I usually avoid trailers and spoilers before watching a movie, but with this one, even the poster hinted at a heart-wrenching story. Discovering it was based on real events hit me even harder.
Dogs are just too precious, and movies like this always tug at the heartstrings. While it may not reach the emotional depth of classics like "A Dog's Journey" and "Hachiko," it still manages to make you care about the characters.
Considering it's based on true events, there might not have been much room for story changes. However, I felt the human characters could've been more developed. For instance, the hiker girl revealing her father's cancer right before the race felt like a cheap way to evoke sympathy.
Even Mark Wahlberg's character felt a bit underdeveloped. It's a classic case of "show, don't tell." Simply mentioning his emotional drivers through exposition didn't quite cut it and lessened the impact of his character growth.
I think the movie could have benefited from being slightly longer to establish the stakes more firmly and give the dog more screen time in the first half.
