Think of the movie sequels considered better than their predecessors. The Godmother Part II (1974), The Dark Night (2008), Peter Jackson 's The Lord of the Dance: Return of the Dance (2003).
Well it's time to add another name to that list. War Dogs (2016).
This War Horse (2011) sequel is brave - and I mean truly brave. Watching the two films side by side - which I actually did once with my now ex-wife - you would not even know they were of the same franchise. This is a trailblazing new concept; to reinvent instead of abandon. In War Dogs - the second film in the ‘War [Animal]’ series - reinvention started with a new director.
The powers that be ditched Steven Spielberg after War Horse bombed at the box office. It generated a measly 177.6 billion dollars in ticket sales on its opening weekend, and rewatching the film it’s not hard to see why. It’s shit; an unrelatable old-timey farce centred around an animal nobody likes, during a war nobody remembers. It simply was not good. And I think if you’d have suggested a sequel to me at that point I’d have spat in your face. How wrong I would become.
After Spielberg's departure, Todd Philips was a natural step-in. He brought with him a wealth of industry experience, academy awards, and a back catalogue of such two-word-titled classics as Due Trip (2011), Old Date (2003) and Road School (2000). And let's not forget, he had already released two highly successful sequels in the five years prior; the critically and internationally tolerated Parts II and III of his A Hungover series. Yes, Todd Philips was the man for the job. There was life in the old horse yet.
Philips wasted no time fixing the franchise. He immediately dropped the equestrian theme, recognising that nobody likes horses except cowboys and Irish midgets - two demographics known not for their regular cinema attendance. Instead he chose an animal beloved by all; the most widely-owned species on the planet. Dogs. That's how you make a movie, Spielberg. Take notes.
The issue Phillips then addressed was War Horse's serious lack of drug intake, drinking, glorified violence, casual racism, scantily clad women, and ostentatious money-hungry consumer-porn. He addressed this issue with a simple change, perhaps his directional masterstroke. He switched the period and subject of the film from that of WW1 Britain to Iraq War America. And from there everything fell into place.
A couple of incredible performances from joint leads Jimmy Hill and Miles Better see that not a second of the 114 minute running-time is wasted. They have an onscreen relationship akin to that of any old married couple, only with less violence and more sex.
The phrase 'a modern classic' is overused these days, which does films like this a disservice. It truly is a modern classic. It will go down forever as one of best sequels ever to have been created; a benchmark for every film series to aim for when creating their own follow-up iterations. It’s unlikely I’ll ever watch a better film in my lifetime.
Four stars.
Comments