6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Buck is a big-hearted dog whose blissful domestic life gets turned upside down when he is suddenly uprooted from his California home and transplanted to the exotic wilds of the Alaskan Yukon in the 1890s. As the newest rookie on a mail-delivery dog sled team, Buck experiences the adventure of a lifetime as he ultimately finds his true place in the world.
Starring: Harrison Ford, Omar Sy, Cara Gee, Dan Stevens, Bradley WhitfordFamily | 100% |
Adventure | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
German: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Japanese: DTS-HD HR 5.1
English SDH, French, German, Japanese, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
W.C. Fields may or may not have actually uttered the famous aphorism about never working with animals and children, but one might still wonder if the warning, whoever may have said it, could hold equally true for CGI creations. This latest film version of Jack London’s immortal The Call of the Wild is the first ostensible live action feature from director Chris Sanders, who first rose to fame in the world of animation courtesy of such efforts as Lilo & Stitch, The Croods and How to Train Your Dragon, but he hasn’t completely forsaken any computer aided visuals with regard to this particular outing, since the real “star” of this film (as opposed to marquee headliner Harrison Ford) is a CGI canine called Buck (Terry Notary was the "Andy Serkis" of this production, playing Buck with a motion capture suit that was later animated). The Call of the Wild has been variously adapted for either the small or large screen going back to the days of the silents, but perhaps because those efforts didn’t have the ability to offer computer generated pups, the screenwriters may have tended to concentrate on the human side of the story at least as much if not more so than the dog’s tale (sorry), even though London’s source novel indubitably was Buck’s story — the humans only entered the fray courtesy of their relationships to him, not vice versa. In that regard, at least, this version hews quite a bit closer to its source, but the focal star’s believability may be up for debate with some viewers. That said, and per the maybe misattributed quote from Fields above, when Buck is on the screen he becomes the inevitable eye magnet, and whatever humans there may be in the frame with him can tend to fade into the background a lot of the time.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.
The Call of the Wild is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney/Buena Vista and 20th Century Studios* with a 2160p transfer in 2.39:1.
The
closing credits offer an Alexa 65 reference, and the IMDb states this was finished at a 4K DI. While I'm not certain the increased resolution and often
jaw dropping clarity of this presentation is always kind to some of the CGI (individual tastes will of course vary), this is a really beautiful looking
transfer that offers some stunning scenery and generally very impressive detail levels. There are noticeable upgrades from the 1080p presentation
in
terms of elements like the fine detail on the line drawings that open the film, the patterns of the ornate wallpapers in the judge's mansion or the
textures on some of the winter wear various characters wear later in the film, or indeed even on the crags of Harrison Ford's nicely weathered face.
While the uptick in general and fine detail levels is commendable across the board, the 4K UHD disc's HDR adds some impressive highlights at
various
points. The opening line drawings that play to Ford's narration have a somewhat more orange undertone here (which later turns to more traditional
gold when that very element is mentioned), and some of the blue tinted night scenes (which recur throughout the latter parts of the film) are really
very evocative here. There's a big showdown between Buck and Spitz that plays out to the luminescent teals and purples of the Aurora Borealis, and
that sequence has a range of discernable interstitial tones that aren't as evident in the 1080p presentation. Shadow definition is also improved in
several nighttime scenes, or even in the early sections of the film where Buck is imprisoned in a crate. My hunch is the CGI may be the single
biggest sticking point here for some viewers, as some sections, notably a couple of scenes where Buck is wet, simply looked much more "cartoonish"
(as in less realistic) to me in this version, and even some of the virtual environments created for backgrounds can be a bit on the soft, less detailed,
side.
*In one of those fun synchronicities that history sometimes offer us, this is the first film released under Disney's rebranding of 20th Century Fox as
20th Century Studios (you'd think they'd hang on to the Fox moniker rather than a time specific name that's already out of date, but I digress).
Interestingly, the 1935 Call of the Wild was the first film
under the then new partnership between 20th Century and Fox that created 20th Century Fox.
The Call of the Wild features an engaging Dolby Atmos track that takes all of the excellent surround activity offered by the 1080p Blu-ray's
DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track and then adds some nice vertical placement throughout the presentation, including from before the credits even begin,
with whistling winds and the sound of a pickaxe which reverberate out over the listener. (Kind of interestingly, it looks like the theatrical exhibition
offered DTS:X instead of Dolby Atmos.) Several set pieces, including the avalanche sequence
mentioned above as well as a later scene with Buck and Thornton fording some rapids provide great use of the Atmos channels, while also offering
some very energetic LFE (some of Buck's maraudings through the judge's mansion early in the film also offer bursts on the low end). John
Powell's effective
score also swells through the surround channels throughout the film, and ambient sound effects in a story that takes place largely out of doors regularly
dot the side and rear channels. Dialogue and Ford's voiceover are presented cleanly and clearly on this enjoyable and problem free track.
Note: As was often the case with joint releases of a title in both 4K UHD and 1080p by the studio formerly known as Fox, the audio and
subtitle specs for the two different formats are themselves different. The specs above reflect those found on the 4K UHD disc; for a listing of the 1080p
Blu-ray's specs, please consult our The Call of the Wild
Blu-ray review (the review will be live within just a few hours of this one).
The 4K UHD disc has no supplemental features. The 1080p Blu-ray disc also included with this release contains the following supplements:
If you're a dog lover, The Call of the Wild is sure to hit an emotional bull's eye. Those with a more jaundiced view about CGI animals interacting with human actors may have a slightly less favorable reaction, but the film still provides some lovely scenery and a briskly told story with a distinctive focus. Technical merits are first rate and I'd argue improved in both audio and video in this version, and The Call of the Wild 4K comes Recommended.
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