So you’ve all seen that movie poster over the last couple of months in which a horde of shadowy hands all reaching for a dog, right? It’s awesome, it’s unique, and it looks like a great concept. Good Boy has had a huge positive reception, not just because of its irresistibly charming canine lead, but also because of its amazing idea that I’m stunned wasn’t done years ago. The times when a dog looks away at something before snapping their attention back could be because they’re seeing ghosts, and the occasions when they bark madly at something you can’t see, may be due to a massive scary monster, so the idea of a haunted house film from a dog’s perspective is genius, and fits so well.
It’s an ambitious idea as on a higher budget Good Boy would be difficult to plan and shoot, but on a lower budget with a smaller crew it sounds like a nightmare. The film was made over the course of three years during which Indy, the star of the show, was put in a variety of places and situations to get the right reactions. It’s clearly a labour of love for its director Ben Leonberg (who’s also the proud companion of Indy), and after such a long gestation period it must have been satisfying to see his great premise finally out in the world.
This is where the issue of expectation versus reality comes into play as Good Boy is a perfectly fine piece of horror cinema that’s elevated considerably by its fantastic main character, with one of the best dog performances ever. Not since Jed the wolfdog transformed into a monstrous creation of practical effects in John Carpenter’s The Thing has a canine been this iconic in a horror film, and although Jed is out of the way after the half-hour mark, Good Boy is a tight seventy three minutes and Indy is on screen for just about every one of them.
All of Leonberg’s efforts to get a natural and emotive performance out of Indy have succeeded in abundance as he’s simply brilliant. He’s very expressive, as adorable as he needs to be, and there are clear differences in his behaviour from one scene to another. The film really does excel with the details, and all of the nuances in Indy’s performance are enhanced by creative camerawork that’s filled with rich point-of-view shots, while the great use of light and shadow perfectly displays what he’s seeing and experiencing.
The presentation and the execution of Good Boy is ground-breaking, which is a good thing because the story is as rote as they come, and although it feels bad to knock such an original concept for unoriginality, the horror plot at the core of the film is a very played-out and by-the-numbers haunted house story. Good Boy manages to engross you with the opening of an ill man returning to his grandfather’s rural house accompanied by his loyal canine companion. Beyond that a lot of the beats are “been there, done that”, as questions arise about whether the house is haunted, or will the inhabitant slowly be taken over by an unseen malevolent force that turns them against those around them.
It’s a conscious choice to tell a familiar and well-worn story (in this case, a haunted house tale), from an unfamiliar and fresh perspective, and the film works best when it leans into exploring its protagonist. Good Boy is genuinely creepy at times, a lot of tension coming from the instant connection the audience has to Indy, and their desire for him to be safe when all the supernatural oogie-booginess starts. The bond between Indy and the young man Todd is palpable, however by the end of the first act you know all the tricks being pulled, and while they don’t get any less engaging, they also don’t get any less repetitive. There are a lot of really cool and icky effects in the last twenty minutes, but beyond that the haunted house story is thin and lacks depth.
Getting seventy three minutes worth of footage out of training a dog to act in a horror film is an impressive feat, so I can totally understand the desire to use as much as that footage as possible, but it felt like the film was trying to pad itself out just to get to that length. I’d be really interested in seeing a forty to fifty minute version of Good Boy as I’m sure it would be fantastic, but at the current runtime the film can slightly wear out its welcome.
Despite my issues I’m tremendously glad that a film like Good Boy exists as it’s a genius concept that explored to its fullest degree – even if the haunted house story feels rote and tired. It very cleverly disguises that with a super-cool visual presentation and one of the cutest dogs this side of Marley and Me and Anatomy of a Fall. I’d definitely recommend seeing this, but temper your expectations slightly because while the concept is ground-breaking, Good Boy is merely good.
GOOD BOY IS OUT NOW IN CINEMAS NATIONWIDE VIA VERTIGO RELEASING
