The Breed

Have you ever seen a movie where you thought "what a great idea!" only to be let down by the execution? Well, "The Breed" is sort of the opposite. It's a fairly silly idea pulled off fairly well, especially in the horror sub-genre of animal/nature attacks. The cast is all pretty decent, no egregious under or over-acting. Rodriguez has a nice change of pace as the strong but friendly female lead.

Basically this film plays off of everyone's fear of a wild dog, although to spice it up a little these dogs rely on planning and strategy just as much as brute force. A little out there perhaps, but at least the dogs used are real and there isn't once a hint of a bulky puppet or too-slick-to-be-real CGI.

One aspect that sets "The Breed" apart from similar horror films is the logistical reasoning of the characters. Everyone's actions are generally understandable. Instead of the usual Act 2 fall-apart of all but the best horror movies, rife with teenagers who unleash a maniacal bloodlust or the bookworm who suddenly takes down several trained military personnel or (of course) the young adults who scoff at death with unchained promiscuity and substance use, we can clearly identify each of these characters as fairly average college-aged people. Another big plus is the absence of a gun as a plot device. The bow and arrow is the closest parallel, but realistically, it is used inefficiently and lost long before some pivotal moment of group survival. So often in horror movies I am befuddled by where so many guns pop up and why, if so many guns are floating around, no one can consistently seem to use one throughout the film.

So "The Breed" does get a nod for being as realistic as high-concept horror can, but unfortunately there isn't enough originality to keep it within memory very long. No spectacular atmospheres or moods generated, no breathtaking special effects or breakout performances; it's simply a fairly mundane idea pulled off quite well.