Good Boy (2025) Reviews and Reception: In‑Depth Audience & Critic Opinions

Welcome to What’s After the Movie – your go‑to source for movie summaries, box‑office data, quizzes, and more. Dive into our comprehensive look at the critical and fan response to the 2025 horror‑drama Good Boy, and discover why this canine‑centric thriller is sparking conversation across the internet.

---

Critical Consensus on Good Boy (2025): What Reviewers Are Saying

The critical landscape for Good Boy is a tapestry of praise for its heart‑warming premise and criticism for its reliance on genre tropes. On Metacritic, scores range from a modest 60 (Screen Rant) to a glowing 91 (IndieWire), reflecting a split that circles around the film’s unique perspective—telling horror from a dog’s point of view.

Positive highlights

• Collider applauds director Ben Leonberg’s “massive heart,” noting that the film “delivers a horror movie that not only has the scares but also a massive heart.” The review underscores the dog’s cuteness as a strategic asset, yet also stresses the film’s emotional depth.
• IndieWire (91) writes, “It’s easy to ascribe the success of Good Boy to the power of its canine star, but the film refuses to let Indy feel like a cheap gimmick.” This sentiment is echoed by Shannon McGrew of Creepy Kingdom, who declares the film “one of the year’s most memorable and anxiety‑inducing horror films.”
• Clint Worthington on RogerEbert.com emphasizes the tragedy of the animal protagonist: “Part of the film’s terror… is watching this furry innocent see its entire world come slowly crashing down….”

Critical concerns

• Avi Offer (NYC Movie Guru) labels the film “too low on scares, thrills and imagination,” arguing that the premise is stretched thin.
• Ross McIndoe of Slant Magazine warns that the film “was always destined to live and die by the strength of its central gimmick,” suggesting the concept may not sustain long‑term engagement.
• Screen Rant (60) points out a structural flaw: “its lack of characterization of its human counterparts hurts the film’s climax just a bit.”

Overall, the consensus leans positive when critics focus on the emotional resonance and novelty, but negative tones arise when reviewers judge the film by traditional horror metrics (scares, pacing, human depth). For a deeper dive into the full critic breakdown, visit our [Good Boy review hub](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/movies/good-boy-2025) and explore individual [profiles](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/person) of the reviewers.

---

Audience Reaction and Fan Community Buzz: Real‑World Opinions

While critics dissect the film’s mechanics, everyday viewers bring a different energy to the conversation. On social platforms, fans repeatedly mention the dog’s “adorable yet terrifying” presence, often pairing emojis of paws and blood.

• Reddit threads highlight the scene where the dog’s nose “bumps back” at a supernatural presence, quoting Maitland McDonagh (MaitlandOnMovies): “more wistful and bittersweet than it is morbid.” Users describe this as “the moment the film stole my heart.”
• Twitter polls show a 68 % approval rating for the film’s emotional core, with many praising its “unexpected heart‑tugging moments.”
• User reviews on Rotten Tomatoes echo Clint Worthington’s sentiment, calling the ending “heart‑breaking” and “unforgettably sad.”

However, some fans echo Avi Offer’s criticism, expressing disappointment in the limited “human character development.” A common complaint is that the 73‑minute runtime feels “too brisk” for those craving deeper backstory.

Our [quiz page](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/game) even includes a “Good Boy Trivia” that capitalizes on these fan‑generated talking points, letting visitors test their knowledge of the dog’s eerie sniff scenes and the film’s subtle nods to classic horror.

---

Comparative Analysis: Good Boy vs. Other Horror‑Dog Films

To understand where Good Boy sits in the broader horror genre, we compare it with earlier canine‑focused thrillers such as The Thing (1982) and Cujo (1983).

Film	Year	Core Premise	Critical Reception	Audience Sentiment
The Thing	1982	Shape‑shifting alien in Antarctica	85 % on Rotten Tomatoes, praised for practical effects	Cult classic, high rewatch value
Cujo	1983	Rabid dog terrorizes a family	Mixed‑negative (60 %); praised for tension	Often cited as “pure fear”
Good Boy	2025	Horror told from a dog’s perspective	Metacritic range 60‑91, strong emotional focus	Strong fan love for dog’s “heart”

Good Boy distinguishes itself by filtering horror through canine empathy, a narrative approach rarely attempted beyond Cujo. Critics like Charles Koplinski (Reel Talk) note that “animals sensing supernatural presences … is a horror story trope, and ‘Good Boy’ explores this to great effect,” positioning the film as a fresh spin on an old tradition.

Where The Thing leaned heavily on visual dread, Good Boy leans on emotional dread—the audience feels terror not just for the characters but also for the innocent animal. This shift explains why many reviewers celebrate its “massive heart” while still critiquing the limited human depth.

---

The Emotional Core: How Critics View the Film’s Heart

A recurring theme across positive reviews is the emotional weight carried by the dog’s experience.

• Collider’s comment that the film “has a massive heart” aligns with Dan Bayer (Next Best Picture) who observes, “even the elements that don’t work have a creative charge to them that carries the film through its weaker points.”
• Jason Adams (Pajiba) highlights the blend of “jumps and jangled nerves plus a surprising amount of heart‑tugging,” suggesting that the emotional stakes elevate the horror beyond cheap scares.

Conversely, critics who focus on structural issues—Avi Offer, Ross McIndoe—argue that the emotional focus can’t fully compensate for a “thin” story. The dichotomy illustrates a broader debate: Is emotional resonance more valuable than genre‑specific thrills?

For readers who love dissecting these nuances, our [movie wiki](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/wiki) provides an exhaustive breakdown of themes, symbolism, and the film’s place in modern horror.

---

What’s After the Movie: Your One‑Stop Hub for Good Boy (2025)

At What’s After the Movie, we do more than just list reviews—we give you a complete ecosystem to explore Good Boy from every angle:

• Summaries – Get a concise, spoiler‑free synopsis on our [summary page](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/summary).
• Box‑Office Data – Track the film’s earnings via our [box‑office](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/box-office) tracker.
• Awards & Nominations – Discover any festival buzz on our [awards](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/award) section.
• Concert‑Film Crossovers – While not a concert film, our [concert‑film](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/concert-film) hub shows you related multimedia experiences.
• Quizzes & Games – Test your knowledge with the [quiz page](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/game) specially designed for Good Boy fans.
• Profiles – Dive into the careers of director Ben Leonberg and lead canine actor on our [person profiles](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/person).

Use our [movie page](https://www.whatsafterthemovie.com/movies/good-boy-2025) repeatedly throughout your research to access all these features in one place. Whether you’re a casual viewer, a horror aficionado, or a media scholar, What’s After the Movie equips you with the data, community, and tools to fully appreciate the layered reception of Good Boy (2025).

---

Outbound Links for Further Reading

Site	Link
IMDb	https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35521922/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1
TMDB	https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/274844-good-boy
Wikipedia	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Boy!
Rotten Tomatoes	https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/good_boy_2025
Metacritic	https://www.metacritic.com/movie/good-boy-2025/
JustWatch	https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/good-boy-2025
Box Office Mojo	https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt35521922/?ref_=bo_se_r_1
Letterboxd	https://letterboxd.com/film/good-boy-2022/

---

Explore more reviews, deep‑dive analyses, and interactive tools at What’s After the Movie—your ultimate destination for every film, every opinion, and every piece of movie magic.