Grade: 3/5
Harrison Ford is back at being his rugged old self in this solid adaptation of the 1903 “Call of the Wild” book written by Jack London – story of the relationship between John Thornton (Ford’s character) and his faithful canine companion “Buck”. The look and feel of the movie is excellent and perfect for family viewing. Some of the scenery and sequences of the dogs pulling the sled through the mountains and ominous avalanches makes it feel like a roller coaster ride. However the movie is a bit too short in length (less than 2hrs) and the excessive use of CGI for the dog is sometimes visible.
Buck, the central character, is a lovable and playful dog living with a well to do family in Santa Clara, California. Some of his annoying dog habits (running all over the place, eating whatever food is in front of him), relegates him to spending the night outside. A few miscreants enter the compound late that night to kidnap Buck and with cudgels in hand – succeed in their evil plan. They sell Buck for money to service as a sled dog and Buck eventually finds his way to Skagway, Alaska working as part of a dog troupe pulling sleds to deliver post from one end to another for the US Government. His owners now are Perrault (Omar Sy) and François (Cara Gee), who run the mail route.
Eventually, Buck meets John Thornton (played ably by Harrison Ford) and both form a strong bond and embark on a journey that takes them “off the map” in search of nothing more than absolute adventure. They are followed by Hal, a corrupt rich mercenary who is in search of gold treasure and believes John and Buck have traveled this far for the same intentions so he needs to get them out of the way.
Side Note: This is the sixth movie adaptation of the book written by Jack London: 1923, 1935, 1972, 1996, 2009 and 2020. Actors the likes of Clark Gable, Charleston Heston and Harrison Ford gracing the role of Jack Thornton.
Bottom Line: If you want to see a fun, swashbuckling adventure flick with an adorable St Bernard dog that the entire family (young and old) will enjoy, this is a good candidate. Few flaws in the movie range from trying too hard to give it more of a Disney feel rather than a pure adventure film and an abundant reliance on CGI. I was expecting a movie more akin to “The Edge” (starring Anthony Hopkins). Still a strong entrant in the ”Call of the Wild” adaptations.
