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THE CALL OF THE WILD: A Pleasant Watch Despite A Meandering Story & Distracting CGI

THE CALL OF THE WILD: A Pleasant Watch Despite A Meandering Story & Distracting CGI

THE CALL OF THE WILD: A Pleasant Watch Despite A Meandering Story & Distracting CGI

Within the past few years, live action dog movies have seemingly invaded the cinema; from A Dog’s Journey to A Dog’s Way Home to last year’s The Art of Racing in the Rain. These movies exist for one reason only: to show cute dogs with their own inner narrator doing cute, un-dog like things. And, of course, to make a ton of money while doing so.

The Call of the Wild, though, despite having a dog that also seems to understand the English language, doesn’t deserve to be placed within that same category of movie. Based on the famous Jack London novel, it is more a story of survival and purpose, pitting man’s best friend against the elements and against the humans that are supposed to care for him. Despite also being somewhat watered down for the purposes of family watching, it is a faithful adaptation, and for the most part, a delightful journey to undertake.

The Arctic

The Call of the Wild occurs right around the turn of the 20th century, primarily taking place in the upper Yukon territory of Canada. Our protagonist is Buck, a good-natured large St. Bernard mix. When we first see him, he is living a comfortable life in California, getting into shananigans but mostly living the normal life of a dog. Soon, though, he is stolen from his home, and subsequently sold to some traders up in the Yukon territory, who treat him poorly from the start. From here, though, Buck is bought and placed as part of a dog sledding team, where he soon finds himself with new purpose, being part of a pack.

THE CALL OF THE WILD: A Pleasant Watch Despite A Meandering Story & Distracting CGI
source: 20th Century Studios

The film at this point is easily its most engaging. Though shot mostly on a sound studio, it really feels much like the bitter cold Arctic. Wide shots show the snow-capped mountains in the distance, while the dog sledding team swoops around tight corners and bends, hurrying on towards their next destination. It is occasionally riveting to watch, especially as we glimpse much of it through the perspective of Buck himself, coupled along with Harrison Ford‘s John Thornton in voice-over. Omar Sy, who plays the sled driver, also gives a pleasantly sensitive performance, especially when he talks to his dogs like they are real people.

From here, though, the film starts to break up, becoming more choppy and meandering. An antagonist is somewhat forcingly introduced, in the form of Dan Stevens‘ Hal, who is about as one-note as you can imagine. The conflict which his greedy persona represents is also barely touched upon throughout the remainder of the film.

Thankfully, we see more of Harrison Ford here as well, whose warm, soft-spoken character is a refreshing presence. His scenes with Buck are a highlight, though they also come off much the same in the end. Unlike the book, which has multiple adventures but they all seem to cohesively fit together, instead this adaptation of The Call of the Wild feels like a broken series of set-pieces that have been haphazardly stuck together. The film really needed more work on creating organic transitions between each of its major acts.

That CGI, Though

Much of the criticism of Call of the Wild seems to stem from its decision to create dogs and other animals almost entirely in CGI. Unlike a lot of dog movies, which use more of a hybrid real animal/CGI approach, such as 2018’s underrated Alpha, instead the dogs here are computer animated the entire time. It’s a curious decision, and one that is distracting at first, although it doesn’t really detract from the enjoyment of the movie.

Director Chris Sanders, who before this has primarily done animated films, here brings his expertise to The Call of the Wild. The dogs themselves, especially Buck, each possess their own distinct personality, including very animated faces, so having them in CGI is also understandable for this reason, since they have a much wider range of emotions than an actual dog could have. Thankfully, Buck has just enough personality to make up for the fact that he’s not real, and anyone who was turned off by it originally (myself included) might be happy that they gave it a try.

THE CALL OF THE WILD: A Pleasant Watch Despite A Meandering Story & Distracting CGI
source: 20th Century Studios

In making the dogs and other animals purely CGI, it also lends itself more to the picture at hand. The action in particular, as mentioned, works far easier with digital creations than if you had to somehow train dogs to do the same. In addition, it calls back more to the storybook nature of the original novel; this is a book that isn’t necessarily meant to shy away from the evil in the world, but it’s also one meant for children to enjoy.

Jack London’s Original Work

Speaking of which, I have a personal affinity for Jack London‘s original novel, as it is was actually one of the first that I read in its entirety as a young kid. I loved the character of Buck, and how London gave him the same depth as a human protagonist, propelling you through his journeys through his energizing words. Here, in Chris Sanders‘s adaptation, I often felt much the same, bringing me back to that time when I could only imagine it in my head.

THE CALL OF THE WILD: A Pleasant Watch Despite A Meandering Story & Distracting CGI
source: 20th Century Studios

Screenwriter Michael Green also does thankfully remove some of the more problematic parts of the novel, including the scenes with the Native American Yeehats. At this point, portraying Native Americans as ruthless savages has become outdated, so it was a wise decision on the filmmakers’ parts to provide more of a revisionist story here.

Verdict: The Call of the Wild

In the end, as mentioned, this adaptation of The Call of the Wild doesn’t quite have the same impact as Jack London‘s bold portrayal of nature versus man, instead being a more lighthearted effort. But it’s hard to decry it all the same. If you can see past the somewhat distracting CGI animals, you may find yourself caught up in its youthful energy.

What are your thoughts on The Call of the Wild? Are you a fan of modern adaptations of older novels?

The Call of the Wild is now playing in theaters in the US and the UK.  For all international release dates, click here. 

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