Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for Prey (2022).Prey is making waves for being a “return to form” for the Predator franchise. Naru, and her trusty dog companion, Sarii, are a wonderful duo to follow. They show off mankind’s long history with their animal companions, and why to this day, movies love to have them in their stories.
Obviously, Prey is far from the first movie to feature a trusty animal companion. It’s one of the oldest tropes in the book. Humans love their pets, and the pets often return the favor. Sometimes, that favor saves their owners’ lives.
Prey (2022)
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The undisputed MVP of Prey is Sarii, Naru’s well-trained tracker dog. Sure, Sarii is reckless and gets into a lot of trouble. However, that boldness saves Naru more than once throughout the film. Not only that, Sarii is essential for Naru’s tracking ability.
Sarii’s animal senses help track the Feral Predator. It also helps mitigate the Yautja’s cloaking technology. Sarii simply sniffs out the enemy and barks at it. With the dog’s recklessness, however, all action scenes become much tenser for dog lovers.
I Am Legend (2007)
I Am Legend takes place in a post-apocalyptic New York City. Robert Neville, a virologist, is working towards a cure for the virus that turned humanity into ravenous mutants. He stayed behind in the city to study the mutants, although by now, he believes he’s the only human left.
His only living companion is a dog named Sam. He often talks to her in a snarky manner as a way to cope with the isolation. While Sam is also a helpful tracker and alarm system, the morale boost she gives Robert is far more important. Even the last man on earth needs a best friend.
How To Train Your Dragon Franchise (2010)
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How To Train Your Dragon follows the story of Hiccup, the wimpy son of the Viking warchief. Although his father wants him to be a great warrior, he is too meek and physically weak to do so. However, he does have great intellect, which he uses to invent weapons.
One such weapon manages to capture a Nightfury, one of the most legendary types of dragons in history. To his surprise, the Nightfury is scared instead of vicious. Throughout the movie, both Hiccup and Toothless bring out the best in each other. Both dragon and boy save each other’s lives more than once. As the sequels show, dragons become an important part of Viking society.
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
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The Chronicles of Riddick is a sci-fi world oozing with grit. Unlike its horror movie predecessor, the sequel is much more action-packed. In this movie, Riddick finds himself trapped with a vicious creature known as a Hellhound, a monstrously mutated dog
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However, he soon gains its trust by simply staring it down and then offering it food. It’s a fascinating relationship, as they both relate to each other. Both are vicious killers, and yet they’re both trapped by the same people. Riddick considers himself just as much an animal as the Hellhound.
Aladdin (1992)
Aladdin is not short on animal companions. Jafar and Iago, Jasmine and Rajah, and of course, Aladdin and Abu. Out of these three duos, Aladdin and Abu have the best relationship. Through thick and thin, both help each other survive on the streets, with a song in their street rat hearts.
Abu proves crucial in many moments throughout the film. While Aladdin is no slowpoke, there are some things that even he can’t do acrobatically. This is not a problem for Abu. Together, they make for a strong thieving duo. Aladdin survived the streets thanks in part to Abu.
Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
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Although first introduced in Ernest Goes to Jail, Rimshot’s appearance in the next movie is what establishes him as a good boy. Rimshot is an incredibly intelligent dog and is often mindful of its owner. Many times, Rimshot notices the suspicious characters his owner meets.
His bravery also saves Ernest many times when he inevitably blunders into a dangerous situation. When he is in mortal peril, the usually aloof Ernest gets genuinely angry. That alone should show how much they care for each other.
Jurassic World (2015)
In Jurassic World, the main character, Owen Grady, is an ex-Navy man who has an unusual new job. He has become the trainer of a pack of Velociraptors. Although they are all as well-trained as dinosaurs can be, one velociraptor stands out from the rest.
Blue, called as such for her distinctive blue stripe on her side. For one thing, she recognizes that not all humans are threats, and even holds a fondness for Owen. In the first movie, her intervention is what saves the humans from the Indominus Rex.
A Boy And His Dog (1970)
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Arguably the codifier of the post-apocalyptic dog trope in popular media. A Boy and His Dog is an unhinged black comedy set in a post-apocalyptic America. Vic is an impulsive teen with dark desires, desires that Blood tries to steer him towards saner pursuits.
Blood also happens to be a telepathic dog, by the way. His powers allow him to perform human feats such as strategizing, something that the dimwitted Vic needs. Seeing as this movie (and its novel) partly inspired Fallout, fans hope the same black comedy is present in the upcoming Fallout show.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
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While A Boy and His Dog may have codified the trope, it’s Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior that best exemplifies the trope as told in modern stories. Max, a nomadic loner at heart, still has a soft spot for his dog. A cattle dog he lovingly named “Dog.” While lacking in creativity, Max does make up for it with how well he trained his companion.
In addition, Dog is the last connection Max has to his old life. The dog he bought with his family was never named and died with them. His continuance of this is a sign of sentimentality. The iconic dog companion from the Fallout franchise, Dogmeat, is completely inspired by this good boy.
Togo (2019)
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While there are many loveably helpful pets in fictional media, they’re just that. Fictional. This was not the case for 2019’s Togo, a film based on a true story. The story focuses on twelve-year-old Togo and his owner, Leonhard Seppala. After a deadly diphtheria outbreak, Togo and a team of sled dogs must bring the people an anti-toxin to save them. The historic Great Race of Mercy.
Upon the final stretch, the anti-toxin was handed off to another team of sled dogs led by the most famous of them all: Balto. If there’s anything to be taken away from this movie, it shouldn’t be “Balto stole Togo’s fame”. It should be “people should remember all the brave dogs that saved a small town nearly a hundred years ago”. These heroic canines are a shining example of why dogs are man’s best friend.
