disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

THE CALL OF THE WILD -- A Solid Adaptation Dragged Down by Distracting Visuals

2/17/2020

0 Comments

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
Photo Courtesy of Twentieth Century Studios.
The newest version of the classic Jack London story, The Call of the Wild attempts to blend a live-action cast with uncannily expressive CGI animals. However, because of the distracting visuals, the entertaining and timeless story is unable to have the impact that it likely would have had if the film had been a bit more polished.

The movie follows Buck, a pet-turned-sled-dog as he moves through owners trying to survive and growing in character along the way. Anyone who is familiar with the classic source material will be familiar with the general arc of the film, and while there are some welcome changes (the racism is thankfully eliminated), there are ultimately very few surprises as a whole.

That said, the movie still manages to be thoroughly entertaining. Clocking in at around an hour and forty minutes, the film moves by very quickly and never outstays its welcome. There is a reason that this story has been beloved by generation upon generation and gotten so many adaptations. Yet with the overly modern touch of CGI, this version of the tale will likely feel dated in only a few years.

The one real perk of the overuse of CGI is that it allows the animal characters to have a great deal of expressiveness. The story is told mostly through narration by Harrison Ford’s inexplicably omniscient narrator, but the mannerisms of the animals are packed with emotion. Of course, this is something that could not have been done with real animals, as they largely lack this ability.
Picture
Photo Courtesy of Twentieth Century Studios.
Apart from the visual effects, the movie mostly looks very good. Although the modern technology involved in creating the animals would make one think otherwise, the film still keeps its turn-of-the-19th-century setting, and it does a very good job of immersing the viewer within the time period thanks to excellent production design and costuming.

Another strength of the movie is its talented human cast. Harrison Ford leads the ensemble, and he is admittedly the weakest link. It often feels like Ford is phoning it in, or simply giving an appearance for the sake of a paycheck. The rest of the cast, though, is quite good. Omar Sy plays one of Buck’s owners, and he is more charming than ever, and Dan Stevens is good (albeit over-the-top as one of the human antagonists).

However, despite the efforts of the cast, the development of the human characters is admittedly lacking. While this is mainly because the focus of the film is on the animals, not their human companions, it is still disappointing that the movie did not expand upon any of the archetypes. With some added depth, these human characters could have added another level of emotion to the film.

Although families will undoubtedly be entertained by The Call of the Wild, the poor CGI is too distracting for the movie to be particularly memorable. As the first film released by the re-branded 20th Century Studios, this will also likely end up being their first dud.

The Call of the Wild opens in theaters on February 21.

​Rating: 3/5
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About