“You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him.”
Movie theatres aren't places I frequent much anymore. Years ago, I went to the movies regularly; there were usually good choices to make. In recent years the quality and content of the films offered has taken a severe downturn, just my opinion. And the price has skyrocketed. Not much out of Hollywood catches my interest.
I hadn't been to "the movies" in six or eight months, but today I decided to go see Heart of the Beast. It was a good call.
Heart of the Beast has been heavily promoted on social media. There were so many clips on Instagram that I almost felt I had seen most of the movie. But all the clips I saw looked intriguing. The movie seemed like a solid story worth watching, and I'm glad to report that it is.
Although set in Alaska, Heart of the Beast was filmed in New Zealand. The scenery is spectacular. Brad Pitt does yeoman's work as James Belmont, retired US Army Special Forces officer. But his character's military service dog, Odin (named "Uber" in real life), steals just about every scene. Even Pitt has said in interviews that Odin is the real star of the show.
The comments on Instagram leading up to the film's release were entertainment in themselves. Innumerable times, the producers actually had to swear in writing that "the dog lives" in order to shore up attendees for the movie. Yes, Odin survives. But any dog movie is going to yank at your heartstrings, and Heart of the Beast does exactly that.
No spoilers, but I liked the ending. It's a movie worth seeing. Even though Odin is fine at the end, if you're a dog lover, bring tissues.
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| Scene from Heart of the Beast |
