No movie is a greater letdown than one that uses immoral means to finish filming.

Last month, I saw the trailer for “A Dog’s Purpose,” a movie about a dog that lives multiple lives due to reincarnation. My friends were on the verge of tears after the trailer. Wondering why that was the case, I decided that I would review it, just to see if it was tear-worthy. I had no real connection to the film (go ahead and call me heartless), but I wanted to find out if the sad yet funny tone of the trailer was present in the movie.

A few weeks ago, I started doing my research on the film. All was going well, but then I found some news articles about the filming of one of the scenes in the movie. The scene featured a German Shepherd about to jump into rushing water who looked frightened to jump in. The entry point into the water was changed by the director, and the dog was being forced in. I then watched the video released on TMZ shortly afterward.

Although that video was “misleading” according to the filmmakers, it didn’t excuse anything that happened. The video featured just what the articles described, including a part where the dog was in the water and sinking. Luckily, after four to five seconds, the dog was rescued by the trainer.

So am I going to see the movie? No, because of that video and the negative mood surrounding that movie now. Even if the leaked video is edited, like I said before, that doesn’t make forcing a dog to do a scene OK. Additionally, since I now associate the movie with negative news, I wouldn’t be able to give a fair review based off of plot, characters, music and filming. In this case, one bad thing overshadows the rest of the possibly positive things that this movie could provide.

Should you go and see the movie? Personally I wouldn’t give my money to a movie that makes a dog do something it doesn’t want to do. If you decide to go see the movie, don’t be surprised if it is a letdown. (Critics haven’t been reviewing this movie positively). However, make an educated decision on this issue with this information in mind, because in the end, it is your choice to make, not mine.