How many times do we buy a DVD or blu ray and it sits on our shelf for an age. Or a title sits on our ‘watch list’ on the streaming platform of choice for way too long. Im definately guilty of that for sure, as my ‘to watch list’ on both streamers and disc shelves grows longer and longer. However I do try to make an effort to reduce that list but its not an easy task
today I decided to take ‘Rex’ off the shelf, a film that I had actually bought for my Aunt who sadly passed away recently and a film I hadnt managed to hand over to her. So I sat down, removed the cellophane from the disc, and popped the disc into the player, with no idea what the film was about other than it was about a girl, and a dog and looked like something military connected.

I love movies, I love the movies that I look forward to watching, but most of all I love it when I start watching a film I know very little about and it turns out to be a cracker of a film. Theres no feeling like discovering a ‘gem’ Rex was and is a gem.and for me was a film I needed today. It was both sad, but happy, inspirational and emotional.  Based on the true life story of Megan Leavey (played by Kate Mara ) who heads away from her unhappy life to sign up as a US Marine corporal and finds herself drawn to the becoming a Military Dog handler and who quickly bonds with ‘Rex’ a sniffer dog (during their deployment in wartime Iraq.  I cant say enough good things about ‘Rex’ in this single article, but I can at least try.   The film is wonderfully paced and whilst I thought that the majority of the film might be scenes of Megan going through bootcamp before entering a war zone, this wasnt the case. the bootcamp scenes are all within the first 15 mins of the film.  With the film running around the 1 hour 50 minute mark, the film contains so much well paced storyline that it did feel longer than the run time was, but thats a good thing. It doesnt drag at all and there are zero ‘filler scenes’ in the film. Everything that is in here needs to be in here to take us on the emotional journey that we are taking on.   Of course whilst the storyline is the storyline and its a cracker of one. the highlights of the film are Kate Mara and Rex (played by Varco)  and their onscreen chemistry which had me smiling, tearful, and in several places , actually crying.  

Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite

When I did mention to some friends that I had watched this film, they both asked the same question which is why im addressing it here.  ‘Its not like Marley and Me is it?’  (basically meaning that would they be a wreck like they were after watching Marley and Me’ and so whilst I generally dont give out spoilers to a film, I will say that Rex isnt like Marley and Me, but will still make your emotions run riot (but in a good way) So if you want a wonderful film that will pull your heartstrings and show you some great acting (and action) and you love a good canine movie. then I cant recomment Rex enough! It might be from 2017, but its a film that now sits on the best films Ive seen this year. (also very cool that the real Megan Leavey does have a cameo in the film as an instructor, I always love a film when that happens)