let me start by saying I am a big fan of the nature/animal gone berserk type films and I was very excited when news of a new Wes Craven produced killer dog flick was being made and would star tough cookie Michelle Rodriquez and cool and sexy Hill Harper from CSI: New York. What eventually was made by first time director Nick Mastandrea is sadly a disappointing entry into the genre. Where in the world was Wes?? This is not to say it didn't show some small moments of promise but it never quite rises to the occasion. The story revolves around a group of five childhood friends vacationing on an Island who come across a band of sinister German shepherds who have laid claim to the Isle after surviving what is explained as a "rabies" outbreak on a compound that sits on the other side of the Island which once housed a dog training facility. Most of the back story of the dogs isn't really explained and we're left with just a few specs of dialog from cast members Eric Lively and Oliver Hudson, who play siblings that grew up on the island, to to shed a dim light. The gang enjoy some sun and water until they are visited by a pup whose visit is more like an infiltration of the enemy camp and shares one of the better moments scenes with Hill Harper. Soon the dog-pack descends on our unsuspecting group who must now find a way off the Island before becoming dog-food. The best attack scene takes place in the house where our heroes have boarded themselves up but this isn't enough to save the film. The director was obviously asleep at the wheel and it shows when one of the characters ( I wont say which as not to spoil it) suffers an injury to the leg and later seems to forget they should be limping and they can be seen walking around like nothing ever happened. Where in the world was Wes??? Yes the setup is as old as wine but I still had hopes that the makers would inject some fresh blood into the story; it never happened. The film is hurt by uninspired camera work and the even more uninspired direction of Mastandrea. I hope somewhere, some place, someone will still make an old style killer dog flick with a decent plot, great camera work, and characters you can care about. Is that too much too ask? Oh yeah..this is Hollywood...oh well
