Review of Red Dog: True Blue

Red Dog, one of the greatest Aussie movies of all time. It had everything, great story, tons of heart, characters you would hang out with in an instant, captured a time and place perfectly. Then there's this .. whatever it is. A complete and utter mess that I feel has and will rip people off. People who are expecting something of the original. Other than being set in Western Australia and having a dog in it, of a red tinge, there is nothing that is remotely similar to the original. The acting is of a standard that would barely pass an audition for a children's TV show. I mean Bryan Brown, come on. The 'Block of Wood' with eyes might have got you through in your 'Prime' such as that was or wasn't but the ad you recently did as a talking duck was better than this. At least we didn't have to see your constant and unwavering Grumpy Old Man face. The character development is fairly non existent, none of the characters are very likable, even the poor dog can't rise above the pedestrian directing. The story is told from the perspective of the 'original' owner of the Red Dog and is mostly one long, long, flashback. The film starts off in a shallow, clichéd fashion and never gets any better. The main Character, both present day older man and flashback younger version , is whiny and unlikeable. It's hard to feel anything for him. The supporting cast are a letdown, shallow and one dimensional, nothing like the bunch of loners, lovable rogues, and refugees from the world that made the first film so irresistible . The scenery is stark and portrays life in that part of the world fairly accurately, the soundtrack is a mix of great old Aussie tunes but doesn't fit well. It's almost like the soundtrack should be in a better movie. This movie was a massive disappointment, and should never have been released as anything to do with Red Dog.