The Call of the Wild (2020)

Directed by Chris Sanders. Starring Harrison Ford, Omar Sy, Cara Gee, Dan Stevens, Karen Gillan, Colin Woodell, Bradley Whitford. [PG]

Latest film incarnation of Jack London’s adventure novel set during the Klondike Gold Rush at the end of the 19th century. Large and powerful but gentle mutt Buck goes through a handful of masters—awash in the warm spirit of shaggy and melancholy frontiersman Ford, the overkill sneer of abusive villain Stevens, and so forth—on a journey of companionship and self-discovery. Not bad family film panders enough to adequately satisfy most viewers just interested in rugged scenery and (CGI) animal action, but the valley in which these sled dogs and voyagers spend most of their time is the uncanny one—the digital dogs are just phony enough to be persistently distracting. While it may fall in line with London’s source novel, the decision to give Buck human traits is a misguided one, regularly spoiling opportunities for immersion because of the animal’s outlandishly principled and heroic behavior (summoning superhuman—er, supercanine—strength to pull a fallen tree out of a raging river takes the cake). Grounded, gravelly Ford is better than the inconsistent film deserves, though the most rewarding act focuses on Buck’s travails with mail runners Sy and Gee. Photographed by Janusz Kamiński; co-produced by James Mangold.

54/100