"One creature designed to kill, the other designed to be killed..."

Two genetically modified animals flee from the military lab where they were kept captive. One of them is a prodigious dog with normal appearance and the other is a ferocious beast created to destroy it.

The dog falls under a teenager’s protection: Travis decides to keep him as a pet. Travis quickly recognizes the animal’s intellectual aptitudes and succeeds in communicating with it. He learns, among other things, that the monster is approaching and that it will kill everyone in its path in order to reach his enemy.

The basic cat and mouse premise for the Watchers’ scenario is interesting. However, too many negative elements pile up along the way. The relationship between Travis and his dog is childish and, consequently, very inappropriate for a horror story. The dog’s intelligence is also very badly exploited. It spends most of its time playing checkers and remembering dead president names than finding a solution to its problems.

On the positive side, the suspense that surrounds OXCOM, the monster, is captivating. He behaves somewhat like a werewolf. Michael Ironside plays a role that becomes more interesting as the story evolves but still ends up utilizing only a small portion of its potential.