The Call Of The Wild Cert: PG / 100 mins / Dir. Chris Sanders / Trailer
Regular readers will know I don't like to paint my colours too boldly upon this platform, yet I do have colours. And when the latest version of Jack London's The Call Of The Wild opened bearing the new "20th Century Studios" ident, I must confess to sporting a wry, satisfied grin in that darkened auditorium. Let's make things better. Curiously enough, the 1935 screen adaptation also opened during a time of flux at Fox, so there's at least some odd level of synchronicity outside of the studio-drama, too.
And so in short order we're transported to America's northern states in the 1890s and introduced to our hero, a St.Bernard/Collie cross by the name of Buck (performed through the motion-capture of Terry Notary). Playful, intelligent and more than a little clumsy, Buck is abducted by a gang selling dogs to pull sleds as part of the infamous gold-rush*1. But fate and opportunity intervene in these tumultuous times, and Buck finds himself a wanderer, forging meaningful but temporary relationships with humans and dogs alike. One recurring face is that of John Thornton (Harrison Ford), a reclusive prospector looking to find more (yet less) than precious metal in the hills. The two form a bond beyond language, of companionship and understanding, against the backdrop of a society scrabbling for excess.
DOG So as noted above, Buck is mo-capped here. Which is to say, he's a CGI dog. Precisely why is unclear, as Buck doesn't speak or get up to any particularly unrealistic antics, but after an initial swoop through the canine region of the Uncanny Valley things even out and we're treated to an intricate - if enthusiastic - performance. Ultimately this is probably more about creative precision and control than putting dog-trainers out of business. The story has been previously adapted into five movies, so director Chris Sanders' iteration represents a firm half-way house between its live-action and animated past.
Once the action moves out into the open wilderness, Janusz Kaminski's cinematography has room to shine. The landscapes here are gorgeous, and while the four-legged aspects of the movie raise the question of how much of this scenery is digital, the bottom line is that great aesthetics are still great aesthetics.
JOHN B And despite the cynicism I forgot to check at the foyer, The Call Of The Wild won me over in fairly short order. As accomplished as the animation of the dogs is (there are many in this), it's much like Luke Skywalker in Yoda's cave on Dagobah: the technical artistry is only fully sold to the audience by the emotional reaction of the human characters. Harrison Ford, Omar Sy and Cara Gee are outstanding in this regard, while even the more pantomime-like performances of Bradley Whitford and Dan Stevens carry over the energy of the piece.
Ford's role is particularly interesting since the movie almost acts as a round-robin retrospective of his career. We get the red-line map journeys and seat-of-your-pants thrill rides on the search for treasure calling back to Indiana Jones; the soundtrack is punctuated with Ford's best laconic narration since Rick Deckard; and of course he's playing a loner on the run from his estranged wife after the loss of their son, who then teams up with a giant hairy companion that he treats unequivocally as an equal. Okay there's no Millennium Falcon here, but if the pair of them had to hide out in an Amish community at some point then we'd have a full set.
OF THE DAY
Pick your favourite seat if you can, because the episodic structure makes this seem longer than its 100 minutes. Things never drag, but they do feel like a saga. And although it depicts the nurture/nature transition in the opposite direction, the spirit of Buck is what Alpha should have channelled. Not so much a study of humanity's bond with dogs but with nature itself. The peaks and troughs of emotion on display while still being wholly PG-friendly is a solid achievement.
The Call Of The Wild is far better than it has any real right to be in 2020. The film could easily have resorted to outdated, mawkish button-pushing, and while there are still some pointers in that direction, it's saved by the commitment of all involved. Ultimately, you will believe that Buck is a real character, and that's what's important.
But then I would say that, I'm a dog-person...
Not entirely sure in all honesty, as I usually avoid what I perceive to be 'this type of thing' like the plague. Even though (and in all likelihood because) I'm a dog-person.
It is.
It is.
No, although I think the film will be forgotten more quickly than it deserves.
*1 Bit of a heavy-handed metaphor for the slave-trade, but London's book was only published around forty years after its abolition in the US, so that's fair enough. [ BACK ]
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Set around fifteen years after Rise of the Planet of the Apes*1 (and 2 after its sequel), the colony of hyper-intelligent chimps, gorillas and orangutans led by Caesar grows apace. The remnants of humanity flounder, still threatened by a previously fatal virus which has now mutated to just 'dumbing down' its victims to an animal-like state. Determined to prevent his species' extinction, a crazed military Colonel plans to lead a strike force out of his frozen base and destroy Caesar's clan, before they have a chance to relocate to warmer climes and establish a permanent settlement. Knowing the attack is imminent, Caesar sets out to hunt the Colonel and save the lives of his own people. This could be the final stand for both sides...
