Jack London.

It's one of those names still included in literature anthologies to this day. Like many who read this review, I suspect, I had to read some of London's writing as I went through school. My favorite tale of his is a short story about a man trying to survive in extreme elements called To Build a Fire - if you've never read it, it's worth checking out. However, London is best known for two novels, both with animals as lead characters: Call of the Wild and White Fang.

Since London is still a recognizable name (and since his work is in the public domain), it's a no-brainer that various studios over the years have tried to capitalize on his writing. And hence, there's Jack London's Call of the Wild, a 2000 made-for-television production. Like the recently cancelled Dead Zone series, Call of the Wild assumes some of the character names and concepts from the book but otherwise strays from the source material. Surprisingly, it's not that bad.

This version of Call of the Wild follows Miles Challenger, a 15-year-old boy out in the Yukon who becomes enamored with a sled dog named Buck. At the start of the film, Buck is up for auction, and while Miles puts up a feeble bid for the dog, Buck is won by another man, a mail carrier in need of dogs for his sled. Miles lives his mother and stepfather, John Thornton, who debate his future in a similar manner to Luke Skywalker and his Uncle Owen in the original Star Wars. Like Luke, Miles wants to venture off and, in this case, become a guide, but his stepfather wants him in school and worries he's too inexperienced for the dangers of leading others through the hostile and cold environment. The first half of the movie interweaves Buck and Miles's stories before they inevitably cross paths again. In the second half, Buck becomes the lead sled dog for a couple of inexperienced travelers who then hire Miles as their guide. These characters' tale of survival in the wilderness becomes the central plot for the remainder of the film.

While Call of the Wild never really rises above television quality, for what it is, it's entertaining. The story is paced well - although it's pretty obvious where things are headed. The actors are professional, and scenes are punctuated by some nice-looking wilderness shots (the movie was shot in Vancouver). It's a shame this was made in full screen rather than widescreen as the locations are beautiful. The score is whimsical and melodramatic, and seems out of place at times. However, it doesn't overwhelm.

Allumination Filmworks, distributor of this DVD, emphasizes the "family-friendly" quality of this product, and I would agree to a certain point. This is fairly inoffensive stuff, but I do think really little ones might be disturbed by a couple scenes involving dog fights. The characters also come across a man and his sled team frozen dead. So, parents of the very young might want to be present while watching this. The DVD's cover art states an approximate 120 minute runtime, but the feature actually runs 1:35:59. They're probably going by how long this would have run on commercial television with all commercials included.

In sum, Jack London fans may bristle at the radical departure from the novel's storyline, but as a made-for-television movie about dogs and a young boy's coming-of-age, this isn't bad. Rent it.

The DVD

Video:

Call of the Wild is given a full screen presentation that I suspect represents the original aspect ratio considering this was a made for television production from 8 years ago. The image is about what one would expect from such a source: it doesn't look bad but details are lacking and there's some video noise throughout. As I noted before, the outdoors location footage leaves one wishing this had been filmed in widescreen to give a grander sense of its beauty.

Sound:

The sole audio track is Dolby Digital 2.0. It's fairly uniform and unexciting, but it does its job well as dialogue and music are clear throughout. Subtitles are made available in Spanish.

Extras:

The main menu has a Previews link that leads to trailers for Outlaw Trail, Time of the Wolf, My Magic Dog, and the unfortunately titled Fast Girl. A separate Trailer link houses a Call of the Wild trailer. And that's it for extras.

Final Thoughts:

Call of the Wild is an entertaining made for television production. Had Allumination Filmworks provided significant extras, I might have called this a recommended title. However, as a feature alone, I'm not sure this would have much replay value once you've seen it. Thus, it's probably best to say that this is an enthusiastic rental suggestion.

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