Occasionally, the reviews of movies are much worse than the movie, and this is one of those occasions, bec, to view any animal movie from an anthropomorphic pov is just plain silly. Great acting isn't really an option. It's just a sappy animal movie, the Lassie name is just a 'trademark', and there were many Lassies, male and female, bec one dog can't do all behaviors, and that's about all that can be said. So, as for Pal's acting, if it was all his, it was very well done, esp the 1st attack scene, and esp for a Collie. And for kids of x age; they'd love it. Transformers: Age of Extinction - Great effects, giving the Asian Tran a stereotypical accent was as bad as tha Anerinds'

... and I watched it yesterday already knowing the very low IMDb ratings. But seriously, everything Marion Davies ever did gets an 8/10 on this site and this gets 3/10??? I don't think so.You can tell that this was not one of MGM's A List productions. No Liz Taylor, Edmund Gwenn, or Donald Crisp. Plus the story has been transferred to the pioneer days of the American west. The biggest recognizable star in the film besides Lassie herself (actually himself, since Lassie was played by Pal, a male dog) is Paul Kelly as an old prospector and Shep's (Lassie's) owner, and Mr. Kelly is practically unrecognizable. He's only 52 at this point, but he's donned up in whiskers and makeup that make him look like a thin version of Santa Claus. His hands clearly show he is not as old as the role he is playing.This Lassie story is a bit different, besides just the move from Scotland. Lassie usually plays the passive lovable dog waiting for the good-hearted yet hard-headed Scots that are to decide her fate to come to their senses. Here Lassie has a more Clint Eastwood-like aggressive posture towards the man who killed her master for his gold and attempted to poison her and goes full fang on the guy at every opportunity producing a very ironic and just ending. By the way who names a female dog "Shep" anyways??? Paul Kelly is good as the prospector and master of Shep/Lassie except it is clear that he doesn't trust his partner, begging the question, why did he make this obviously nefarious fellow a partner in the first place? Bruce Cowling is absolutely awful as the villainous partner. He has a demeanor that would be better suited to a B scifi film of the 50's rather than this action adventure film. He is always looking up and around with a horrified expression on his face as though he expects an alien spacecraft to land at any moment. Gary Gray gives a good but not great juvenile performance as the murdered prospector's grandson - I didn't find him whiny at all. Native Americans are hammily and stereotypically portrayed, but at least they show them as seeming to be the only people for 100 miles around who know anything about veterinary medicine, even if one good stereotype doesn't wipe out the negative ones. If you like or love the other Lassie films I'd say give this one a try. It's not boring and most of the film is focused on Lassie.

***SPOILER*** The last of the seven Lassie films produced by MGM with Lassie, who for some strange reason is called Pal in the movie credits, playing a Collie named Shep. Shep is the loyal companion of gold prospector Jonathan Harvey, Paul Kelly, who ends up playing a Dirty Harry or Charles Bronson like role when his friend and master is brutally murdered by his prospector partner Lin Taylor, Bruce Cowling. It's Taylor who's paranoia reached homicidal proportions who went completely postal and murdered Jonathan by pushing him off a cliff. That in order for Taylor to have all the gold that the two were to share together with young Tommy Blake, Gary Gray, and his mom Martha Blake,Ann Doran, all for himself.Lassie or Shep as she's called in the movie at first has her suspicions in what happened to her friend Jonathan but keeps them to herself until she find his broken body buried in the woods. It's Taylor who at first was a nice guy who took over the partnership of the gold mine that Jonathan had with Tommy's dad Frank who had since passed away from Pneumonia. It was greed that took hold of Taylor who soon became so crazy that he even accused and was about to shoot, that's until Jonathan stopped him, the kind friendly and bible thumping Pilot Pete, Art Smith, over trying to steal the gold he had hidden in his cabin. That's when Taylor caught Pete preparing supper for him Jonathan Tommy as well as Shep.It's soon that Taylor starts to realize that Shep is on to him in her friends Jonathan's murder and plans to shut her up for good by feeding her poison laced chicken that the hungry dog, who hasn't been fed in days, wolfs down. It's was local Indian Medicine Man Bald Eagle, Chief Yowlachie, who saved Shep's life with his home made remedy of herbs and spices which not only brought Shap back to life but finally convinced her that it was Taylor who did in her friend Jonathan and tried to do her in as well!***SPOILERS*** With Taylor now trying to knock off Tommy who, like Shep, knew he murdered Jonathan Shep springs to his rescue. With a determined Shep chasing him up the snow covered painted hills Taylor's luck runs out when he finds out, in trying to shoot Shep,that he's all out of ammunition. Shep not really interested in bringing Taylor back to civilization to face justice charges him causing Taylor to fall off a cliff, like he pushed Jonathan to his death, and die covered in the snow below.A bit hard to take in Lassie or Shep completely out of character acting more like a vicious Pit-bull or Rottweiler attack dog then the sweet and loving Collie that we all grew to love over the years. But like the saying goes "Somebody has to do it" in stooping Taylor from murdering little Tommy, and it was Shep or Lassie who was the only one there on the scene to stop him!

Who wouldn't love a flick in which Lassie, compelled by burning hatred, tracks down the man who killed his beloved owner? It's not quite as bleak as all that, (if it had taken place in a city, it would have been the sole entry in the "Lassie-noir" genre) but it IS a startlingly dark work, for a 50's family-movie audience. As for the acting, it's pretty much what you would expect...but during those final scenes, where Lassie faces the killer...aren't you glad it's not YOU facing that implacable, growling, fang-faced beast?