Harrison Ford in The Call of the Wild (2020)

The Call of the Wild (2020)

Starring: Harrison Ford, Dan Stevens, Omar Sy, Cara Gee

My Rating: ★★★★

Harrison Ford is one of those pillars of my life. He's just always been there, ever since I saw Star Wars for the first time when I was four-years-old. He's also one of those actors that people aren't really on the fence about; they either like him or they don't. I happen to like him.

The idea of him being in The Call of the Wild fascinated me because I've never read Jack London's book and I'd also never seen a single adaptation of it into a film. So watching this movie was a brand new introduction for me to the story and Harrison's presence in the film piqued my interest to make me try it.

There's a lot of heart behind The Call of the Wild.

I feel like Harrison just wanted to make this movie. That he's reached an age where he can sort of do what he wants, and unapologetically be who he is. I admire that about him now, and so there's a relaxed comfortableness he exhibits while playing John Thornton. There's very little artifice, but a tired, older man who's running from his demons and nightmares until his fate intertwines with the fate of this dog, Buck.

Animal movies have never really been my thing, which is weird because most people LOVE them. I guess they make me sad in some ways? Buck goes through a hard time. He's kidnapped from his home and shipped off to the Yukon because they're short of sled dogs. He's abused by his kidnappers to train and tame him. His first owner in the Yukon runs the mail sled and he and his female partner (possibly his lover/wife?) are very kind to Buck and the other sled dogs, as kind as you can be in the Yukon. His second owner in the Yukon is a cruel man named Hal, played by Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens as it happens, but John Thornton rescues him. Buck's journey to finally being at John Thornton's side is not an easy one.

Buck's story really is the journey of a dog realizing his identity. 

We all ask that basic question, right? Who am I? What is my purpose? Buck's experience leads him to his ultimate journey's end, that of a dog living in the wild with a pack of wolves. He finds where he belongs, having been lead by the vision of a dark wolf who appears throughout the movie just when Buck needs him. It sort of has that white wolf feel from the Balto animated film if you've seen that.

Technology is finally catching up with Disney's crazy vision of CGIing animals. It's not quite perfect yet, but Buck's design is pretty darn close. He's a very expressive dog, in the way dogs can be, but it's impossible to get real dogs to express specific emotions on cue for specific scenes. So this works. I found myself engaged with Buck's story, despite my self-professed disinterest in stories about animals. 

The human performances were great. I've never hated Dan Stevens so much in my entire life. I like him a lot as an actor, so this proved to me that my appreciation of his acting skills was completely deserving. The man played a convincing cad of the first order. I also really appreciated Omar Sy and Cara Gee as the mail runners in the Yukon (Buck's first Yukon owners). Omar's character was an enthusiastic, positive, upbeat man who always strived to make the best of every situation. He gave a warm and compassionate performance, and Cara Gee played off him really well. You'll also find a teensy cameo by Karen Gillan of Doctor Who, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Jumanji fame.

There was a surreal moment in The Call of the Wild. It was like all the years dropped away from Harrison and he was suddenly Indiana Jones from the 1980s again. The smile, the jawline, the charisma, it was all there. I was blown away by that moment. It was like falling into some sort of crazy timewarp for just a couple of seconds. My dad also likes Harrison Ford, and he thinks this is probably the finest performance he's seen Harrison give and I have to agree. I am impressed, and I'm grateful that Harrison was such a driving force behind this re-telling of such a popular tale. I just regret that the timing sucked for the release because of COVID. I know that COVID has affected results and viewing stats and that's so unfortunate. Because the movie really is better than the impression that IMDB gives.

I'm fortunate because I have nothing to compare the 2020 version of The Call of the Wild to. So I could just sit back and enjoy it, which I did. As soon as Buck ended up in the Yukon, I was completely engaged in the story being told. Is it the best movie ever? No, but it is good and it's inspiring. And right now, during this season, these are the types of stories I really need.