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The Call of the Wild Review: A Little Cheesy But Not All Bad

The Call of the Wild is better than expected, but still not fantastic. The poorly done CGI distracted from the story, which is actually good at it’s core.

call of the wild review

There were moments in The Call Of The Wild where I was intrigued and wondering what was going to come next — but it wasn’t very often. The CGI of Buck and all the other animals was often distracting, even thought I tried my hardest to ignore it and focus on the story. 

call of the wild

A Heartwarming Tale At Its Core

Honestly, I think the fact that I am a dog lover and owner helped me appreciate this movie on a different level. I believe that dogs truly are man’s best friend and that they understand us better than we do sometimes. My favorite relationship in The Call Of The Wild is hands down the one between Buck and John (played by Harrison Ford). 

From the first time they met, I knew they would steal the movie for me. I found myself waiting for them to have scenes together, which I think took away from the other scenes for me. There were many moments that had me upset for Buck, and the treatment of animals. Unfortunately, that is life and there are people like that in the real world. Those are the moments where I realized why they went with CGI — even though I was not a fan of it.

call of the wild

How Was Buck’s CGI?

Honestly my major complaint about this whole movie is that Buck, the dog, looks fake. Not once did I believe that was a real dog. When I discovered he was completely CGI and played by a human during filming, it all made sense. 

Buck’s appearance didn’t completely take away from the plot of the film, but there were a lot of moments that I found myself distracted. Not to mention that it isn’t just Buck who is done in this way. It is all of the animals and dogs. After a while, I did start to blur it out though and just focus on the story, which is actually pretty good.

call of the wild

Overall Thoughts

The Call Of The Wild is better than I expected it to be from the trailer. While the CGi was so very off, the plot wasn’t too bad. There were some moments where I even found myself completely sucked in and wondering what was going to happen. But the bad outweighs the good with too many cheesy moments for my liking. 

Would I watch The Call Of The Wild again? No. Am I glad I watched it? Yes. Like I said, it was much better than I thought it would be. So I guess that’s a win in my book. Some people are sure to absolutely love this movie despite it’s flaws. I am just not one of them. 

Check out these free printable The Call Of The Wild coloring pages!

call of the wild coloring page

The Call Of The Wild Bonus Features

My favorite thing about a home release is the bonus features! I love getting a behind the scenes look. And with something like this, it was really cool to see how Buck was actually played by a man, and not a dog!

  • A Man and His Dog*
  • Origins
  • The On-Set Experience
  • State of the Art
  • The World of the Wild
    *Available on Digital only

the call of the wild

About The Call Of The Wild

Adapted from the novel by Jack London, it vividly brings to the screen the story of Buck, a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life is turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Canadian Yukon during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail delivery dog sled team – and later its leader – Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime, ultimately finding his true place in the world and becoming his own master.

The Call Of The Wild is available on digital now and DVD & Blu-ray on May 12th.