here's nothing like a good dog flick to get your tongue wagging. And, from the polished cast to the tearjerker ending, the latest rendition of "Lassie" is indeed a good dog flick. It's quite reassuring to know there's still room for an old-fashioned dog-loves-boy tale like Lassie.

The British-made film is based on the original 1940 Eric Knight novel that introduced the legendary four-legged star. The Lassie project was put together by screenwriter and director Charles Sturridge who really do keep the drama in check with the book, without the standard CGI trappings. The cast includes Samantha Morton, Peter Dinklage, Edward Fox and Kelly MacDonald, all of whom seem quite happy to embrace what is an old-fashioned saga.

Lassie tells the story of a collie owned by a poor miner's family: Yorkshire coal miner Sam Carraclough (John Lynch), wife Sarah (Morton) and young son Joe (Jonathan Mason). The movie centers on Joe, just prior to World War II in England, who is forced to sell his beloved collie to the wealthy Duke of Rudling and his granddaughter Priscilla (Hester Odgers), as the family no longer can afford to keep the dog. At first, Joe's parents won't sell the dog that faithfully runs to meet their son every day after school. But when Joe's dad loses his job in the coal mine, they have no other choice. So, off Lassie goes to live with the wealthy dog fancier in Scotland.

But, Lassie is having none of this and escapes numerous times; each time sent right back to the Duke. Yet our determined dog will not rest until she and Joe are reunited. When the duke takes the dog 500 miles to his estate in Scotland, Lassie makes yet another escape, setting off on a long journey to England. Thus begins Lassie's great adventure: Along the way, she encounters people of all walks of live: A chicken farmer, a clownish dogcatcher (Gregor Fisher), a puppeteer Rowlie (Dinklage), an absent-minded adventurer and even the Loch Ness Monster.