Rating: PG
Runtime: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Director: Chris Sanders
Quick Impressions:
The trailer for this film managed to wow both my four-year-old and my father, neither of whom is an easy sell when it comes to going to the movie theater. And so we planned to take my son to see The Call of the Wild, but then the beginning of 2020 proved unusually busy for us.
Fortunately, we have nothing but time now!
Obviously I haven’t been getting out to the movie theater (or anywhere else) lately. Going out used to mean dinner and a new release to review. Now it means walking near a field full of blackbirds or running across the street for a stroll in the cemetery. Admittedly, that sounds almost romantic (like I’m heeding the call of the wild myself), but I assure you it is actually quite boring. (Consider that in my former life, I used to take long walks in nature AND go to movies.) But being slightly inconvenienced is much better than encouraging the spread of a pandemic.
I know The Call of the Wild wasn’t rapturously received in theaters, so I didn’t expect much. But Harrison Ford is so watchable, and I’m always a sucker for stirring stories about dogs, so I was excited to watch this at home. And I’m happy to report it far exceeded my expectations.
There’s something wonderfully wholesome about this family friendly adventure. In fact, early scenes kept making me think of my mother’s favorite film, Pollyanna (practically the definition of wholesome!). Call of the Wild is an old fashioned movie for the whole family, an adventure story that anyone of any age should be able to enjoy. And I expected that.
What surprised me is just how engaging (even compelling) this Pollyannaish movie about a dog manages to be. (I’m not saying the plot is like Pollyanna. If you want a dog-centric Pollyanna story, then you’re looking for Because of Winn-Dixie. In fact, if you’ve got time–and something tells me you do–go ahead and watch that movie, too. Then read the book, and get ready to cry! The copy I read with my daughter is stained with tears.)
I’ve never read The Call of the Wild. My husband has (as a child) and thought this adaptation honored the source material as he remembered it (from thirty years ago). My parents realized as they watched that each of them was thinking of a different Jack London story. I personally have not read much London. All I can remember clearly is “To Build a Fire” (which would not make a very uplifting family film, useful though it is as a cautionary tale). Instead of any London work, I kept calling to mind a moving children’s novel my daughter forced me to read aloud about a police dog who lost her sense of smell. (I still tear up sometimes just thinking about it. “You’re a good dog, Elle.”) Buck, this story’s canine protagonist is a good dog, too, exceptional, in fact, capable, intelligent, hard-working, and big-hearted. He’s a huge dog, with the soul of a wolf, and a face that can only be CGI (which is awkwardly noticeable but easy to forgive since the character is so well developed and conveyed to us).
I may not have read much London, but I am extremely familiar with screenwriter Michael Green, who adapted London’s work. When I noticed his name in the closing credits, I cried out, “Well no wonder this is so engaging! A couple of years ago, that guy wrote every movie!” (That’s not literally true, but he did write Logan, Blade Runner 2049, Alien: Covenant, and Murder on the Orient Express, all really solid films that came out in 2017.)
The Good:
Heavily featured in the trailer, Harrison Ford clearly brings the star power to this production. (He narrates the entire film, even before his character appears in the flesh, so the audience doesn’t have to wait long for him.) But the character driving the story forward is Buck the dog, a protagonist who is amazingly sympathetic considering that the awkward CGI should make it impossible for anyone to believe he’s an actual dog. Somehow, this is only a problem for the first couple of minutes. (I mean, the dog continues looking fake, but the character gradually revealed to us is so real and captivating, that we soon focus on Buck’s compelling soul rather than his odd face.)
The scenes built around Buck are full of vivid, visual detail in this early portion of the movie. This is probably to encourage the audience to focus on the realism of the world (and overlook the conspicuous artificiality of the dog). I loved this long look at the “civilized” world in Buck’s day–the large block of ice, the bustling kitchen, the tempting banquet table, Bradley Whitford wearing a funny disguise.
Again and again, I thought of Pollyanna, the various Avonlea projects of the late 80s and 90s, and of the children’s historical fiction my daughter used to devour. You get the idea that we’re being shown a reasonably authentic version of the past, but a version that is slightly sanitized, made safe for and accessible to children. In fact, whether we’re down in the established town or up in the wilder Yukon, we’re definitely inhabiting a version of history that exists to enlighten children without overwhelming or terrifying them. The whole experience is like taking a field trip to the children’s museum to watch an exciting play. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Of course, I loved the scenes in the gorgeous wilderness. The rushing waters, the rugged mountains, the valleys full of wildflowers. The idea of setting off for vast, uncharted natural expanses is particularly appealing at this present moment. I’m sure we’ve all cried out from the depths of our soul, “I hear the wolf calling me!” then settled for taking a masked walk around the neighborhood.
Ordinarily, I’m a person who lives for dialogue, but much of this story advances non-verbally (particularly the early scenes), which is one reason I was so surprised I found the whole thing so compelling. Especially since I watched at home on the couch, I had so many potential diversions at my fingertips. But not only did I stay focused on the film, I found myself getting really into the story and attached to the protagonist right away, as well.