The Good: Damn, this film looks great. From the near-perfect 3D to the flawless transition between the human actors, practical effects and digital artistry. There were two, maybe three, moments where I watched Andy Serkis's Caesar and thought 'yeah, that looks animated', but from a 140 minute movie where the rest of it is jaw-droppingly naturalistic, it's nothing to complain about. Speaking of which, the motion-capture work of Mr Serkis as the film's lead character is superb, once again. Woody Harrelson is on fine form as his unhinged nemesis, (even though he veers towards nibbling at the edges of the scenery), and Karin Konoval is utterly enchanting as my favourite, Maurice the orangutan. It's almost a shame that Caesar speaks fluently during his time with the rest of his tribe, as the combination of grunts, sign-language and subtitles between the apes is mesmerising in itself. Michael Giacchino's score is lush, varied and fits the film perfectly (he can do it when he tries).
The Bad: So WftPotA is very, very good and there's much to love, but the amount of cinematic homage here is borderline obscene. At almost any moment it's being either Apocalypse Now*2, Spartacus or Logan. I honestly expected Amiah Miller's Nova to start popping adamantium claws at any moment (come on 20th Century Fox, do you want to expand and cross-over, or not?). And as with its predecessor, there's little in the way of fun-escapism here. It's less of the 1968 movie's pointed satire of cultural integration and more just an allegory for everybody being a twat all of the time. I read the news Matt Reeves, I know that already. On top of this, the film's final sequence feels like it's been knocked up in post-production, one of about four different endings the studio couldn't quite decide on. While the ending works narratively, the scene feels out of place with the preceding two-and-a-bit hours*3.
And really, though. Who builds a military fortress thinking "so, we just line the outer walls with ready-filled petrol tankers and other explosive materials, yeah? It'll be fine, after all we're in the lee of a snow-covered mountain which looks like it'll avalanche if someone farts in the wrong direction…"
It's almost a shame that the producers of War for The Planet Of The Apes went for the standard 12A certificate in the UK. The higher 15 would have allowed thematic exploration to become as dark as the story really requires, whilst also raising the intensity of the resulting action.
Then again, had they gone the other way and pushed for a PG rating, I'm sure they could have got a pretty freakin' sweet promotional tie-in deal with a certain tea producer...
Well, the Planet Of The Apes movies, to be fair.
For the quality of the visuals and audio, yes.
It does, indeed.
This will be a high-watermark on everyone's CV for some time to come.
Probably not, but it'll depend on why.
I didn't hear one.
And the opening battle has a shedload of arrows being fired and people falling off horses, so there really is no excuse.
*1 Seriously, is it just me who thinks they've titled the first two movies the wrong way around, though? Why would you call your first movie Rise when it shows the dawn of the mutation, then call the second one Dawn since that's when the apes rise against humanity? Who the hell's in charge over there?[ BACK ]
*2 I swear to God the only reason the military-base sewer graffiti of 'Ape-ocalypse Now!' exists in the film is to annoy writers into thinking of another witty tagline for their reviews. Fair play... [ BACK ]
*3 Plus, there's not even any banana trees there. I mean basics mate, yeah? [ BACK ]
*4 Placed strategically in an attempt to introduce some humour and cuteness to the proceedings, in a screenplay which neither wants nor needs it. In fairness, the Harry Potter-lite act only really lasts for the first half of the film, after which the character becomes more like Jar Jar Chimps; all stumbling, doe-eyed comedy gurning and "Oh noes! Meesa no goin' back to da soldjer base! Daysa be ALL bombad, dare!". And I say this as someone who actually likes Jar Jar... [ BACK ]
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Regular readers will know I don't like to paint my colours too boldly upon this platform, yet I do have colours. And when the latest version of Jack London's The Call Of The Wild opened bearing the new "20th Century Studios" ident, I must confess to sporting a wry, satisfied grin in that darkened auditorium. Let's make things better. Curiously enough, the 1935 screen adaptation also opened during a time of flux at Fox, so there's at least some odd level of synchronicity outside of the studio-drama, too.
