Megan Leavey (2017)
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Megan Leavey Movie Review
Megan Leavey is a 2017 war biopic starring Kate Mara. It is a pretty solid film that is typical in execution, but very sweet and inspirational.
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“They’re not even dogs anymore.
They’re warriors, and they come back
with all the same issues we do“
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It is based on the true story of Megan Leavey, a girl who went to Iraq where he went on missions with her dog Rex. Eventually, the two become war heroes, but she has to petition in order to adopt him and spend his final years together with him. Now this is a true story, but it was obviously made for a tearjerker movie and it shows.
The film is so straightforward and safe in its execution that it never could escape it. That was most certainly a problem. Every plot point was expected and the film never took any chances with the story and Hollywoodized it beyond repair.
Another big problem is the relationship between Megan and Rex. Eventually, the two bond and both are great characters and the ending was truly moving. I liked both of them and their relationship, but and this is a big but, I thought the emotion was not fully earned because the first half did not rely as much on Rex as it should have and the beginning of their relationship was immensely rushed.
I am criticizing Megan Leavey a lot, but I honestly liked it for what it is. It is a great movie for dog fans as it truly is inspirational and what I loved about it is how respectful and truthful it portrays the relationships between humans and dogs and how special those relationships can be.
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It was also very interesting to see dog workers, this time around in combat. It is a fascinating thing that dogs suffer from the same post-traumatic disorders as humans do which was emphasized here in their life after war. Very touching stuff and the film surely is emotional and sometimes very hard-hitting especially in the scenes with her terrible mother.
I liked Megan’s boyfriend, but I am glad he did not take too much of the movie. The war took a bit too much out of it and Rex should have been more present, but Megan herself is truly excellent which mostly stems from Kate Mara’s powerful, stupendous performance as she is the star of this movie for sure. It is a well made, engaging film, but definitely flawed in the end.
Megan Leavey is your typically straightforward biopic in terms of storytelling and some of the things felt rushed in execution, but it is a solid, engaging movie that is especially touching in its ending, hard-hitting in its drama and respectful in the portrayal of dogs and war veterans. It is a pleasant movie that is mostly worth seeing for Kate Mara’s stupendous performance.
