By Trevor Sheffield Disclaimer: As of 5/25/18, Show Dogs has been re-edited to eliminate story elements that may have unintentionally acted in service towards helping groom children for molestation or pedophilia. This review reflects the original cut of the film which included these elements, and as such will stand to critique the film as it was originally intended for theaters before this controversy came to light. In this cinematic day and age, the family film genre has evolved beyond a lot of the trappings that had formerly characterized it throughout the past few decades. In the 90’s, these movies were characterized with tropes popularized by movies like E.T. and Home Alone, with an emphasis on child empowerment and wacky animal antics. In the early 2000’s, these tropes were (for the most part) overtaken by a need to appeal heavier to adult audiences and a capitalization upon rapidly evolving computer technologies, as characterized through films like the Shrek franchise, among others. Yet, as it stands, the family film genre has improved for the better into the 2010’s, with a greater emphasis on quality and depth through emotion rather than how many fart jokes a person can cram into 90 minutes. However, despite this age of advancement, certain films squeeze through the cracks that completely ignore this bar of quality. Movies like last year’s Nine Lives, Norm of the North, and even the much maligned Spy Kids 4: All the Time In the World are fascinating in that they feel completely unlike anything coming from this generation of filmmaking, almost solely for the fact that they have refused to change or advance beyond past generations. They feel like cheesy, cornball time capsules from an era long past at best and money laundering schemes by foreign agents at worst. Show Dogs is of the latter category.
Old Tricks
Nothing In the Rulebook…
Show Dogs Mystery Science Theater 3000 Plan Nine from Outer Space Show Dogs
The Flea-Bitten End
Show Dogs Incredibles 2, Deadpool 2 Show DogsImage: Facebook IMDB
