My Movie Review on TOGO · 3:09pm January 25th
Greetings and salutations, my friends.
This is your top-of-the-line film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, for my first film analysis of 2024, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "TOGO".
As with the other biographical movies I reviewed in the past, I'll be skipping on doing a summary for this movie. But, I will say this:
The film is a Disney+ original that focuses on Togo, the lead sled dog of a team helmed by Leonhard Seppala, and it stars Willem Dafoe as Seppala. It depicts Togo's time as a pup, his transformation into Seppala's best sled dog, and how much of a big part he played as the true hero of the 1925 serum run in Nome, Alaska. Heck, despite Balto having much of the credit and fame, Seppala and his sled dogs were the team that ran the farthest in the delivery of the medicine.
In all honesty, this Disney+ original was a movie I've been wanting to review for years. Back when my family and I had access to the service, we watched "TOGO" a few times on separate occasions, and we were extremely big fans of it.
But, due to frequently putting off reviewing "TOGO" in favor of other films, I've had to rewatch this movie in order to recall exactly why I've enjoyed watching it. How I did so was by watching the film on a free movie website, mainly because the last time I tried seeing it again using Disney+, I had to deal with ads.
Coming from a guy who finally rewatched this movie around the end of 2023, I'm proud to say that "TOGO" is still one of the most awesome movies I've ever watched. Even now, I can't help but wish that Disney+ wasn't the only way to see the film.
For instance, the direction by Ericson Core, and the story by Tom Flynn, were stupendous.
Despite not being 100% historically accurate, mainly due to some elements being excluded and certain depicted events happening differently from real-life, the film was incredibly faithful to Leonhard Seppala's accounts and Togo's history. It was clear that Core & Flynn's biggest goal was to create an honorable homage to Seppala and Togo, and to genuinely capture the loving bond shared between them. The best part is that Core & Flynn managed to successfully do all the above, along with bringing to light that Seppala and Togo were the true heroes of Nome since they went on the Serum Run longer than the other dog sled teams that took part in it. Including Balto.
Another big thing I enjoyed was that Ericson Core didn't rely too heavily on special effects to make "TOGO" a visually-arresting feature. The only elements that were obviously created through CGI were the mountaintop sequences, the caribou, and the Norton Sound, both when it was frozen over and after the ice melted. Each of the elements I mentioned just now were an amazing sight to behold, and they worked perfectly for the overall film.
Outside of this, Core used actual locations and sets for the majority of the movie, and real dogs were incorporated to play Togo himself and all the other canine characters. From a modern day standpoint, it was a refreshing change of pace from how often film studios would use CGI for nearly everything in their movies nowadays, and the cinematography Core made himself added onto how visually pleasurable "TOGO" was.
The rest of the aspects in the story & direction were well-done too. Along with depicting the bond between Seppala and Togo, the film had a boatload of emotional, dramatic, and heartfelt moments that were strong enough to tug at the soul; factors that were equally fueled by the relationships Seppala and Togo shared with others, such as Leonhard's wife, Constance. There was excitement and surprises around every corner too, and the plot managed to be consistently unpredictable. The movie had tons of surprisingly humorous & witty moments as well, which particularly came from the parts depicting Togo's puppyhood. To top it all off, the themes and morals about love, friendship, and determination were absolutely well-done.
Plus, the acting, characters, and character development were spectacular.
Aside from Core's usage of real dogs for the canine characters being a marvelous thing to see, the dogs themselves were delightful to watch. They commanded the screen whenever they were featured, and they showcased tremendous personality. The biggest standouts in particular were the dogs that played Togo as both a puppy & an adolescent, and Diesel, the dog who not only portrayed Togo as an adult but is a direct descendent of him too! Togo himself was well-developed beyond anything, and each of the dogs portraying him for this film brilliantly translated his growth.
The human cast members and characters were equally enjoyable to watch, that's for sure.
I really can't lie, Willem Dafoe was literally perfect for the role of Leonhard Seppala. Not only were his physical similarities to Seppala incredibly uncanny, but Dafoe portrayed the part like he was embodying the very spirit of the actual historical figure. The emotions he projected through his expressions and line deliveries were authentic with a capital 'A', and he incorporated all the personality & complexity needed to further capture Seppala as a human being just like us. Seppala himself had dynamic development throughout this motion picture.
On the subject of the supporting performers and characters, the main thing I'd like to admit is that I wasn't familiar with any of the cast members outside of Dafoe. But, I didn't have a problem with that in the slightest, because all the supporting players were fabulous in their respective parts. They were admirably giving their very best every step of the way, and they successfully helped their characters be memorable, compelling, and three-dimensional.
The very best of the supporting cast members, in my opinion, was Julianne Nicholson as Constance Seppala. Her performance was so good that it was worthy of an award for Best Supporting Actress, and the chemistry Nicholson and Dafoe created between their characters as a married couple was tremendous. Constance herself also developed the most out of every supporting character.
Finally, the music by Mark Isham was magnificent.
Isham is definitely no James Newton Howard or Hans Zimmer, but the score he created for this motion picture was enchanting to a tee. His music carried a crescendo and heart that made every melody instantly delightful, and the tunes were as three-dimensional as the film itself. To boot, Isham's music fit the time period & setting like a glove, and the melodies matched the character emotions and personalities splendidly.
In conclusion, "TOGO" is what I'm happy to classify as one of the best biographical films around. Everyone involved was clearly on their creative A-Game, and it served as a tremendous tribute to both Togo himself & Leonhard Seppala.
So, I rate "TOGO" a solid five out of five stars.
To Disney: If you're reading this review, I deeply hope that it'll encourage you to release this movie on DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K UHD. Perhaps even give the film a theatrical release, like you're doing this year for Pixar's "Soul", "Luca", and "Turning Red".
"TOGO" is a masterpiece that deserves to be seen through more than just getting a Disney+ subscription. Considering the 40 million dollar budget it was made with and the talent involved, I believe that it'd be worth releasing this movie on home video & in theaters.
Also...
Happy Birthday to me. I'm officially 25 years old now.
