A Boy and His Dog

Day 147 - 5/27/09 - Movie #147

BEFORE: OK, the bombs have (cinematically) fallen, and now I can deal with the aftermath. I tried to watch this movie when I was a kid, but I think it was a bit over my head - I'm willing to give it another shot now. Since I was a fan of the original "Miami Vice", and I went through my pastel t-shirt (with white sport jacket, of course) phase in the 80's, it's possible I just wanted to see the film because Don Johnson was in it. It's a post-WW4 story, based on a novel by Harlan Ellison, about a man roaming the wasteland with his telepathic dog, looking for women.

THE PLOT: A boy communicates telepathically with his dog as they scavenge for food and sex, and they stumble into an underground society where the old ways are preserved.

AFTER: It's a real challenge for an actor to interact with an animal, especially when the dog is supposed to be the brains of the team. However, what made "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior" such good films is lacking here - namely, a strong goal (revenge, delivering a tanker truck). Searching the wasteland for chicks isn't as much of a purpose.

Things get creepy when Vic goes underground - literally - and finds a bunch of people in heavy make-up, living in a mock version of Topeka, Kansas, complete with state fairs and marching bands. There's a twist ending that I didn't pick up on when I was a kid, which shows how far a real dog lover would go for his pet (or master, in this case...) This is why a woman should never say to a man, "It's me or the dog..." because she might not like the answer!

RATING: 5 out of 10 cans of beets