Harrison Ford is another highlight of the film. When he first appeared onscreen, I thought, “He’s doing this so well. This is the kind of part where he can excel. He needs to be doing more work like this.” But I’m getting wise to my own nonsense. Suddenly I remembered, “Wait! I say this every time Harrison Ford appears in any film in any kind of part!” I said it when he was in 42, Cowboys and Aliens, and Blade Runner 2049. I think I just like Harrison Ford.
Ford is such a superb non-verbal actor. (He’s great at delivering lines, too, but the things he does with his face! It’s too bad he couldn’t have won an Oscar for The Fugitive. Watch his face! He’s a master of non-verbal emoting.) He’s the perfect scene partner for Buck, who also reveals himself without speech. Some of Ford’s lines are also quite stirring. He makes us deeply invested in the private griefs of John Thornton, a character who seems to get a complete arc even though we spend such a short time with him.
The supporting cast is full of surprising turns by famous actors who turn up at random alongside not-so-famous actors also doing good work. Omar Sy (who I always think of as the guy from The Intouchables) makes a huge (and positive) impression as Perrault, the dedicated mail carrier who respectfully treats his dogs as individuals with personalities. Cara Gee (with whose work I am not familiar) also wins our sympathies as his equally principled associate Françoise.
Karen Gillan turns up to bring needed vibrancy to a shockingly small part. Michael Horse (probably familiar to most people from Twin Peaks) also appears (as if from nowhere) in the middle of a conflict to speak just a few lines with winning conviction.
And then there’s Dan Stevens (of Downton Abbey and Beauty and the Beast fame). What a villain! His performance made me think of the mock Victorian melodramas I used to watch as a child at Knott’s Berry Farm. He’s incredibly stagey, playing a character who is one-hundred times more villainous in demeanor than anybody in his right mind might deem reasonably necessary. You watch and think, “Ah, he would have made a good Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, too.” The logical assumption is that his character has gone completely crazy with gold fever, but, honestly, I don’t think his performance is coming from a place of logic. The guy is just deliciously evil and unhinged, and the threats he belts out are almost musical. I half wished they would give him a song. He’s so theatrically wicked. It’s great!
The film’s score was largely unobtrusive, but there was one moment when I thought, “What a sweeping theme! This music is perfect!” That may have come on the river, around the time my daughter observed, “Now the movie has turned into Birdbox.” Speaking of Birdbox, every time Ford’s character wrote a letter or mentioned his son, I would think, “For some reason this reminds me of Lilo and Stitch.” When the end credits rolled, I noticed for the first time that like Lilo and Stitch, The Call of the Wild was directed by Chris Sanders. There was also a moment when the film reminded us all of The Lion King, but I have no idea if that’s deliberate homage (or the after effects we’re all suffering of my daughter’s long obsession with The Lion King).
Best Scene:
I personally love the moment that Ford’s character throws something into the river. This pairs nicely with the confrontation scene that soon follows. Both Stevens and Ford get final moments that are pretty perfect and hard to beat.
Best Scene Visually:
There’s a moment I love when we see Ford’s character reflected in some dingy glass above the bar in the town saloon. I’m a sucker for reflections and clever photography that makes use of windows and mirrors, especially when it leans into symbolism, as it does here. I also absolutely love all the wildflowers in that meadow. If I ever go to the Yukon, I am bringing a spare camera for sure. (As I’ve learned from recent painful experience, cameras drown so easily!)
Best Action Sequence:
Perrault is such an embraceable character, so full of life and courage, so dedicated, so easy to root for. I love the entire section of the film featuring Buck’s adventures delivering the mail. It’s hard to choose among the escape in the avalanche, the rescue in the ice, the fight for dominance, the race through the town.
The Negatives:
I may have mentioned this a time or two, but whatever creation is playing Buck, it is assuredly no dog. I’m not sure if the entire animal is CGI, or if it’s mostly his face. (I suspect the latter.) But something is not quite right about the way he is rendered, and that throws the whole creation off. Fortunately, as the film goes on, it becomes increasingly easy to overlook this as we become attached to the characters and their adventures.
I’m also not sure that the story really needs a villain quite as intense as the Dan Stevens character. I’m not saying he’s too scary, just that his excessive energies are perhaps wasted on this story that could get on just fine without them. I feel like somewhere out there, a hero is missing his nemesis. But Stevens is so fun in the role, I honestly wouldn’t change it. (I guess the real villain is civilization and humanity’s unquenchable greed and desire to own and control everything in sight.)
The only other possible negative I see is that the film is definitely trying to entertain children. It gives us a view of history that’s made easier to bear (and to understand) so that the story will be accessible to children. Yet it’s quite possible that the old-fashioned, earnest sentimentality of the pure adventure story may appeal more to older viewers who fondly remember their childhoods than to children of today. I’m not sure. My family liked it.
Overall:
If, like me, you’re a sucker for movies about good dogs, then The Call of the Wild will entertain and satisfy you. It’s a well-made family film with rousing adventures, sympathetic protagonists, and scenes sure to stir deep emotions. If you ever find yourself trapped at home for days on end, then you might as well watch this canine bildungsroman in the Yukon. It’s pretty good. I just wish they would have given Dan Stevens an evil song!