The stunningly beautiful conclusion to the 'Air Bud' saga, 'Air Bud: Spikes Back' lives up to the legacy of it's four predecessors, and though this may be an unpopular opinion, I believe surpasses them. While Buddy, the titular 'Air Bud' had found previous success in sporting abilities including basketball, American football, real football, and baseball, none proved to be just as cinematic as volleyball. This exciting turn in Buddy's sporting career takes the series in a bold new direction, challenging the pre established films in a powerful way.

While the film delivers an exceptional display of dog-volleyball shenanigans, the film does not simply rely on the cute factor of Buddy. The drama amongst the human characters are engrossing and engaging. Andrea, the daughter in Buddy's adopted family, faces turmoil when Tammy, her best friend, moves away. As someone who has definitely had friends, this was very relatable and pulled at my heart strings several dozen times. Overall this subplot never feels too depressing however and without spoilers, concludes in an uplifting and inspirational manner. Noah, Andrea's younger brother, while not having as much of an active role in the plot as in the previous instalments, is still a delight and is an excellently well defined character. Older brother Josh is absent from the film, and while that initially seemed to be a negative to the film, 'Spikes Back' proved to have enough heart and developed characters to prove otherwise, and his absence was not a detriment to the overall finished film. The antagonists of the film are both an intimidating force that puts genuine fear in the heart of the audience for our heroes, and at other times can be a pure blast to watch in the fun performances. None of the actors are over the top, and everyone does a subtle yet effective job.

The strongest aspect of the film outside of the phenomenal characters is the editing. The transitions are great, and somehow found a way to make fade ins and outs beautiful. Usually I am opposed to slow motion in films, but that's only if it is used with no reason. The slow motion adds extra layers to the film, and just looks exquisite. Zack Snyder wishes his slow motion was this impressive.

One complaint I have heard in regards to 'Spikes Back' is that it takes well over 40 minutes for Buddy to partake in any volleyball games in the first place. I personally find this criticism to be shallow and laughable. I personally see this as a positive, constructing anticipation to Buddy finally partaking in the game, and makes the moment he plays the sport all the more satisfying and epic. The moment Buddy finally spikes the ball back is triumphant and rewarding, and everything falls into place. The genuine, raw, unfiltered emotions, the perfect music choice, the acting of both the humans and dogs, the beautiful cinematography, all work to make it one of the finest scenes I've seen in all of cinema.

If you still don't believe how good this film is, let me tell you one irrefutable piece of evidence; 'Air Bud: Spikes Back' was the catalyst for the ABCU, which is of course the abbreviation of the acclaimed Air Bud Cinematic Universe. At this point in time, the ABCU had focused entirely on Buddy himself. This film however would give birth to a spin off film, titled 'Air Buddies'. 'Air Buddies' would later see continuations in the form of 'Snow Buddies', 'Space Buddies', 'Santa Buddies', 'Spooky Buddies', 'Treasure Buddies', and 'Super Buddies'. 'Santa Buddies' would soon see two prequels, in 'The Search for Santa Paws', and 'Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups'. I think with all of this considered, this 14 film franchise was undeniably the inspiration for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For that alone, 'Air Bud: Spikes Back' deserves massive recognition that I feel has unjustly been snubbed.

Honestly, this may be my favourite film of all time. I dare anyone to watch and find a single flaw. You just can't. I believe this film is a sign of the second coming of Christ. The symbolism and parallels between Jesus and Buddy are just impossible to ignore. Stop whatever you're doing and go do yourself a favour and watch this masterpiece. You seriously can't say you're a movie fan without experiencing this classic. I'm giving 'Air Bud: Spikes Back' a 10 out of 10. I tried to give it an 11 but unfortunately Letterboxd did not take the phenomenal picture that is 'Air Bud: Spikes Back' into account when they made the 5 star rating system. I'll forgive this one, Letterboxd.