The Call of the Wild (2020)

Starring: Harrison Ford, Omar Sy, Cara Gee, Dan Stevens, Bradley Whitford, Jean Louisa Kelly, Michael Horse, Karen Gillan, Colin Woodell, Brad Greenquist
Directed by: Chis Sanders
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Drama
2020

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A dog fights for survival in the brutal frontier of the Yukon.

Review:

Tim: I really enjoyed Jack London's The Call of the Wild and I really had fun with the 1935 adaptation, The Call of the Wild, with Clark Gable. That movie strayed from the source material, but it proved to be a rousing adventure story. With that in mind, I was intrigued to see what was done with this 2020 adaptation.

This movie certainly feels closer to London's original book. The movie is really about Buck and the humans are the supporting players. The 1935 film had switched that focus to more prominently feature Gable's character. In some ways, that gives this movie a very unique feel, at least compared to the '35 version. It was interesting to watch a movie with a dog as the protagonist. It helps having very strong supporting actors to bring the surrounding characters to life, but the key here was establishing Buck as a character in his own right.

Chris Sanders does manage to achieve that. He's helped by the impressive visual effects (Buck was completely computer-generated). This certainly avoided any concerns of putting real animals in harm's way. It also allowed Buck to do things that a real dog could never do. This does help establish Buck as a major character in his own sense. The anthropomorphism of Buck does often stretch our credulity a bit too much. So, while it majorly contributes to the film by helping us care about and invest in Buck, it also hurts by having too many scenes devolve into cheesy ridiculousness.

That might be my biggest complaint about the film. Now, I know the movie is rated PG and clearly aimed at a younger demographic, but there were too many scenes where I cringed, rolled my eyes, and felt embarrassed at the cheesiness of the film. Now, while these scenes were annoying, they were also somewhat forgivable because of the tone and aim of the movie. I would have liked the movie better without them, but it didn't prevent me from enjoying the film.

The cast certainly helps. It's led by Harrison Ford, who delivers his typically strong performance. I still don't think he's a great actor, but he has this wonderful ability to connect with the audience. I really enjoyed him here. Omar Sy adds in a really strong performance, too. I was a bit disappointed that he didn't get more screen time. His story was one of the most compelling. Cara Gee was solid, too. I loved seeing Dan Stevens here, although I like him better as a good guy than a bad one. Still, he is so good at being grating and he achieves that with his performance here. I was really glad to see Karen Gillan as well, but she doesn't get nearly enough to do. I always like seeing Bradley Whitford, but his role was nearly nonexistent. While I would have loved to get more time with most of the cast, I get it, because this movie is really about Buck and the human characters are all secondary.

As you would hope, the movie delivers an entertaining adventure story. There's something so enthralling about watching an adventure in the dangerous Yukon. The movie delivers a great deal of adventure and some surprisingly solid comedy. It is certainly flawed, but it's also a good movie. I have to admit, I still prefer the 1935 version. That being said, I absolutely enjoyed 2020's The Call of the Wild. It's a bit ridiculous and too cheesy, but it's an effective piece of entertainment. Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Call of the Wild (1935), Togo