The core of the novel resonates well over a hundred years later in this new film.
What They Say:
Buck is a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life gets turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Alaskan Yukon in the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail-delivery dog sled team, Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime as he ultimately finds his true place in the world.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Films like Call of the Wild are the kinds of projects that for most people are ones that you get to share with your kids, to expose them to some of the world, some good moral stories, and a touch of adventure and a look at our past. The original work from Jack London came out back in 1903 and the same studio made a film for it back in 1935 as well. This is the kind of film that I used to show my kids growing up but it’s been years since they’ve been interested in material like this. So taking in a quiet weeknight showing this week just to get away from everything by myself was exactly what was needed. There’s a kind of simplicity to it that works and director Chris Sanders handles the transitions well as each of the stories get told through the larger journey.
The film focuses on Buck, a St. Bernard/Scotch Collie hybrid dog that resides in Santa Clara, California on an expansive home. He gets away with causing a lot of trouble in town as he’s basically allowed to run a bit wild as his master is Judge Miller. We see the trouble he causes in general in town and especially around the house when he ruins a big party that was about to get underway. Buck has no real control and just does what his instincts tell him. It’s simply that Miller loves the guy so much that he’s gotten away with so much. When he’s punished for this bad action, however, it’s no more than being forced to sleep on the deck outside at night. Not the first time, not the worst thing, but it’s problematic this time because someone saw him as potential money. With it being the gold rush, people are flocking to the Yukon and need sled dogs and more and Buck finds himself dognapped and freighted north.
The journey is one that’s rough for him with him being transitioned through a couple of different business owners on his way to Skaguay where he’ll get purchased. It’s amusing seeing him discover he’s on a boat and then later have his first experiences with snow. But Buck’s life really changes when he’s purchased for the postal sled team headed by Perrault (Omar Sy) and his companion Francoise (Cara Gee). Perrault really treats the dogs well and talks to them like people on his mission to try and deliver the mail on time, something he’s never been able to do as 2,400 miles in 80 days isn’t easy. Buck’s not a working dog so it takes a while and some comical accidents to get him going. And he struggles with the lead-dog as well who views him – rightly so – as real competition to his leadership of the team. It’s an engaging piece to watch because of how much history there is to all of this.
These journeys set Buck up to explore a good part of the northwest and understand his world more. We see how the gold rush is making people crazy up there, how others are just eking out a basic survival, and some frontier law that’s pretty accurately shown. Through all of it, we see how Buck gains more and more confidence and sure-footing simply by being who he’s always been. The difference is that out in these situations, his choices aren’t destructive but rather help to show that he knows how to survive here in a big way. Especially in contrast to some of the people that come searching for gold, such as Hal (Dan Stevens) who plays the essential villain of the film. He’s there with a small group that includes Mercedes (Karen Gillan) as they know of a secret place that was mapped out where there’s a lot of gold. When Buck and his team are later hired by them you know it’s just going to go badly because cruelty is not what’s needed to survive and thrive in this environment.
The film is narrated by Harrison Ford who has a small role at the start in Skaguay where he meets Buck briefly. He’s more of a back half of the film character but is around regularly to narrate for Buck. His story is kept simple and at a distance but with enough emotion to make it resonate. He’s come to the end of the map in order to get away from people in general. The death of his son a few years prior caused a split with his wife and he’s basically drinking himself into the end until he ends up helping Buck along the way and the two save each other. There’s a lot of good material with the two together as Ford’s Thornton character has the right kind of individualistic nice guy personality about him with the knowledge of how to survive without putting everyone at a distance. He does do that at times but Buck is what softens him and brings back a bit of his humanity over his lost son. Buck doesn’t fill that role, however, and the two become companions who go on their own journey where the call of the wild itself must be answered.
A film like this is one where you really do struggle to qualify what it is. It’s not animation but so many full scenes and all the animals are animated. The people are all real, as far as I can tell, and the interactions with their CG critters are very well-done overall. The designs for the dogs are kept pretty realistic without being overdone in terms of fine hair movement but they’re also given a lot more personality through their faces and expressions than we’d get from a real animal. I have no doubt that a real dog could do everything in this film that’s asked of the CG animation, though some things would be tricky. But I also agree that doing it in this way feels far more cohesive than a real animal would and the animators are able to really bring his personality to life. Yeah, it’s a bit on the unrealistic side at times but it’s working to establish who Buck is and those that care for him. There’s a real beauty in all the expansive backgrounds as well but that small but perceptible shift you get when it’s filmed in a real place under real blue skies, that’s magic. I like both aspects of it because the design for the backgrounds is really evocative, but there are areas where you can’t beat reality.
In Summary:
Whether you can be emotional about a film where the lead character is a CG dog is a very personal thing. Some people simply can’t get past the CG element and let the story take over and the basic manipulation of the filmmakers to generate the emotions. Chris Sanders works Michael Green’s screenplay well here and takes us through Buck’s journey to discover where he truly belongs and what he needs to be. We get a solid cast of characters along the way that are all a touch bigger than life but not so much that you’re really rolling your eyes. I had a really good time soaking up this project and what it offered and thoroughly enjoyed Buck’s journey and meeting all of the people along the way. It’s a beautiful looking film overall and one that’s worth taking a little time with just to shift away from the things that we always spend most of our time with.
Grade: B+
