THE CALL OF THE WILD Directed by Chris Sanders Starring: Harrison Ford, Dan Stevens, Karen Gillan, Cara Gee, Omar Sy The Yukon’s a dangerous place, you never know what’s coming. I came up here because I didn’t want to be around anyone…and then I met Buck. - John Thornton A sled dog struggles for survival in the wilds of the Yukon, but the St Bernard named Buck has already survived a succession of masters both cruel and kind, until it meets Thornton who has a space in his heart which needs to be filled, and filled it is when he encounters the dog. Prior to this we learn that Buck was owned by Judge Miller (Bradley Whitford). The film begins with the effect that Buck has on the Miller household by galloping through the household, over dishes and carpets…make way one might say…here comes Buck! Strong dogs like Buck are at a premium to be used on sled teams during the Canadian Yukon’s gold rush, and Buck is stolen and transported to the north. Through soggy Skagway, Alaska, Buck encounters John Thornton (Harrison Ford) by picking up a harmonica which had fallen out of his pocket and retuning it to him. It’s a good introduction and the pair soon become friends. Now…a lot of the criticism of the film comes about its CGI effects which obviously show that Buck is not a real dog, but a anthropomorphised one and at no time is Thornton talking to a real dog. If you can get past these moments of artificiality, then the film will win you over. The most powerful and enjoyable sequences are the ones when Buck is up against avalanches and when Perrault (Omar Sy) has to return to Quebec because his mail delivery service by sled is considered to be outmoded. Enter villain Hal (Dan Stevens), a gold prospector who purchases the team. He and his sister Mercedes (Karen Gillan) treat the dogs badly, but thankfully Thornton steps in and objects to the treatment of the dogs and particularly Buck. Eventually Thornton and Buck set off to the great unknown.
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