The Call of the Wild - Review

First things you should know is that I am a dog lover and I come from the Pacific Northwest. So naturally, this movie contains two things that I care very much about and I enjoyed watching them on screen. But as a movie as a whole, I enjoyed it. Sure, like Sonic the Hedgehog, this is a family movie that isn't breaking the mold, but it is told well. We centre our story around Buck which is a CGI dog. Now I am not going to lie, if the fact that it is a CGI dog bothers you, then you won't like this movie. For me, I didn't mind it because unlike the Lion King, I was able to understand what Buck was feeling. He looked Sad during the Sad moments, he looked concerned during the more intense moments, and he looked overjoyed at the happier lighthearted moments. You were able to connect with him because of the simple emotions the CGI was able to convey. Surrounding him are a group of human characters who come and go throughout the movie. Harrison Ford is good here as it would have been easy for him to "phone-it-in", but he brings genuine heart and effort to the performance. I actually found myself getting the most emotionally invested in Buck's sled dog team with the French Canadian post office workers Perrault and Françoise. They gave Buck his first chance in his new environment and were likable. There is a villain in the movie who is simply a cookie-cutter mustache twirler, so sure, if you want to throw shade at the movie, you can throw it at him. I did find it weird that Karen Gillan played his wife.

But overall, I found myself getting emotionally invested in this cute movie about a dog's journey with good performances, breathtaking locations and a few intense moments I really enjoyed. One in particular was really quite fantastic. If you love dogs or the Pacific Northwest, or want a movie to take the whole family to, then this is a movie worth checking out.