One of the first books I’ve ever really became engaged with was Robert London’s The Call of the Wild. It is one of the most visceral and interesting tales of survival and you’d be hard pressed to not become deeply connected to the book’s protagonist, a dog named Buck. Throughout the book the dog, who is stolen from his home, becomes wild and feral finding his true dog self by the end.
Fox’s adaptation of the book doesn’t quite seem to be in line with that. There’s a heavy focus on Ford’s character, John Thornton, and less of a focus on the death and struggling that Buck faces throughout his journey through the Yukon. This feels more like the kind of “good boy” movie we make Jesse watch, not the emotional powerhouse that London wrote.
Also, the CGI is kind of iffy. That bear is not so great compared to the wonders that Disney is pulling off with things like The Jungle Book and The Lion King.
The Call of the Wild will release on February 21, 2019.
