SO FEW OPTIONS WERE AVAILABLE TO those who were faced with an amputation diagnosis, when I was growing up. I remember the first time I saw an amputee; it was a man in his 50s or 60s, whose leg was missing from the knee down. He was seated in a wheelchair, and the only way you would know he was missing part of his leg was because his pants’ leg, from the knee down, was being stirred up by a strong breeze. Also, there was only one foot on the wheelchair’s foot rests. I tried not to stare, but I was curious to see how he got around. It was slow going for him as I saw him grab hold of the two large wheels and rolled them forward. He did not get far; I wondered how long it would take him to get where he was going. I still think about him and wonder what he would have thought of the advancements being done today. The fitness center I go to is affiliated with a hospital; so, there are members with physical handicaps. One gentleman scoots around the fitness floor in a wheelchair that continues to go after one roll of the front wheels. I do not know how it works because there are no switches or levers to turn on the power. All the man does is push the wheels once and the wheelchair can go across the entire fitness floor without him providing any manual power.      PERIODICALLY, I SEE A WOMAN WALKING/JOGGING the running trek. One of her legs is missing and in its place is a running blade that I have seen track and field participates wearing. Those days when she is not using the trek, she has a fake leg made of some type of metal and plastic components that allows her to walk the fitness floor, to use the various cardio and weight machines. I am impressed with her physicality; she is well defined which makes her look like an elite athlete. It is a marvel to see how these humans adjust and grow as they learn to work with the newer products coming out in the market. Though I might not consider them being disadvantaged, that is not the case when I see an animal missing an appendage. It breaks my heart to see a cat or dog with only three limbs. Yes, they still can get around; but, I have not seen any cutting edge technology that would assist these animals to live a more normal life. It is not like we can tell them how to use a device that has been created to help them. However, my perceptions might have changed since I watched the incredible dog in this dramatic survival film.      AFTER CRASH LANDING IN ALASKA’S WILDERNESS, a special forces veteran and his combat dog must depend on each other if they are to have any chance of survival. With Brad Pitt (Fi: The Movie, Bullet Train) as James Belmont, J.K. Simmons (Red One, The Brink of War) as Watkins, Anna Lambe (The Social Reckoning, North of North-TV) as Amber, and Justin Melnick (Seal Team-TV) as a military soldier; I could not keep my eyes off of Odin, the dog. For basically the majority of screen time being Brad and the dog, the script and direction kept me locked into their story. However good was Brad’s acting, the dog was able to match it. I simply do not have words to describe the events the dog had to endure. Throughout the film, I felt the story was based on a true incident and maybe Odin was a real combat dog. And if that was not enough, the filming of the outdoor scenery was beautiful. This was an enthralling movie viewing experience. There were a few scenes that showed blood.

3 1/2 stars