was very British and the language used such as I mentioned before relates to the production context. Britain is notorious for the amounts of swear words used within a sentenced which is clearly shown in dog soldiers. Also on location they used a small little cottage to hide out in, this cottage is a typical British home in the hills.

How did the technology used relate to the production context?

The warewolves in dog soldiers were men dressed in costumes were as in a Hollywood film for example: resident evil they would use CGI, however I believe that using a costume instead of CGI is more effective due to the more realistic movement. I think that makes the production more believable as it gives the actors something to react to. Also I think that the explosions in dog soldiers were fairly good, especially for a British film, however compared to a Hollywood film I think it looked more like a scratch.