‘Lassie: A New Adventure’ movie review: Darkest Lassie plot ever

You’ll be clutching to your pets extra tight after watching ‘Lassie: A New Adventure’ where dogs are kidnapped from their owners to be sold at auction to elites. Akin to a PG pet version of the bidding wars in horror picture ‘Hostel: Part 2’ or ‘Taken’.

Lassie 2024 film. Photo Credit: Oliver Oppitz Photography

The visual of stolen dogs being caged will have you feeling blue. Despite the forced comedic spots, this new Lassie movie is most definitely not family friendly. In fact, youngsters might earnestly cry. It’s likely the darkest Lassie plot ever told (though Lassie was previously dognapped in a 1992 episode of ‘The New Lassie’.)

Lassie movie. Photo Credit: Oliver Oppitz Photography

This 2024 Lassie movie review contains spoilers.

The mature themes in this film don’t end at ‘dognapping’ either, Lassie: A New Adventure explores how adopted kids fear being returned to their orphanage. Thus, they hold back on their true emotions or in the daughter’s case, simply won’t unpack her luggage. Believing it’s a matter of time before her adoptive mother tires of her, a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’.

Lassie: A New Adventure still. Photo Credit: Gordon Mühle

Lassie: A New Adventure dances a fine line between suspension of disbelief and realism. Personally, I enjoyed watching the actual Lassie rough collie go superhero (or superdog) or just do anything.

It’s a beautiful dog, you intrinsically root for Lassie no matter how much the storyline pushes your suspension of disbelief to the limits. Like Lassie dropping junk out of a car (after being willingly kidnapped) to create a trail to follow back to dognappers’ villainous headquarters.

Lassie in ‘Lassie: A New Adventure’. Photo Credit: Conny Klein

But that’s on the Lassie side. A child allowing his dog to be kidnapped in front of him so he could be used as bait is when you lose me. It would never happen in a million years in real life, no matter how calmly you explained the ‘logic’ of doing so to the owner. No pet owner would allow it, not for any kind of greater good.

Lassie movie 2024. Photo Credit: Oliver Oppitz Photography

For a Lassie film with so many sinister themes, when the resident villain crashes her car with a stolen Jack Russell Terrier in the front seat… I didn’t know what to think. It seemed entirely plausible he wouldn’t survive.

Especially, considering the circumstances. But he popped back up without a scratch to send the audience home happy. Of course it was entirely unrealistic but selfishly that’s what you want to see happen.

Lassie: A New Adventure. Photo Credit: Conny Klein

So really, you box yourself into a corner with this kind of scene as a writer. Either the scene feels unrealistic and takes the viewer out of their immersion… Or you make them angry at you for showing something nobody wants to see in a dog’s injury or worse. Better to not do it at all in my opinion.

Lassie frees owner. Photo Credit: Oliver Oppitz Photography

In general, you’ll love watching Lassie’s moments escaping on his own, saving his owner and even other captive dogs. Lassie’s the dog hero you can’t stop rooting for. However overall, the heartwarming spots are interspersed with darkness you wouldn’t expect in an advertised as family friendly Lassie movie.

Lassie escapes. Photo Credit: Oliver Oppitz Photography

After watching ‘Lassie: A New Adventure’, there’s no doubt one would be extremely suspicious of strangers taking an unusually long interest in their dog and breed type.

Lassie in 2024 movie. Photo Credit: Oliver Oppitz Photography

Technical Note: ‘Lassie: A New Adventure’ is dubbed in English from its native German. It’s mostly in sync, a bit distracting at first but not too bad. It’s still obvious at times that the actor is not saying the words. It’s available now to watch on Apple TV+.

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