[6]
Harrison Ford co-stars with a computer-animated dog in this retelling of Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. The adaptation is somewhat faithful to the source material, at least in its broad strokes, but it cuts back on a lot of the book’s darker, more violent parts. Director Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo & Stitch) is aiming for a decidedly kid-friendly family film with this iteration. So if you can’t handle the precious, four-legged character animation and the sunny tone, it might be best to steer clear.
While any honest retelling of this story would fall outside the parameters of family entertainment, Sanders manages to make this kiddie version moderately engaging. It covers the life of a large mut named Buck, who’s half St. Bernard and half Scotch shepherd. He’s kidnapped from his posh California home and shipped to Alaska during the 1890s gold rush. He’s sold to a sled dog team that delivers the mail. Once he gets the hang of things, Buck takes pride in his job and starts setting goals. He challenges and replaces the jealous alpha dog (no killing, since this is a kid’s movie). He and his sled mates later suffer under a crueler master before landing in the care of John Thornton (Ford), an aging prospector who takes Buck with him into the unexplored Alaskan frontier. There, Buck gets in touch with his wild side, ultimately falling for a sexy white timber wolf and coming to a cross-roads: Does he belong with Thornton, or does he belong in the wild?
While it barely touches on the book’s deep themes and relies too much on unconvincing computer-generated imagery, I moderately enjoyed this version of The Call of the Wild as a popcorn-munching, escapist adventure. Ford’s folksy performance helps counterbalance the film’s digital aftertaste. Unlike many other adaptations, Sanders succeeds in making Buck the main character. If he could have somehow used a real dog instead a digital one, or if the film were entirely animated instead resting somewhere between live-action and animation, I’m sure I would have enjoyed it more.
With Omar Sy, Cara Gee, Dan Stevens, Bradley Whitford, Karen Gillan, and Michael Horse.