Max (2015)

How sad is this?

A Major Disappointment

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

This movie is just simply awesome. Whether you're a kid or an adult, this movie is fantastic. It's not the typical sunshine and rainbows kids' movie you typically see. The film actually portrays some of the struggles we can face early on in life and how that some problems that may seem impossible can become very real. This movie is about a dog but it's also about a teenager who's finding the courage to face the problems he has and to move out of his comfort zone with the help of a dog named Max who is simply a hero to his family and his friends. If you ever dealt with very real issues at a young age or you love a plot you don't typically see, you're going to love this one. This is not a cheesy movie. It's very legit and original. Don't let Metascore or whatever stupid company sway your opinion.

Max is a must-see film for animal lovers. More so, it's a must-see movie for those who are oblivious to how poorly animals are treated in the US. Max is based on a true story about a Belgian Malinois used in military operations in Afghanistan. His handler, Kyle Wilcott (Robbie Arnell) is killed in action, and Max is sent back home. Much like humans, dogs experience post traumatic stress disorder; so upon his return Max is very irritable and unapproachable. Unfortunately, dogs that return in this state are treated no differently than a piece of equipment that returns damaged—they are discarded. This awful act is one of the messages this movie tries to convey. How can a dog be treated like a tank or a gun? Do tanks and arms undergo PTSD? So how can dogs be associated more with the equipment than the solders that return? Kyle's father Ray (Thomas Haden Church) is a veteran who sympathizes with the military trained dogs, and offers to take Max into his home; both as a rescue and as a responsibility to give to his younger son Justin (Josh Wiggins) who is in need of some discipline. The only time Max is calm is in Justin's presence—Max senses the relationship to Kyle. Justin's best friend is Chuy (Dejon LaQuake) Chuy has a cousin Carmen (Mia Xitali) staying with him. Carmen is familiar with dog rescues, and helps Justin to train Max. We see that Max is a good judge of character, lashing out at anyone evil while being calmer to good-natured people. Max's relentless ferocity to bad people causes problems. Josh finds himself at the wrong place at the wrong time with the overzealous Max, and they get involved in some shady business between Tyler (Luke Kleintank), Kyle's partner in the military, and Emilio (Joseph Julian Soria) a thuggish relative of Chuy. The movie itself was an OK action adventure, but the movie was more about the message. Hopefully after seeing this film people will realize a dog more like a sergeant than an AK-47.

Fifteen minutes into it and I was almost bawling my eyes out especially at the scene where Max was at Kyle's funeral, but that's because I have a dog myself and couldn't bear the idea of separation between a man and his best friend. Who knew that was the best part. Everything else just became cornier and clichéd. The film revolved around the poor life choices of a teenage-angst kid paired with a fresh-out-of-school acting. At least, it was all bearable. A little bit entertaining bu with the constant sighs at the turn of events. If you have kids, this would have been a nice film to watch with them.

'MAX': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)A family adventure flick; about a war dog, who was used to assist US marines in Afghanistan, that's taken in by it's handler's family, after the handler is killed in battle. The film was directed by Boaz Yakin (who's also directed other family flicks, like 'REMEMBER THE TITANS' and 'UPTOWN GIRLS'), and it was written by Yakin and Sheldon Lettich (a veteran action movie writer; including multiple Jeanne-Claude Van Damme movies). It stars Josh Wiggins, Thomas Haden Church, Lauren Graham, Dejon LaQuake, Mia Xitlali, Luke Kleintank, Robbie Amell and Jay Hernandez. The film is a well made, and traditional, family flick.When U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott (Amell) is killed in battle, in Afghanistan, his war dog, Max, suffers some severe PTSD. Max is taken in by Kyle's family; and put under the care of Kyle's brother, Justin (Wiggins). Justin is (at first) reluctant to take care of the dog, but they quickly form a special bond. Max proves his loyalty, to the Wincott family, when all of their lives are placed in danger; by Kyle's corrupt Marine buddy, Tyler Harne (Kleintank).I wasn't expecting to enjoy this film, nearly as much as I did; I was expecting a pretty cheesy family drama, pro-military, propaganda flick. I was wrong. The movie is surprisingly heartfelt and exciting; it's also pretty well acted, and directed. There's action, and serious danger; throughout. It's also a beautiful 'dog buddy flick'; every 'animal lover' should see it!Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/3D-Xa6uhK5U