Indy Shines in ‘Good Boy’ - Review
It’s kind of ridiculous how much we can mean to our dogs. I’m sure that varies for everyone. Personally I have one who doesn’t really seem to care who we are, so long as we fill up his bowl. The other is very different. To her, my wife (who originally got her) is everything. She can’t contain her excitement when she comes in the door after work, sometimes to a fault. You can see her light up as soon as any kind of love is given to her. She’s very protective of us, also sometimes to a fault. Anywhere we go around the house, she’s always at my wife’s side. It goes beyond a bond. With dogs, you are just everything to them.
I think it’s safe to assume Ben Leonberg, the director of Good Boy and owner of the movie’s furry star, Indy, experiences this kind of bond. You can feel that love throughout every minute of the film, and it’s super engaging and, even though this is a horror movie, endearing. It’s one of the many highlights in this fantastic movie, anchored by a truly phenomenal performance from Indy.
The premise is nothing you haven’t seen before: a troubled man decides to escape to an old rural family home, bringing Indy along. It isn’t long before Indy starts seeing sinister forces that threaten not only him but his beloved owner. It’s a simple premise but with a unique spin: the story is unfolded purely through the point of view of Indy.
It’s a genius, bulletproof hook, and I’m happy to say it’s used to fantastic effect here. It’s not long before we latch onto our furry hero, and man is he easily the biggest highlight of this movie. There’s definitely a lot going on behind the scenes to make it work and you can definitely feel and appreciate that here. The camera comes in tight on his face during distressing moments, capturing Indy’s curiosity and/or fear. I’m not sure if there’s a team of trainers here or if it’s just the director, but they (or he) do a great job with him just exploring this haunted home, whether it’s curiously walking into a dark room or leaving one in a panic.
But I can’t express just how fantastic Indy’s facial performance is here. You can feel genuine stress or fear in his eyes alone. Not just in the movie’s impressively creepy moments, but when he has clear concern for his owner, who’s unable to recognize what’s really going on in this home. It makes the movie shockingly effective. We aren’t worried or scared because of what’s going on in the home. We’re worried or scared because of what Indy’s experiencing. It’s great stuff; not since 28 Years Later have I had moments of genuine stress during a horror movie.
It’s good that everything with Indy works, but it helps that there’s a lot else that works too. The movie is pretty gorgeous, and the atmosphere is palpable. I said it before but there are some genuinely spooky moments here, including some impressive jump scares (which goes a long way for me). There’s some pretty great effects here, a mix of practical and VFX that I would love to see how they achieved behind the scenes. While the movie does seem to struggle with its overall story, I give a lot of props to the team for committing to being focused solely on Indy’s point of view. I’m sure the story would’ve been more effective with more focus on our human characters, but it would’ve felt like a disservice to Indy and what the team here were ultimately trying to do.
So should you see it if you’re sensitive to stuff happening to dogs? It’s a tough question. I don’t want to give away much, but it’s not stressful because stuff is happening to the dog. It’s more so that you are feeling his stress and fright throughout. If that already sounds like too much for you, then I would avoid it, but I think this is well worth checking out not just for horror fans, but dog lovers in general.
It’s always a massive treat to see a small indie film come out of nowhere and give us something fresh. It’s what makes the horror genre so great, and in a year full of unique horror entries, Good Boy manages to stand out in great fashion. It’s an impressive feat, it’s very effective, and it cements Indy as one of cinema’s all time dogs. Protect that little guy at all costs.
