The Call Of The Wild Takes Its Classic Source Material And Reimagines It For Todays Generation With Satisfying Results

    

      Making a film that's based around the journey of the main character with the twist being they're an animal is a tricky endeavor. The makers behind the story must not only craft the film in a way that makes it believable to audiences, but also appealing in terms of selling it while making them emotionally invested in both the story and characters. In the case of The Call Of The Wild, the stories main focus centers around a big-hearted dog named Buck, who goes on a journey that ultimately reveals his true station in life. Based on a classic novel by Jack London, the story of The Call Of The Wild has seen numerous versions of its timeless story brought to the big screen from the 1935 version to Charlton Heston's 1972 version. The new version of the story places Harrison Ford in a key essential role as Jack Thorton, a lonely and grieving old man who befriends Buck on his life-changing journey. Boasted by a heavy use of CGI as well as a sentimental approach to retelling the story on the big screen once again, the latest version of The Call Of The Wild proves to be a reasonably satisfying remake of the classic novel that carries with it heart.

      Based on the 1935 novel, The Call Of The Wild focuses on the life of a sled dog named Buck with him moving from one adventure to another during the course of the 19th century Yukon gold rush. The newest version of The Call Of The Wild aims to not just be a typical film for audiences, but an experience that takes them on a journey with Buck showing both his struggles and triumphs in regards to finding his place in the world. One gets the feeling upon watching the film that a great deal of heart went into bringing the story to the big screen in a new form that hasn't been shown before. The audience grows to care about Buck throughout the course of the story, making his journey both an impactful and personal one for them to experience. His relationship with Jack becomes the heart of the story with the audience anticipating their union as the film progresses. The audience also grows to care about his relationship with his sled masters Perrault and his assistant Francoise. The
Call Of The Wild aims to create an
emotional journey for it audience while providing an uplifting message behind it, which says that one should not only find their place in life but live life to the fullest. It's ultimately a film that has its heart in the right place with the intention of making its audience feel a certain ounce of emotion. The movie is told with such a large amount of affection behind its story, that one can almost pardon the fact that the films overuse of CGI for the animals can become a bit distracting at times.

      One of the films key elements that makes it as effective as it ultimately turns out to be as a moving drama, is the strong performances from its main cast with Harrison Ford in particular as the the main human lead playing an elderly man named Jack Thorton, whose both lonely and grieving the loss of his son. Ford handles his role well bringing much compassion and believability to his character being both a depressed and grieving father, who shares a unique experience with Buck. Ford does a terrific job in carrying a lot of tragedy and mystery to his characters past in a way which makes the audience wonder about what happened to his character prior, while becoming connected with Jack. He does some powerful stuff here with his performance and like Buck, becomes the heart of the film. Omar Sy also impresses as Perrault, Bucks second owner whose shown to be both brave and adventurous with leading his sled dog team, with Buck as his head, on a difficult trip across Yukon Territory. Sy does a solid job of making his character likeable​ with showing him to be tough in pushing his sled team, but also seeing something special in Buck which ultimately makes him the leader of the team. Dan Stevens makes the most of his part of playing Hal, a one-dimensional antagonist in the story whose insistent on pushing his dogs to achieve his goal of finding lost gold regardless of the dangers that such a streneous task would have upon them. His character though effective, often feels like he doesn't have much of a purpose in the story other than to be the one main villain, who gets in Bucks way ultimately blocking his path. Despite the questioning behind the necessity of his character in the film, Stevens makes Hal effective as a character that the audience loves to hate. Other strong supporting roles in the film are Cara Gee as Francoise, Perrault's assistant and lover in their leading of the dog team across Yukon Territory. Gee's character doesn't immediately come across as being particularly likable due to her early mistreatment of Buck, but ends up experiencing a change of heart when he rescues her in a thrilling sequence later in the story. Gee brings with her a certain pride to her characters culture, as well as the skepticism of the audience in regards to wondering what Perrault and Jack ultimately see in Buck. Other notable performances are Bradley Whitford in his brief but effective role as Judge Miller, the original master of Buck in the films opening whom he was content with before being taken away, Karen Gillian as Mercedes, sister of Hal and wife of Charles, who takes pity upon the animals when witnessing the mistreatment they receive from Hal, and Colin Woddell as Hals brother-in-law and husband of Mercedes Charles. As a whole the cast for The Call Of The Wild proves to be a strong ensemble, that's well-put together with each actor/actress giving performances that adds something deeper to the film. One can clearly see the affection that the actors/actresses have for the story as they bring their characters to life in a way, that makes them totally convincing and believable while making Bucks journey a more special and powerful one. Despite the strong work that Ford gives with his performance, it also feels like he gets upstaged at times by Omar Sy and Cara Gee's characters as a sizable chunk of the film focuses on their experience with Buck before reverting back to his arc with Jack. On an acting note, the performances not only deliver but manage to add soul to the film.

