A Dog's Way Home (2019)

Director: Charles Martin Smith
Stars: Bryce Dallas Howard, Ashley Judd, Jonah Hauer-King
Runtime: 96 minutes

Synopsis: Bella, a dog taken away from her owner, goes on a journey to go back home. 

Performances: 3/10
Screenplay: 2/10
Special Effects: 2/10
Costumes/Makeup: 5/10
Editing: 3/10
Cinematography: 5/10
Score/Soundtrack: 2/10

Verdict: Based on a novel written by W. Bruce Cameron (who also happened to write the book "A Dog's Purpose" was based on), Charles Martin Smith's latest attempt at a movie disappointed me from two different perspectives. As a movie enthusiast, I couldn't find one redeemable quality to a film so generic, stretched, badly written, and horribly acted that it feels and looks as if it was completed in a week's time. The at times comical soundtrack even made me seriously question the film's desired tone, which at moments felt like it belonged in the so-bad-its-good category.

But let's face it, most moviegoers (including me) who will opt to view the movie will go in expecting one thing and one thing only: Cute animals. And even in doing that, "A Dog's Way Home" disappoints as most of these animals are given life through horrendous CGI work that makes them look like they were taken straight out of a PlayStation 2 game.

Apart from a couple of unintentionally hilarious scenes, I can't say that I enjoyed any aspect whatsoever of "A Dog's Way Home", and that is despite its surprising A- cinemascore which indicates that the film is a success among audiences.  

FINAL GRADE: 3/10