Monster Mutt (Soundtrack) by Chris Walden - Reviewed

Cartoonish Warm Fuzzies
Review by Helen San

MONSTER MUTT is an independent, straight-to-DVD, slapstick family comedy about a giant dog. Max is a family pet who was kidnapped and turned into a monster dog as a weapons experiment by a nefarious laboratory. The French translation of the title, "Honey, I Blew Up the Dog," says it all. The only thing is, as an indie project, they didn't have a large special effects budget. The giant dog is played by a guy in a dog suit. In this day and age, that is quite a throwback. Perhaps "vintage" is another way to describe this film.

Without the CGI that we are all spoiled on, the music has to really help sell the story. And indeed, it does. CHRIS WALDEN is a German composer who has worked mostly in German TV movies and series. He is a relatively unknown composer in a relatively unknown movie. My expectations, to be honest, were not very high. I quickly found MONSTER MUTT to be delightful and inviting.

MONSTER MUTT is a straightforward, orchestral score of the family comedy genre. I immediately thought of countless JOHN DEBNEY or DAVID NEWMAN comedies that now blend into each other in my head. To be sure, MONSTER MUTT is simple, with fewer instruments and layers than DEBNEY ever had. But the result feels clean and uncluttered. It says what it means, and it means what it says. If you read the track titles while listening to the music, you know exactly what is happening. You don't even need to watch the movie.

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