      As a whole, the directing by Chris Sanders does an adequate job of bringing the classic novel to life on the big screen in a way that not only brings its world to life in a way that's exciting, but makes it appealing to the audience both visually and emotionally. The film is simply breathtaking to watch with it's stunning cinematography and background settings that include snowy mountains, stunning lakes, and forests (The Yukon territory scenes in particular are beautiful to watch). One of the films key action sequences that's masterfully shot is the avalanche scene involving Buck and the other dogs leading their masters on the sled they're pulling to safety. It's a sequence that's both breathtaking and every bit as thrilling to watch on the screen. Of all the different versions of The Call To The Wild brought to the big screen, the new version is the most impressive on a visual note with this version carrying the strongest production values. Sanders directs the film with a steady hand and gets genuine performances out of his actors. The film boasts a collection of thrilling set pieces that help to keep the audience engaged in the story, particularly the scenes involving Buck driving the sled or his fight with the jealous rival animal leader of the dog sled team. The films magic kicks in during its most powerful moments such as the scene where Buck moves to take the lead of Perrault's dogsled group, as well as the quiet moments between him and Jack. It's those tender moments between the humans and Buck where the films true power comes to life, and is expressed on the screen. The films overall foundation feels well-crafted and put together with a focused narrative for the most part, tight pacing, and a mystical atmosphere that feels just right for the film. The films use of CGI is impressive for the most part with the animals looking visually striking. There are some scenes where the animals effects aren't quite as convincing but not poorly handled to the point where it takes the viewer out of the movie. The score by John Powell is well done and hits all the right notes in regards to enhancing the films excitement and drama. The directing by Sanders as a whole is commendable with how he creates an atmosphere that instantly brings the audience into the story, as well as keeping them engaged. The films success was always going to hinge on whether audiences could buy into how real the animals appeared with Sanders ultimately pulling it off to where the audience can see the emotion on Bucks face, as well as the other animals in moments where their either being mistreated or experience dire situations making them appear almost human. As a family-friendly vehicle, The Call Of The Wild is a film that's handled very well by its filmmaker with a great amount of passion and love for its story.

      The films screenplay by Michael Green succeeds in trading the novels dark elements in exchange for creating a thrilling and emotionally powerful journey of self-discovery, that works as being a family-friendly experience. The film carries all the elements to make for an enjoyable yet effective adventure film with themes such as friendship, family, self-love, greed, legends, grieving, and exploring undiscovered places. The character of Buck is presented as being a three dimensional character, who fulfills a full-blown arc of going from being a dog whose content with his place in the world in the beginning to ultimately discovering where he belongs, which is with the rest of the animals in nature. Harrison Fords character Jack provides the narration of the film with him explaining to the audience what's happening in the story. The problem with this addition to the story is he describes events and moments that his character wasn't present for, making the scenario feel less real. Another issue with the film is the main antagonist Hal played by Dan Stevens. Hals character comes across as feeling one-on-one and doesn't serve much purpose in the story other than to be the generic bad guy, who must ruin the feel good experience that Buck and Jack have with their journey together. Hals character also feels like he holds back Jack's character in the story as he ultimately doesn't receive as full of a completed character arc resolution that Buck has in the story. The screenplays main highlights are the action scenes with the heart of the film being Bucks self-discovery. If one is looking for more depth and character exploration with the key figures in the story (Or want more insight into Jack's mysterious yet tragic past), they should choose the short novel instead as the film that director Chris Sanders and writer Michael Green give audiences, aims more at presenting them with an experience that's not only grand but both heartwarming and life-changing.

      Overall, The Call Of The Wild overcomes its main flaws and succeeds in giving audiences the feel good experience that the film was designed to deliver. The film is boasted by strong performances, solid CGI, spectacular cinematography with many shots and scenery being breathtaking to watch, along with a moving score by John Powell to make it worthwhile for audiences. The character development may not be as in-depth as the book, and the films narration by Harrison Ford may feel as if its stating the obvious at times, but what's shown is a well-crafted story that's told with both heart and dedication to get it right while honoring its source material. The character of Buck proves to be a likable and strong protagonist that the audience can get behind with Ford's involvement in the film being an added plus. Given that the project is Chris Sanders first live-action directed film (His previous works dealt with animation with films such as Lilo And Stitch and How To Train Your Dragon), he does a fairly impressive job of creating the films visual world while bringing the main characters to life in a form that makes them relatable and sympathetic to audiences. Those watching the film will be hard-pressed not to feel something for Buck in the scenes where he either is being mistreated or separated from a loved one. As a film that aims to reimagine it's classic source material, as well as upgrading it for today's generation of audiences, The Call Of The Wild succeeds along with providing a vital message that pertains to humanity as a whole, whether it's human or dog. It's an experience that's best experienced and enjoyed by the whole family on the conditions that a box of tissues is placed nearby for the films ending. 

Final Verdict: For both Harrison Ford fans and those looking for a film that's a faithful adaptation of a classic novel, The Call Of The Wild is an experience thats worth watching.