Matt Oakes Silver Screen Riot Oct 14, 2026 D+

Yakin can't help but give into his schmaltziest tendencies, but 'Max' is never detestable. It's just bad.

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Hosea Rupprecht Pauline Media Studies Sep 13, 2021

There's a little more violence than your usual early teen flick but it still stays within the realm of family-friendly film.

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Richard Crouse Richard Crouse Feb 3, 2021 1/5

Feels like a direct-to-DVD movie that somehow escaped the pound and made it's way to theatres.

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Dan Scully Cinema76 Apr 9, 2020

Max is cynical, joyless, and filled with surprising violence.

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Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens Dec 8, 2019

Filled with emotion, the joys of summer, the excitement, and thrill of adventure, there's nothing quite like the story of a boy and his dog.

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Danielle Davenport One Room With A View May 4, 2019 3/5

Max is deceptively simple and entirely effective. Heart-melting and humorous, this moving film has more to offer than an adorable dog.

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Julie Crawford North Shore News (Vancouver, B.C.) Apr 17, 2019 6/10

Yakin may let Max may meander a little, thematically, but any filmmaker who takes the time to craft a family film (only a smattering of language and "peril") wedgied in the same week as an R-rated movie about a degenerate stuffed bear is OK in my book.

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Pat Padua Spectrum Culture Aug 28, 2018 3/5

Suckers for animal movies will forgive the movie's predictability, but even the jaded may find that its script and musical cues reveal an occasionally thoughtful film wrapped in multiplex sheep's clothing.

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Pamela Powell Daily Journal (Kankakee, IL) Aug 21, 2018 3/4

"Max" is a family film that will capture your heart, pull on those heart-strings quite a bit, and deliver a message for every age.

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Matthew Bond The Mail on Sunday (UK) Oct 30, 2017 2/5

Max is a doggy tale of canine heroism that comes with such a generous side-order of good ol' American, flag-waving patriotism that its potential appeal to British audiences will surely be limited.

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Max Weiss Baltimore Magazine Jun 10, 2016 1.5/4

How a sweet story about a boy and his dog turns into a lame thriller about backwoods weapons dealing is anyone's guess.

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David Blaustein ABC News Radio Jan 2, 2016 1.5/5

I'm sure a few people will be easily manipulated and distracted by the cute dog. It happens. Otherwise, Max is a waste of your time.

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Alex Zane The Sun (UK) Jan 1, 2016 2/5

Despite some great performances from both the young Wiggins, Thomas Hayden Church and the impressive and loveable Max, if you're looking for anything other than a minor distraction you're barking up the wrong tree.

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Alex Abad-Santos Vox Dec 17, 2015 1/5

Lost in this shuffle of bullets and narrow misses is Yakin's stated goal of telling a story about the great service that military dogs provide... I'm not sure where that film went, but the bizarre, violent mess I saw isn't it.

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Violet LeVoit AllMovie Dec 4, 2015 3.5/5

There are life-and-death moments for both people and animals. But there are also moments of great vividity, of tearing through the woods with a dog at your side and choosing difficult honor over expedient disgrace.

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Katherine Monk Ex-Press.com Nov 16, 2015 4/5

Though littered with sentiment and family movie hokum, this story of a military dog suffering from post-traumatic stress finds the essence of true friendship, prompting uncontrolled saline leaks from the eyeball.

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Josh Terry Deseret News (Salt Lake City) Nov 5, 2015

Max is much more interested in action than character development. The sad result is a noble film that starts strong but quickly circles the drain by the end of its 111-minute run time.

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Mike McGranaghan Aisle Seat Oct 27, 2015 1.5/4

It starts off as a perfectly sweet and touching family film before making an abrupt left turn into something much darker and less appropriate for young children.

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Brian Gibson Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Alberta) Aug 31, 2015

It has its moments--mostly involving the title character, a Belgian Malinois--but its human story remains stock and stodgy. A lot more bark than bite here; Max is nothing to go mad over.

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Toby Young Daily Mail (UK) Aug 13, 2015 3/5

I wasn't expecting to like Max - it's the story of a military-trained dog that is shipped back to America after his handler is killed in action - but it's surprisingly enjoyable.

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