Cybermutt (2002) (TV)

User Rating:

3.8/10   

Director:

George Miller

Writers:

Kevin Commins (writer)
Gerald Sanford (writer)

Release Date:

26 May 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Part Dog. Part Machine. All Best Friend.

Plot:

When Rex, a good-natured Golden Retriever, is given bionic super powers by an eccentric scientist, he becomes the target of an evil genius determined to possess the new technology at any cost. |

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Kidnapping | Bully | Single Mother | Gun

Cast

Judd Nelson	...	Alex
Ryan Cooley	...	Nino
Michelle Nolden	...	Juliet
Paulina Mielech	...	Erica
Tonio Arango	...	Temple
Joe Pingue	...	Max
Pedro Salvín	...	Rubio
Khafre Armatrading	...	Kyle (as Kafre Armatrading)
Bryon Bully	...	Bully #1
Ian Bradley-Perrin	...	Bully #2
Maureen Kirkpatrick	...	Nurse
Marie Beath Badian	...	Policewoman
David Young	...	Policeman

Also Known As:

Rex: Le cyber chien (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for action/peril, some mild sensuality, language and thematic elements.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Canada | Germany | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Grosvenor Park Productions

Trivia:

The scene with Rex crossing a concrete bridge with a railway trestle in the background should be familiar to many fans of the Canadian rock group The Stampeders, as the bridge is where they posed for their "Carryin' On" 1971 album cover. Exact location is unknown.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Alex explains to Erica how Rex is going to catch the ball in the lab, he estimates the time, from when he hits the ball to when Rex catches it, is "5.2 seconds." It then takes almost twice that long for the experiment to take place.

Movie Connections:

References Cujo (1983)

Whoa oh oh oh Cybermutt! He's Dawg-Gone Mangy!

While rummaging thru the old VHS tapes at my local video store I needed one more movie to get the discount along with the 2 others I'd picked. So in my defense Cybermutt only cost me 2 bucks and due to the ongoing heat wave I thought I'd picked a truly great piece of film to spend my Sunday evening. A bionic dog with superpowers! How could I lose? My prediction couldn't have been more off. In my mind I had pictured a dog that could shoot laser beams out of his eyes, pee sulfuric acid and hopefully throw down a mean rap when not out saving the day. Instead Cybermutt can only really run in slow motion and smell jellybeans. Oh yeah and he jumps thru glass windows and chain link fences but only if techno music and jet engine noises are playing in the background.

But at least the makers of this film sparred no expense when it came to the sets and special effects. It really shows when wacky bio-scientist Alex Branson (a self-made gazillionaire as we find out) saves Cybermutt's life with his high tech gadgets. I guess Ikea is the place to shop for cutting edge biotechnology after all.

The acting is wonderful too. I'm Canadian so when a movie is shot in Canada I almost always recognize some actor from Canadian TV or commercials, but for the life of me I didn't recognize anyone but Judd Nelson. The actor who is the restaurant owner is so bad that me and my friend thought he was trying to be Chinese, then Russian, then Italian, then Chinese again, then Mongolian, until finally he starts yelling about Cybermutt eating all of his burritos while standing beside a piñata so we knew now he was supposed to be Mexican.

Anyway Cybermutt was mildly entertaining but only because I found it hit new lows in animal-based hijinks movies (which to be honest I why I got it anyway). But if you under the age of 5 or still wear Velcro shoes I can assure you that Cybermutt won't disappoint you.