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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great family film, October 23, 2004
I have loved Benji since I was a kid and when I heard there was going to be a new Benji movie I was estatic. My husband and I went to see this famous pooch in his first movie since the '80s.
Although it was a very moving story and I did cry during the end,I didn't feel like this movie was as good as all the other Benji movies. It seemed like it took a very long time to tell the story and also didn't seem very planned out. Like other Benji movies had a plot(ie. Benji's first movie he stopped kidnappers and in For the Love of Benji he is trying to escape some spies that want him for an experiment, Benji the hunted he's trying to help some abandoned cougar cubs.) So you see my point. Even though this movie starts out with them on the search for a new Benji and our pooch who is named Benji in the end is trying to save his mom from a puppy mill they seem to get a little off the plot here and there during the movie. Children will love this adorable mutt and true Benji fans will as well. Most adults though may be bored. Other than the lenghty script and off topic scenes I loved it, would see it again, and plan to purchase the DVD on December 28th. And for those wondering there is a Benji Christmas movie to be released in theaters December 2005.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ONE OF THE BEST FAMILY FILMS OF THE DECADE!!!, February 12, 2005
Joe Camp's original Benji film blazed a trail and provided inspiration for independent filmmakers across the world. In Benji: Off the Leash, Mr. Camp continues to break new ground by examining issues that will inevitably provoke meaningful conversation between parents and their children, a feat rarely accomplished in modern family entertainment. I was not surprised to learn that after all these years, Camp remains faithful to solid principles of fine storytelling. While viewing Off the Leash, I got a sense of Camp's deep love for independent film and his intuitive respect for the audience.
Many modern flicks for kids consist of spiritually empty images of mindless destruction, delivered at a brutally hyperactive pace, but Off the Leash is a notable exception. Parents who view this film with their children will be amazed to discover their kids, who were nursed on modern frenetic film fare, will not grow tired of the lingering camera shots contained throughout Off the Leash, as these scenes are designed to allow kids (and adult children) to use their imaginations and emotionally connect with the characters. Imagine that!
Joe Camp has always held his films to a higher standard, and Benji: Off the Leash is no exception. This film explores a somewhat darker theme than the original Benji films, as the child protagonist faces the enemy within his own family (as opposed to the evil forces operating outside the family in the first films). Off the Leash inspires children to think about values, and it doesn't proselytize or adopt a condescending attitude in order to do so.
Off the Leash is blessed by a wonderful soundtrack, including a rendition of the big-band standard "It Had to Be You". For reasons more nostalgic than critical, I missed hearing the soulful Charlie Rich soundtrack from the original Benji movies, but Joe Camp managed to work brief cuts from the original score into Off the Leash, complete with the often-parodied WAKKA-WAKKA guitar sound that defined the seventies.
Off the Leash has something for everyone. Film aficionados will appreciate the meticulous attention to detail in the lighting of the dogs' eyes, as well as Camp's juxtaposition of shots for maximum emotive effect. Writers and readers will notice fundamental principles of fine storytelling, and the way Camp manages to elicit strong, organic emotion without losing his grasp on realism. Fans of classic physical comedy will enjoy the fumbling dogcatcher sequences. Dog lovers will marvel at animal stunts that seem natural and effortless. Children and their parents will laugh and cry - but most importantly, they will talk.
Camp simply has too much respect for children to gloss over the often harsh realities of being a kid in the modern world. In addition to telling a captivating, amusing and suspenseful story, Off the Leash wrestles with tough issues like child abuse and domestic violence in a realistic but sensitive and insightful manner. The film will undoubtedly elicit feelings of courage, hope and self-worth in the hearts of abused and neglected children. The Benji films nurtured my spirit throughout many years of child abuse, and I would highly recommend Off the Leash to any adult survivor.
A word of caution: Amidst dozens upon dozens of glowing reviews, a few critics have leveled unfair and even malicious criticisms against Off the Leash, belying their misunderstanding of the important issues the film addresses. Parents who wish to subject their children to mind-numbing entertainment masquerading as family fare while pandering to the lowest common denominator should avoid Off the Leash, along with all the other Benji movies. On the other hand, parents who want their children to grow up armed with inner knowledge essential to protect themselves in a world that is often hostile and predatory will be glad they viewed this valuable and wholesome film with their kids.
Finally, a personal message to Mr. Camp... You owe me for a box of Kleenex, you tearjerker!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Stick to the Original Benji; This May Not Exactly Be a Family Film, November 11, 2006
If you're looking for family picture, something cheerful and joyful that would make you smile and laugh, you should see some other Benji films, but not this one. Sure, the dogs are cute. But I think probably most dogs on this planet are cute, and that alone does not make a good family picture. You may think `Benji: Off the Leash!' is a film about Benji. Yes, it is, but it also includes several things that almost made me stop watching it.
A kind boy named Colby (Nick Whitaker) secretly keeps an abandoned dog who tries to rescue his ailing mother ill-treated by her cruel owner. If you think this is a good story (and it is, I agree), wait a minute. The dog is abandoned by Colby's own abusive and malicious father who tosses away the puppy in the opening. The same cold-blooded daddy treats badly Benji's mother too in order to get more puppies! (Oh, I forgot to say he is a dog breeder, and he needs money!) And beating someone is also suggested....
OK, I admit this film is made with good intention. It makes a good point about our society, where animal abuse is often deeply related to another type of abuse. But I thought this is a film about dogs, or adventures of these lovely dogs running around, and the film's DVD cover strongly suggests that kind of content. Of course, these serious issues could be in films made for kids, but here's another problem.
That is, the film's terrible script that is confusing and often pointless. There is another dog abandoned by an unknown driver. The film could have explored the friendship between them, but before it does, it strays into several silly slapsticks by two Animal Control officers (with such old gags as falling in the mud). The rambling story goes nowhere, and the social issues like animal abuse is clumsily treated. The lazy pace of the film with this kind of unnecessary comedies by stupid characters not only kills everything that could have been much better lessons for kid, but also conceals the real merits of watching this film, that is, watching cute dogs.
In short, we don't need this entry while we have the original Benji, and many other films from Disney, Pixar, and other studios, which the kids probably would find funnier and more educational.
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