A Breed Apart Frankensteins a number of elements into a creature feature that takes a while to find its way. A group of content creators receive an invitation to a private island. They are going to participate in a competition that has the dual purpose of saving the island’s stray dogs and increasing the views for all of the influencers involved. What seems like a chance to become more popular soon turns into a battle for survival.
The cold open set thirteen years before lets us know these are not just canines who do not have a forever home. During a movie shoot, one of the dogs is bit by a bat. The animal, along with its furry cast mates, become violent and viciously maul the handlers. What happened? Are they rabid? Vampires? Is it some sort of airborne disease? A Breed Apart never explains. There is a throwaway line towards the end about the dogs being rabid, but that is it. We never learned what turned the whole pack bloodthirsty. The one time someone does give backstory, it is literally in the background with the sound getting increasingly lower.
In this way, A Breed Apart is more like the Sharknado films than Cujo (which is also quickly referenced.) It is more about what is happening than why. This is also when the movie is at its best. Seeing people discus-throw and punch doggos would not be funny in real life, but it makes for an entertaining cinema. It is unfortunate that things do not get truly zany until the final ten minutes. It is not a serious affair before then, but there is a noticeable shift in the final act.
The characters have as much depth as the plot. Aside from Violet (Grace Caroline Currey, Shazam!) not being interested in being an influencer, everyone is pretty generic. While they all create different types of content, once the action starts, everyone is interchangeable. It is stated early on that they were chosen to use their internet skills, but this never actually happens. Still, they are a fun group to spend time with.
The dogs are the real stars of A Breed Apart. The internet is filled with cute dog pictures, but few things are more frightening than a pissed off pooch. Using a mix of real dogs, puppets, and CGI, the ones here look deranged and scary and make for great villains. This is a great example of enjoyable turn off your brain fluff.
A Breed Apart will be in theaters and on demand and on digital on May 16, 2025.
