One of the most difficult things to achieve in any industry is consistency. Doing well once, or even twice may be easy, but maintaining a steady flow of quality is a challenge, especially in the world of film. Movies are a team effort and as casts and crews can shift from film to film, the level of the work can often suffer. This is not the case with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid films. While this series has somehow managed to fly below the radar, it has also been able to deliver a solid string of movies which are both entertaining and family friendly and the latest entry, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, certainly continues this trend.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days continues the story of hapless middle-schooler Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon), who lives with his parents, Frank (Steve Zahn) and Susan (Rachel Harris), his older brother, Rodrick (Devon Bostick) and his younger brother, Manny (Connor & Owen Fielding). Greg likes to do things with his best friend, Rowley (Robert Capron), and he has difficulty hiding his feelings for his classmate, Holly Hills (Peyton List). As the story opens, school is ending and it's time for summer vacation. Unlike most kids, Greg dreads this time of year. He wants to spend the entire summer playing video games, but he knows that his Dad will want him to spend time outside. After some failed attempts to fool his father, Greg reluctantly accepts Rowley's invitation to spend the day at the country club. However, his reluctance changes when he learns that Holly is a member. So, Greg starts spending his days on the tennis courts and by the pool at the club, all the while telling Dad that he's actually employed there. This doesn't stop Dad from enrolling Greg in a wilderness scout program. Meanwhile, Rodrick wants in on the country club action as well so that he get to know Holly's sister.

Why have the Wimpy Kid movies been able to maintain this level of consistency? It's because they somehow manage to balance the key ingredients of the stories. First of all, the films are full of "it's funny because it's true" moments, most notably in the interactions between Greg and his parents. Frank and Susan are very earnest in their desires for Greg to a be a well-rounded kid and this means that they sometimes fail to see the obvious or hear Greg's side of the story. Greg is often competing with Rodrick and Manny for attention and the attention he does get is often not the kind he wants, be it Susan's desire to start a book club or Frank's insistence that Greg go fishing. Yes, Susan and Frank are exaggerated, but parents will see some of their own mannerisms on-screen.

These scenes are nicely juxtaposed with the more absurd elements of the story. Greg does plenty of things that the average 12-year old would do, but Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days also contains some more outrageous moments, which will of course appeal to the target audience. Be it Greg's sudden devotion to the country club, the audacity of sneaking Rodrick into the club, or the pranks which are pulled on the camping trip, the movie has many scenes which remind us that this is a fiction film, and not a documentary.

However, the film's true ace-in-the-hole is Rodrick. Devon Bostick has created one of the most underrated characters in current fiction with this older-brother-from-hell. Yes, the movie focuses on Greg and his friends, but Rodrick steals any scene in which he appears. With his wild hair and his even wilder eyes, Bostick does a great job of personifying the self-centered and lazy teenaged boy. Rodrick focuses on his band, Loded Diper, and wants little to do with anything else. Rodrick's role isn't as prominent in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days as it was in the last film, but his performance in the finale is a show-stopper.

Is Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days perfect? No, it certainly has its problems. The story is episodic and doesn't offer any twists or surprises. Offering a nemesis for Greg's Dad takes the emphasis off of the main plot. I don't remember any mention of Rowley's family being rich in the first two films, but suddenly he's taking Greg to the country club and on a beach vacation, so that felt as if it came out of nowhere. Still, you'll be hard-pressed to find a movie which is as entertaining while still being family-friendly as this one. I'm sure that some parents will disapprove of some of Greg's behaviors and attitudes, but he always get his comeuppance. The movie is fun for kids and adults while never being vulgar or sassy. The actors may be getting too old for their roles, but I do hope to see this series continue.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days does us a favor by cutting back on the Fregley on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 30 Mbps. The image is very sharp and clear, showing on intrusive grain and no defects from the source materials. The colors look very good, and the image is never overly dark or bright. The level of detail is good and the depth is notable, as the actors are clearly delineated from the background. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 30 Mbps. The track provides clear dialogue and sound effects. The stereo and surround effects work nicely in the opening pool scene and in the finale party scene. These crowd scenes provide for ample examples of sounds to come from the front and rear channels. And the music in the finale sound good. Otherwise, the track delivers competent, but not overwhelming effects.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Blu-ray Disc contains a handful of extras. We begin with an AUDIO COMMENTARY from Director David Bowers. The Disc contains ten DELETED SCENES which run about 10 minutes and can be viewed with commentary from Bowers. For once, these are actually new scenes and there are a few funny moments here, including an extended ending which ties in with a joke from throughout the film. "Class Clown" (3 minutes) is a new animated short which incorporates the art from Jeff Kinney's books. "FX Movie Channel Presents Wimpy Empire" (10 minutes) opens with Kinney demonstrating how Greg is drawn and discussing the origin of the books, particularly how they tie into his real life. The piece then turns to the third movie, while still focusing on Kinney's involvement in the movies and how his career has taken off. We get a 5-minute GAG REEL. The final extra is the THEATRICAL TRAILER for the film.