I remember as a kid watching the old Benji films on TV back in the 1980s. Back then they were cute harmless family films that anyone could enjoy. This new Benji, I'm not sure if it's a reboot of the franchise, or just another entry in the same series that began in 1974, is also a great family film. Though it touches on themes that would have never been considered in 1974.This is to be expected though as children are, today, exposed to and aware of, things that children in the early 70s were not. So what you have is a family film that features adorable children who remain innocent but are forced to deal with very serious situations. The new Benji, for what it's worth, is a true wonder dog; capable of doing tricks to get out of jams that would blow any expert dog trainer's mind. This is no ordinary street mutt, to say the least. Overall, I would say that this is a fantastic family film though I recommend that the parents stick around while the kids are watching because surely there will be some questions that will need to be answered.
Benji
2018
Action / Crime / Drama / Family
Plot summary
BENJI is a remake of the popular 1974 movie. It's a family-friendly movie about the love between a stray dog and two children who recently lost their father. This action-adventure movie is full of suspense and holds the viewer's attention throughout the story. After the pound takes Benji's mother, Benji is left an orphan. He lives on the streets, finding food and rest wherever he can. Through a long journey and a string of sneaky, comical scenes hiding in furniture on the back of a pick-up-truck, he makes his way to the city where he meets Carter. The boy buys some strawberries and tries to feed the dog, but Benji is timid and doesn't know whom to trust. He runs to hide in a hole in the side of the building. The boy leaves the strawberries there. Benji realizes the boy isn't dangerous and follows Carter and his sister, Frankie, home. He climbs up a set of stairs and appears in their window. Carter and Frankie let the dog inside. They gave him a bath and play with him all afternoon. When their mom comes home, they hide Benji with their stuffed animals so she won't notice he's there. The next morning, when their mom comes to wake the kids for school, it startles Benji and he barks at her. She freaks out when she discovers her children have brought a stray dog in the house. She demands them to get rid of it. On a sad, rainy day, Carter puts Benji back on the streets. Flash forward to Carter and Frankie stopping by a pawnshop to try to buy their father's watch their mom had to sell for money. When they arrive, a robbery is taking place and the store-owner is being held hostage. One of the robbers loses his mask in the process, and the children see his face. Frightened they may reveal his face to authorities; the robbers capture the children and throw them in a van. Benji, who has been following the children since they put him back on the streets, follows the van to an abandoned house. He runs back to the city and through a determined set of attempts he convinces their mom, the police and another scruffy street dog to follow him. Can they rescue the children in time? (thanks to movieguide)
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A NEW Benji for a NEW Generation
Beautiful!
These movies always make me cry. The opening scene shattered my heart completely. These babies how do they do it. People may say it's dark but this movie is amazing. It's pure love. It will definitely make you cry but it's worth a watch. Just watch it when you're ready to shed some tears.
One for the kids
BENJI is a brand-new remake of a classic family film from the 1970s about a heroic dog; very much a LASSIE knock-off then. This remake updates the story to the modern day, but fails to do too much with it. I'm a real dog lover so it was entertaining to watch the dogs do ingenious things here; most of the time you'll be impressed at how well trained they are. And thank goodness they don't have any CGI creatures or stupid voices over the top. The plot, about kids being kidnapped by criminals, is predictable in the extreme, but some of the set-pieces are okay. The humour isn't all that funny but at least it doesn't descend into fart jokes as do so many these days. Expect lots of sentiment in a film solely aimed at child viewers.