★★
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.
Classification: PG
There is a great irony for a film whose story and themes champion the beauty and irresistible power to the epic frontier of nature to utilise digital effects to recreate it all on a soundstage in California. The Call of the Wild adapted from Jack London's novel of the same name sees a rugged Harrison Ford venture into the uncanny valley as director Chris Sanders' compelling adventure story becomes disillusioned by its lack of natural foundation through an over-reliance of CGI. Following the story of a dog named Buck (an entirely CGI creation assisted by motion capture from actor Terry Notary) from his kidnapping, training as a sled dog to eventual friendship with Ford's Jack Thornton and their adventure beyond the Yukon river. Sanders and screenwriter Michael Green create an engaging story of Buck's evolution from domestic dog to wilderness alpha primarily through body language and minimal expository voiceover from Ford. The filmmakers have the confidence to let the animals tell their story which makes it an exciting adventure but it's artificial origins just undercut the power behind Buck's journey.
CGI animals make sense for some sequences; dogs struggling to swim, fighting with one another, instances of animal abuse and other distressing scenes but for the more personal scenes with Ford, it's a hindrance to the film. Perhaps if there was a more balanced mix of live-action elements, it would be easier to buy into the film, yes wolves and bears may be harder to come by but we shouldn't have to lower our expectations when it comes to seeing real-life dogs in films. Beyond initial sets of cabins and homesteads from production designer Stefan Dechant which capture the American frontier setting in that classic western aesthetic, all of the beautiful vistas are computer-generated. These environments and creatures which inspire the characters of Thornton and Buck (the dog himself being one of them) are all pale imitations, a depressing reminder that films would rather recreate memories of our planet then go out and celebrate it. Environmental dangers are rapidly increasing every year and just believing we can recreate what is being destroyed within a computer to hide this reality is upsetting. There is still a beauty to the film though as Janusz Kaminski's cinematography is able to mask the obvious digital influences as the faux Alaskan beauty can take your breath away at times, however when the third act rolls around where it's just Ford by his lonesome surrounded by CGI animals and scenery, the uncanny valley begins to swallow the film whole.
Distracting CGI aside, Notary and the visual effects artists do a fine job in making Buck a compelling protagonist avoiding the route of an inner monologue from a seasoned actor, settling for visual metaphors and clear directional set pieces. the titular "call" that draws Buck to seek his life's meaning beyond any human master is represented by the apparition of a mighty wolf, a spirit guide leading his instincts towards adventure and courageous acts. The first half of the film detailing how Buck becomes alpha to a pack of sled dogs during an expedition across an icy tundra led by a charismatic Omar Sy, going from clumsy oaf to compassionate leader. Sy's performance is the typical enthusiastic mentor archetype but it's always great to see Omar Sy in a film so I'll take it. In fact, beyond Ford's more restrained performance which still has its moments of over-sentimentality from Green's screenplay just about every other human character feels like a caricature especially Dan Stevens' antagonist, a selfish gold-hungry cad who abuses Buck and his team of dogs. With the visuals struggling to ground audiences in an authentic reality at times and the pantomime performances from the rest of the cast, it is mostly the power of Harrison Ford keeping everything connected to the emotional themes of the story.
Green and Stevens have made significant changes from the source material to present The Call of the Wild into a more family-friendly adventure but that doesn't mean there still isn't depth to its story. Thornton's guilt and alcoholism over his son's death, the abuse of animals, and the unforgiving harshness of the wilderness present themselves in the film but through a lens that isn't too upsetting. Changes include isolating Thorton's character, expanding Steven's Hal into the main antagonist and removing the Native American characters from the third act conflict, an obvious decision to avoid dated 'Redface' antagonism and to explore man's destructive nature through greed in a different context. Sanders makes his interpretation feel like a standard adventure though, action setpieces and comedy with a funny dog rather than a deeply insightful examination of nature's influence on its inhabitants. Whatever has made London's novel endure for a century just doesn't feel represented, it's a journey of cinematic convenience rather than any daring odyssey into the soul.
Competently made with a nostalgic tug to those classic times of frontiersmen, prospectors and the inexplicable wonders of the wilderness made all the more enjoyable from John Powell's sentimental score. The positives to The Call of the Wild will make it an enjoyable experience for plenty of audiences but the overreliance on digital effects to substitute for the fidelity of its character and setting make the themes feel hollow. Unable to connect to the story's central call for adventure as every piece of its magnificent wilderness has been tamed within a digital world, Buck and Thorton's journey is made all the less authentic.
Director: #ChrisSanders
Screenwriter: #MichaelGreen
Release Date: February 19th 2020
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images from the Internet Movie Database, Synopsis from Google
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