Search - Air Bud DVD 3-Volume Gift Set on DVD

Much Better Than It Sounds!

Mr. B. J. Dutton | North Wales | 09/08/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first came across the Air Bud movies channel hopping one night, and at first was a little wary of the premise - a dog that can play basketball (No1). The sequel followed, and in that the same dog ends up playing football. In the third one the dog progresses to soccer - He really is a talented dog! It really shouldn't have worked - but amazingly it does. The dog - played by two different pooches through the movies after the first animal died after the production of Air Bud 1 - is undoubtedly the star of these films, but through the trilogy support comes in the form of Kevin Zegers as Josh Framm, the owner and friend of Buddy, the dog in question. The rest of Framm's family also feature through the trilogy, but both his mom and his little sister are played by different actors - though one hardly notices this.The first movie (1997) is where it all begins. The current owner of Buddy, Norm Snively, a clown by profession (A Clown and a Hound), drops Buddy by the side of the road after a bad performance. A moment later Buddy sees Josh Framm and Josh sees Buddy - but it isn't until later at a deserted basketball court that the two meet again and become friends. Josh is the outsider looking for a friend, and the dog is without any to look after him. Consequently the two become, in essence, best friends. It is there that Josh discovers Buddy is an ace at basketball.The second movie (1998) - Air Bud: Golden Receiver - is a few years later, and Josh is older now and tiring of basketball. His friend persuades him to join the football team. Josh reluctantly agrees after hearing his mothers new boyfriend, whom he does not like, talk about enjoying basketball. Naturally Buddy quickly takes to football and is on the team too. Not as sharp or as endearing as the first movie, this is still an enjoyable sequel and a great fun for fans of Buddy.The third movie (2000) continues the story of Josh and Buddy. This time they move into the world of English soccer. Again, like with basketball and football, Buddy proves to be a natural. Kevin Zegers again appears as Josh, giving that much needed consistency and believability to the proceedings, and the young Canadian again handles himself well. The movie proves a tad disappointing, but will have children enjoying every minute nonetheless.So forget your hockey-playing chimps, cats that sleuth, and talking parrots - Air Bud is most talented of the bunch (after all, the movie series was inspired by an actual basketball playing dog). And with such excellent support from Kevin Zegers, funny scripts and great direction, there really can be only one box set worth buying this Christmas, and that's Air Bud. You just gotta love it!"

Buy them separately and save money

Escapay The First | New Jersey | 04/06/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Given the fact that all the movies have dropped in price to $14.99 each, you'd save a lot more money by purchasing them separately than paying $90 for this boxset (which would round out to $30 a film, twice what you'd normally pay).

Air Bud (1997) - the first in the series, probably the best "family wise".

Air Bud: Golden Receiver (1998) - the second, not so good IMO

Air Bud: World Pup (2000) - the third, I enjoy it more than Air Bud, probably because I'd rather watch soccer over basketball.

Not included in the boxset, making it less of a reason to buy are the other films (which I haven't seen yet) :

Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch (2002)

Air Bud: Spikes Back (2003) (which is still marked at $19.99, but it'll likely get a price drop)

and the forthcoming Airbuddies (2006)...
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