This is a damn good Iraq War movie, apolitical and told through the eyes of Marines who walked through the sands of hell. Plus, it’s a great Marine Corps movie overall. So why did it flame out at the theaters?

Start with the bad title. Megan Leavey is easy to say once you hear it, but is kinda confusing to read.
Plus it doesn’t sell the movie at all. Then there’s the poor poster, another nail in the coffin.

Bad marketing aside, the Hollywood’ized story of Megan Leavey – a real-life Marine – and her combat dog Rex is affecting and pretty fascinating. That last stems from the inside look into the world of combat dogs in the modern American military.

Oddly, the dog handling scenes don’t ring quite right, with Kate Mara’s Megan Leavey frequently raising her voice to Rex, using inconsistent language and generally making the rookie mistake of treating the dog like a person. One suspects Hollywood’ization in those scenes.

Now, as a pure Marine movie, Megan Leavey deserves an OO-RAH, at least according to this lifelong civilian. Kinda what Lone Survivor is to the SEALs, Megan Leavey is to the Marines, in terms of providing insight into what it takes to become a Marine and be a Marine. OO-RAH!