The best and saddest movies almost always include the one critter every person sympathizes for: dogs. In the movie A Dog’s Purpose, the story follows a dog whose life is continually reincarnated until his “purpose” is fulfilled. Best known as a book published in 2010, A Dog’s Purpose has taken the world by storm by providing a heart-wrenching plot that touches upon the many lives of individuals within society.

Out of honesty, this movie was a strange one. It begins with a nebulous haze, in which the narrator informs the viewers about his search for his “purpose”. He spends a fleeting moment as a pup on the streets before being put down and reincarnating as a young lab. This quick transition was undeniably smooth; yet, it was also very head-spinning. The concept is not a hard one to grasp; we’ve all heard that cats have nine lives. However, the viewers barely had the chance to connect, to understand, a dog’s continuous cycle in life, and already within the 10-minute mark, the narrator dies and comes back in a different form.

The overall gist of the movie focuses around the idea of passing away from one life into another, a both genius and ambiguous method of expressing the narrator’s endless cycle. By showing the number of people who were positively affected, both physically and emotionally, the producers were able to evoke emotion from the viewers that the narrator’s purpose is more than just for a single individual. Rather, they intend to demonstrate that a dog has the ability to benefit multiple individuals, whether it be a large or small impact. At the same time, the some of the dogs’ lives, I felt, were too short. Yes, the producers left the desired result of flooding viewers with conflicting emotions, but for some, the relationship with the owner was just too brief for an intimate connection. For one of his lives, the narrator had reincarnated as a German Shepherd, and at that point, I was expecting to see an equally heartfelt relationship the narrator had experienced in the life before. When the narrator was shot and passed away, however, I felt more disappointment than sadness by the lack of heartfelt interaction between the two.

On a side note, there has been much controversial discussion about the footage released showing a German shepherd being forced into rushing water. Originally posted by TMZ Videos, the footage shows a trainer supposedly pushing a terrified dog into turbulent currents. The dog remained submerged for a minute after being dropped into the waters, sparking outrage of “animal abuse”. This whole controversy, personally, did not waver my opinion about the movie. Animal abuse is an act that should not be tolerated at any costs, but the movie features dogs who appeared to have been treated with respect and attachment. Additionally, official statements have been released stating that the clips were put together to make the trainer look like an antagonist. Regardless, the movie is still predicted to be a top-box hit; in spite of all the controversies that surrounded the making of the movie, viewers have remained loyal to the concept of dogs and their beloved owners.

Overall, I would say that the movie was not bad, simply because it failed to push the climax of a truly emotional performance. There were countless tearful moments, but the plot could have been further developed if the producers had focused more on building a connection between the lead dog and the viewers. Despite the numerous flaws and accusations it faces, A Dog’s Purpose took the viewers on a roller coaster of emotions that transformed a supposedly bland storyline into one full of vivid colors.