A Boy and His Dog

[Gayle]

I saw this one several decades ago. When I first saw it, I declared this was the worst movie I had ever watched in my life, but it grew on me. I's now one of my all time favorites.

[Azael]

I have loved this movie ever since I first saw it in a theater over 25 years ago (yes... that long ago!).  I swear there still is no better ending in any sci-fi movie ever made, with the possible exception of "The Sixth Sense."  
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I still remember so vividly sitting in that movie theater as the movie was coming to a close, and hating that conniving b***h of a girl and wishing Vic could just get up the guts to do the unthinkable and save his devoted friend, Blood.  But, of course, that could NEVER happen, right?  But, I thought, what a perfect ending it would have made.  Too bad such a satisfying ending was simply not possible in our civilized culture... right?
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Well... thank heaven for Harlan's very "uncivilized" nature.  Because... DAMN, was that ending ever satisfying...
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...If not in particularly good taste.    ;)
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[Messiahman]

Just saw the movie today.  It had it's bad points, sure enough, and I thought the underground people were a bit freaky what with their funky face paint and all, but I was entertained thoroughly throughout.  That ending is a classic, though!  That alone was worth the price of admission!

[Justin]

I saw this movie about six years ago in a theater as a double feature with The Man Who Fell To Earth, and ever since it has been my favorite sf movie of all time. It's got it all...Post nuclear wasteland, a telepathic dog, a creepy totalitarian underground Christian based society with happy makeup and farmer clothing, mass insemination, maniacle happy face robot man, and of course an unforgetably awesome ending. Way ahead of it's time. Classic

[Theremin]

This movie is actually based on a short story by famed pain-in-the-ass author Harlan Ellison.  You've probably gotten this same exact message a million times, tho.

[jaw]

I take it you've never read the book...though I do agree the movie was not that good

[Piranha]

I don't know why you consider this a bad film. It was the inspiration for Road Warrior and the book was hailed as a classic. This film is also hailed as a Sci-Fi classic. I think some of you are jaded by all these eye candy films because A Boy and His Dog rocks!!! If you don't think so, go watch Star Wars for the millionth time and shut the hell up...freaks! Hahaha!

[lostmissy]

take a soso short story add bad actors bad plot bad scenes bad catering (i dunno) and what do you expect to get? The only person that I cared for in the movie was the girl and she couldnt act either. in other words ..hated the story ...hated the movie...

[Budd Bailey]

This remains the only movie I've ever seen that made much less sense when the telepathic dog was not part of the script.

[Dennis]

This is not a really bad movie..I remember when it was first issued for theaters and was reviewed by two different critics where I lived (syracuse)  one absolutely hated it, could not understand thing about the film, the other saw some possibilties and said, not bad...

[William]

A Boy and His Dog is the best movie ever made.  I am making a site about it right now and i will write back with the address.  

[William]

I am back and I have a my site.  http://vampirafiend.tripod.com/a_boy_and_his_dog/
all should go there and mavel in it.  It sucks.  This site is far better, but I am a true lover of A BOY AND HIS DOG so my site will be victorious.  HAHHAHAHA. . . haha

[David Lee Beowulf]

Your review is good as you've given a very good sf movie four slime drops - esteem...

The film is not based on a book, but on Harlan Ellison's short story. H.E. didn't allow his name on the film because of creative problems (anyone familiar with him will understand). One can read the short story and the story behind the film in the book <i>It Came From Hollywood</i>, that also contains the original short stories upon which were based "Death Race 2000," "the Thing," "This Island Earth," "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and others.

When the film came out at the theater I was too young to see R-rated material, but my father, a huge sf fan kind of indicated he wanted to see it, but since he couldn't stand Harlan Ellison I reckon he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Your review was enough to push me over the edge and actually rent the movie. 'Twas time well spent. It's been on TV a couple of times and, well, with censoring and commercial interruptions - click. It's a really great sf film and raises a lot of questions, like "hmmm, what would a post-apocalyptic mid-western USA be like if it was overrun by bands of adolescent boys?" It's an excellent adaptation of a short story and belongs up there with the great sf films that demand study, like "Solaris" and "Gattaca."

[Sean]

A Boy and his Dog was and still is a cult favorite.  It was a movie ahead of it's time and just because there aren't a lot of high tech special effects don't put it down.

[Spue]

The movie is seen as a companion piece to the H.E. penned story and the Illustrated work of Richard Corben(Vic & Blood). The movie lacks in many regards but is superior to other attempts at Sci-Fi cinema such as Star Wars.

AB&HD is missing several key features, actual screamers and the short film that Vic & Blood view in comics version at the theater. Dolphin spinal fluid injected into dogs? Used in a war in South East Asia with flame thrower backpacks and linked via telepathy? Nuclear war survivors so irradiated they can't die and glow in the dark?  That makes for good science fiction.

Absence of the 82nd Airborne that in the comic and the novella shows a key detail as ammo traders. As hypothesized after a Nuclear War, if any survivors to reap the benefits of a AB&HD or a Road Warrior type wasteland two simple facts are always neglected. There is never enough ammunition to last forever, and secondly gas goes bad after 6 months(just thought I would throw that in) So much for endless fire fights and driving your V8 interceptor with the blower full tilt. In Vic's case he would need someone to outfit his 8.5mm Belgian 1921 rifle.

The comic as well as the book depicted Topeka as a strew of cinder blocks and craters whereas the move came up short by filming in the desert. Yet creative attempts at showing houses buried by flood or fallout made up for the lack in budget. That fact alone shows creativity.

For all it's short comings, AB&HD should be seen as a cult indi film and never as an attempt to win over a large audience like Star Wars has/had.