Drama

The Call of the Wild (2020)

8.2

Synopsis


A sled dog struggles for survival in the wilds of the Yukon.

Who is the Audience for This Movie?


Families with kids over the age of 10.


Review

At around the 10 minute mark of The Call of The Wild the light bulb in my brain went off, I had totally forgot about reading the book when I was younger. The story beats all came flooding back along with remembering that The Call of The Wild was the only book I was forced to read in school that I enjoyed.

With that said I am VERY happy I waited to watch this adaption over any that have come before it. I cant judge any adaptions that came before this one but the modern CGI sells Buck as character completely. If they were forced to use a real dog the limitations would have sunk the movie from the start. By the end of the movie you buy Buck as character who grows through life experiences. On the other hand I could be biased as I am dog owner.

On a cinematography front the movie looks gorgeous you cant fault it in any way for its visuals unless you want to nitpick some instances of “meh” CGI. My favorite part of Call of The Wild though was seeing Harrison Ford actually put in a performance with some effort. Over the last decade he has continued to be in big movies yet he always looked like he was barely trying.

If your a fan of the book I am sure there are things you could be mad about not being fleshed out enough but I personally was just happy it did get a little dark to ground the movie in reality a bit. Call of The Wild is the type of family movie I really wish was the norm instead of the manic over the top nonsense that plagues modern family cinema.

Should You Watch This Movie?

8.2
I did not want to like this movie but I was wrong to judge it before actually watching it and I am glad I did. It is perfect Sunday afternoon movie you will watch once and never watch again.
7.5

Entertainment Value

7.0

Cinematic Value

10.0

Technical Value

Pros

  • +CGI helps the movie greatly
  • +Harrison Ford looks like he is trying again
  • +Pays enough homage to the book
  • +Great scenery
  • +Not afraid to go a bit dark. Not fully disneyfied.

Cons

  • -Could have been slightly longer to flesh out some of the story points
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