Bricklayer Reviews: The Call of the Wild · 3:07am Feb 27th, 2020
Best to do this one while the movie's still fresh in my mind...
Now, let it be said I read the original book -along with White Fang of course- years and years ago. Hell, I still have my copy and it's been through three houses and a hell of a lot of abuse. I really, and I mean really wanted this movie to do well. Call of the Wild has some... issues.
The danger levels of the Yukon have been toned down, to the point where it seems almost tame. That's not really encouraging, to say the least especially after Togo showed a harsh unflinching Alaska. Now, blizzards, thawing ice and avalanches. Not to mention the Diptheria. Call of the Wild only shows us two of those things. And even the thawing ice has been... thawed, if you catch my drift. Okay, snow more snow puns. Goddamnit.
Compare and contrast harsh mountain peaks to rivers that by all rights should sink a canoe but don't. Also, yeah the CGI does feel a bit off a points, meaning Buck makes a few too humanlike expressions. There's his fight with Spitz -who also received some toning down- where some of the expressions... yeeeeeeah. Jack London was once accused of nature faking, making dogs too humanlike. I wonder what they'd think of this film.
Now, Harrison Ford as John Thortan. Harrison, as you'd expect, brings a quiet gravitas to the role, and actually gives John more than a bit part. For example, John's a recovering... well, not recovering but just plain alcoholic who came to the Yukon to escape his past. He lost his son to the fever, and he and his wife split. Now, you'd want this story to go somewhere right? He makes his way back to civilization after picking himself up and starts to patch things up? Nope, sorry just like in the book he meets a tragic end. Though this time not by the Yeehats. Nope, Hal who in this adaption becomes gold crazed thinks John is hiding a secret gold stash. Well, he's kinda right but John didn't intend to find the gold.
Actually, John doesn't become a leading character until about halfway through the film. Which is sorta a problem, given the rotating cast of humans who Buck sticks with makes the movie seem... I don't want to say unfocused but it does at time. Like, it doesn't want to decide who Buck should stay with, even if in the end he takes to the Call of the Wild. Sorry, lame joke. That being said, the film is better than the book in some regards. The book has not aged well in regards to animal care. Not to mention some racial portrayals. No dogs named Nig -yes that was a thing in the book- and no savage Indians.
This is really a movie I'd inspire you to make up your own mind on really. Go see it, see what you think. In the meantime, I'll take this as my preferred Jack London adaption.
Huh. Interesting review. I must admit I was pretty tempted by this at first but the CG dog kind of really put me off. I was like at the time, "What, Disney? Is it really cheaper to computer-generate a dog than to just have a real one? Are you that scared of being accused of animal cruelty?"
I dunno. I remember watching White Fang as a kid. Now that was a movie. (In large part because our own dog, Lottie, was flat-out mesmerized by it. She watched that thing when we put it on. It was adorable. I miss her.)
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At times, the CGI is a bit off-putting, but at other times you don't really notice it. It's an odd mix. I can't really explain it. I'm not sure if Togo used CGI, I think it did but if it did there well... I never noticed. But yeah, I suspect the reason CGI was used was that nobody wanted to hit a dog with a club, which is perfectly understandable really.
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That's fair.
Especially that point. Kinda makes me remember John Wick - the actor who played the killer of John's dog was so distraught by the idea that after each take he cuddled the puppy.
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I did hear that story, actually. Awwwwwwwwww.
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It's a sweet one alright. XD
I also know that the actress for Ms. Perkins has said that she would "burn the world" if her dog was hurt by someone, so further proof I guess of the fundamental appeal of the movie for dog-lovers?
Speaking of Togo, I liked how it covered the other side of the Balto story. Both of those dogs were heroes
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Damn straight. Very good boys.
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Like, while Balto may have gotten more credit, he and Togo were the heroes of Nome
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Yeah, both were.