Max

 MAX

Director : Boaz Yakin

Year : 2015

Genre : Adventure

Rating : **1/2

 

While Boaz Yakin's 'Max' is a good-natured family adventure film that tries to hearken back to the golden age of children's entertainment, a stodgy plot and a below par screenplay really damages it's potential. The movie tells the story of a US Marines Belgian Malinois named Max who, after experiencing a terrible tragedy on the battlefield, is adopted by the family of his loyal owner who do their best to try to bond with the shaken dog. The film has it's moments of sweet doggy fun and the off-screen training that has gone into making the wonderfully talented pooch act and do the things he does is very impressive. But while the movie begins as a lovely story about an incredibly brave animal coming to terms with the death of his beloved friend, 'Max' quickly loses it's way when plot points about video game piracy and even the Mexican cartel suddenly come into play. It is an incredibly muddled piece that has certainly has benevolent intentions but is ultimately let down by a narrative that severely undermines the fine performances from both it's human and canine stars.