I have the German 4k digibook and it's a mixed bag quality wise. The UK dvd is very soft and I had initially put it down to being shot on 16mm. The 4k does have a ton more detail though and the colours are a lot better overall so it was never an issue with the film being on 16mm. Due to the low quality of the original Blu-ray transfer, Shout! Factory worked hand in hand with director Neil Marshall [28] [29] to create a brand-new Blu-ray transfer for Dog Soldiers in a release titled Dog Soldiers: Collector's Edition, [30] which was released on 23 June 2015. It was a two-disc set including a brand-new Blu-ray and a DVD copy with a new cover. This edition is only available in the U.S. ( Region A). However, the original negative wasn't located at the time of the making of this release, and Shout! Factory had to rely on two original cinema prints, whose visual qualities are limited.

The WCG and HDR (as Dolby Vision) gives life and vibrancy to the colours, while maintaining the natural hues and integrity of the original intent. Flesh tones are of the pale variety, greens are lush - that of vegetation and in the army camouflage - see the richness of the yellow of the Land Rover, the cool of the blue skies and how gorgeously gross the reds of the blood and guts are, while the oranges of the explosions are hot!Production designer Simon Bowles created models of the house for Marshall to plan and structure where to set up cameras and where characters would run or climb onto the next set. [8] For the exterior set of the house, only the front portion was built early on and is the only part used in the film. [9] What a debut feature Neil Marshall had with Dog Soldiers in 2002. Taking the fairly standard ‘group trapped’ movie trope, and pitting squaddies against werewolves, he crafted a tight, scary, gory and funny film that he’s yet to better. Oh, The Descent might be a better horror film, indeed one of the best horror films of all time, but, in terms of all round satisfaction, Dog Soldiers is the one to beat. Shame his filmic outings have been all downhill ever since. It might seem odd that a film released just over 20 years ago has required a restoration, but Dog Soldiers’ original negative was missing-in-action for some time before resurfacing in the last few years, in need of some fairy dust. Produced at a time when massive strides in digital film-making were just around the corner, the film (like contemporaneous releases Dark Water and Donnie Darko) marks the end of era for independent horror films, as expensive celluloid was eschewed for the new technology and, if it had been produced just a few years later, Dog Soldiers would likely be a very different looking film.

A new restoration from the original camera negative approved by Director Neil Marshall and Cinematographer Sam McCurdy Neil Marshall stated in an audio commentary for Dog Soldiers, that the moment in the film when Megan cuts her hand on a shard of glass was meant to be a setup for a second sequel about werewolf DNA, which would complete a planned trilogy. However, he added that the planned sequels will "probably amount to nothing now." [43] See also [ edit ] Taste of Cinema writer David Harkin states that " Dog Soldiers ditches the drama of the original Wolfman of the 1940s and pushes Dog Soldiers into Aliens territory as seven-foot lycanthropes besiege a tiny cottage while macho soldiers fight for their lives". [21] EXTRAS: Ported over from previous releases are a director’s audio commentary and another featuring the film’s producers, whilst an additional new commentary comes from Professor of Film Alison Peirse.Reviewing the 2020 rerelease the Guardian gave it 3 out of 5 and note that despite the limitations of the film the talent shown by Marshall in his debut feature that "You can easily draw a clear line through this to his later work". They conclude that "Dog Soldiers has aged pretty well." [24] Awards [ edit ] Leslie Felperin (16 October 2020). "Dog Soldiers review – gory larks with furry werewolves". The Guardian. Perhaps the centrepiece of the new extras is Werewolves Vs. Soldiers, a one hour documentary with cast and crew reflecting on the production of Dog Soldiers whilst Marshall’s early short film, Combat (1999) is also included. Juxtaposing imagery of a night out down the pub with war movie sound effects and music, it makes for an appropriate supporting feature that sets the vibe nicely for the main attraction. Directed by Tom Holland ( Child’s Play, Fright Night), Stephen King adaptation Thinner was released in 1996, and it’s now getting a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray from Scream Factory.