One thing that intrigues me when I see movies that have real animals as the main characters is how the movie director gets the animals to perform. I know that certain animals, take dogs for instance, have to undergo a series of training which includes obeying certain commands and instructions, before being part of a movie cast. However, this training doesn't completely eradicate the chances that the animal may choose not to follow orders at certain points in time.. Or does it?
The movie I would be reviewing today had a dog as one of the main characters. The movie got a bit emotional at some point but I actually did enjoy this particular movie.
About The Movie
The movie follows Annie, a ten year old girl and Runt her stray dog as they attempt to win the agility course champion in London, in order to save her family's farm from the greedy Earl. Be that as it may, Runt doesn't want to see or obey any other human except Annie due to his past encounters with humans and this poses as a problem. Annie has to find a way to make Runt compete optimally in the championship with thousands of people watching.
Runt(2024) is a ninety minutes long movie that stars actors like: Jai Courtney, Lily LaTorre, Celeste Barber, Matt Day and Deborah Mailman. It was directed by John Sheedy and effortlessly falls under the kids, comedy and family-friendly genres of movie.
My Opinion
I must start by saying that I was really impressed by the Runt's performance. It felt like the dog was in on all of the drama and knew exactly what to do, when to do it and how to do it. This made quite a good impression judging from the fact that certain humans who very well know how to read and comprehend do not get to play their roles exquisitely.
Annie on the flip side was one very brilliant charming and admirable girl. More like a Messiah to her people and a savior to Runt. She sensed from the on set that Runt needed a home and she made herself readily available. Need I mention that I totally admire people who willingly adopt stray dogs and treat them as best they can. Such people serve as gentle reminders that not all of humanity is evil. The supporting characters equally performed their roles well, leaving little to join room for scrutiny. Least I forget, the Australian accent used from the beginning to the end of this movie was top notch.
The themes of love, support, compassion, unity, family, betrayal and even greed were portrayed in this movie, however, I was particularly pissed off by the Earl and his greed. He single handedly tortured all his subordinates,making them live like complete peasants. As if completely eradicating their water supply wasn't enough, he made them sell off their properties for paltry amounts just so they could survive. This however was one part of the movie that was under-displayed. The cast had mentioned time and time again that they were suffering but it wasn't really demonstrated. So, it was basically all talk and no show.
The cinematography wasn't the best. The images seemed dusty and this simply points out that the video resolutions were not very clear. This could be a general problem or it could be as a result of the site where the movie was downloaded from.
The plot of this movie seemed a bit predictable from the start but there were a few alternations made and this formed the element of surprise. I was honestly pleased with the end and the repercussions certain characters for for both rheir good and bad deeds.
Rating and Recommendation
This movie appeals to everyone but to pet owners especially. It not only throws light on the pure and genuine bond a pet owner has with their pet but some light is also shed on how wholesome and magical it gets when this bond is honoured and cherished. For this reason, amongst other reasons, I would give this movie a 7/10 rating.
I enjoyed the movie and I believe anyone who has some penchant for dogs or pets in general may enjoy this movie too.