The Call of the Wild

One of the last films distributed by the late Twentieth Century Pictures was their take on Jack London's novel The Call of the Wild. This year, the first film by the newly renamed Twentieth Century Studios is another take on the same novel. Let's see how it is.

During the Gold Rush, Buck the Dog was Judge Miller's (Bradley Whitford) pampered pooch. Dognappers take him and sell him up to the Yukon. Buck is sold as a sled dog to mailcarriers Perault (Omar Sy) and Francoise (Cara Gee). Buck asserts himself against the mean Alpha Dog, Spitz, and becomes the new top dog. And then, the mail route is cancelled.

It's about halfway into the 100 minute runtime that we're really introduced to its narrator - John Thornton (Harrison Ford). He and Buck met a few times during the film. But Thornton finally becomes relevant when he liberates Buck from his new and incompetent owners. Thornton decides to go off the map with Buck and explore whatever wilderness comes their way. Buck finds a wolf pack and decides to join them.

Oh yes, remember the new and incompetent owners Thornton liberated Buck from? One of them, Hal (Dan Stevens), decides to follow them into the wild with murderous gold fever.

This marks the live-action and solo directorial debut of Chris Sanders (Lilo and Stitch, How to Train your Dragon). The screenplay by Michael Green probably could've used a different narrator. We get Buck's adventures narrated by someone he really meets halfway through. And at the end, you'll wonder how he even narrated them at all. It ends up making their eventual meeting too long coming. Along the way, we get some captivating character plots that are never addressed again. Perhaps that's a consequence of it adapting an episodic novel.

Buck's CGI realization may make or break the film. He's a very expressive dog; so expressive, one may expect him or his sled mates to start talking. They don't. But we feel for him when abusive humans threaten him. We also laugh when he acts roughly or hides Thornton's liquor. On the other hand, his CGI is sometimes too obvious. Still, his expressive face justifies the CGI.

The realization of the 1800s makes great use of CGI and production designer Stefan Dechant's sets. A few standout scenes include Buck's outmaneuvering an avalanche, his rescue of Francoise from a frozen river and his battle with Spitz. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski helps create the stunning nature views. The action is set to another strong score by John Powell.

What about the human cast? To start, Ford is likable as an old outdoorsman who learns to embrace company. Stevens is perfectly detestable as Hal; his companions, Mercedes (Karen Gillian) and Charles (Colin Woodell), start off as unlikable idiots before their sanity kicks in. Sy and Gee are likable as Perrault and Francois. One of the best bit characters is Edenshaw (Michael Horse), who intervenes when Hal tries to beat up Thornton.

The Call of the Wild has to deal with its slightly uneven tone. It goes from silly to serious somewhat quickly. Buck's abduction and cruel treatment is very terrifying. The introduction of the ragtag bunch of losers that make up most of his sled team is silly. I could go on, but I can't. It's nowhere as rough as the novel, and some of its most questionable elements are gone. The most basic story is still present despite the changes. It's still an epic adventure story about a dog discovering his inner wolf. See it at any price.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Faster than a Speeding Plumber!

Bouncier than a Mighty Mouse!

Able to speed through levels in a single day!

And now, after nearly thirty years, he's on the big screen! Jethro, how'd it go?

I thought you'd never ask, Baxter.

I did.

….

We're talking about Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega's video game star. His movie opens with him (as voiced by Ben Schwartz) on the run from baddies. They all want his super-speed for some reason. He escapes his home planet with magic rings that let him go anywhere in the universe. He eventually finds himself in Green Hills, Montana, where his "best friends" are Sheriff Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie Wachowski (Tika Sumpter), though they don't know he exists. 

Tom is about to move to San Francisco. That is, until Sonic accidentally blackouts much of the Pacific Northwest. The US Government calls up the mad Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to investigate. Sonic tries to ring himself to another planet when Tom shows up. His bag of rings ring themselves on top of the Transamerica Pyramid. Sonic needs Tom's sense of direction to get him to San Francisco. They have to hurry before Robotnik and his drones catch up with them. Gotta go fast.

Director Jeff Fowler (Oscar Nominee for the short, Gopher Broke) and his writers keep it fast. We first see Sonic and Robotnik speed-dueling in San Francisco before it literally rewinds through the whole movie. Once queued up, the movie gives us a concise and speedy plot. Barely any scene is wasted. A few questions, especially the secret of Sonic's speed, are seemingly left for a sequel to explain. We also get some logistical questions that make sense if you think them over. 

Sonic makes for a good protagonist. He's quick-witted and sarcastic, but he's really a lonely nice guy. He never ruins his goodwill with crass humor. We're easily on his side all the way through. The visual effects artists deserve extra pay for retooling Sonic's earlier much-derided first design to match his video game self on short notice. The retool was pretty seamless, mostly. His superspeed effects are astounding; his slo-mo runs are just as good as Quicksilver's in the X-Men movies.

And the others. Jim Carrey as Robotnik steals the show with his manic personality. He's legitimately formidable once he gets serious, though he's also sometimes funny too. James Marsden makes for a good human pal as Tom. We get his frustrations with small-town life and his desire to move on. His arc ended nicely, though somewhat too quickly. Sumpter as Maddie did fine with her relatively smaller role. Lee Madjoub was memorable as Robotnik's yes-man, Agent Stone; the military men were mostly forgettable save for Maj. Bennington (Neal McDonough).

Sonic the Hedgehog makes for a fine matinee. The story is basic, though it's mostly easy to understand. It's a silly escapade, so don't expect some dramatic weight (Sonic's dead? No, he's not.) Again, I hope the sequel explains what this movie didn't. We get a preview of a prospective sequel with one last character arrival in the mid-credits. That gets my interest.

Birds of Prey

Joker proved that he could headline a movie without Batman. Now it's time for his right-hand harlequin to get her own movie. Margot Robbie returns from Suicide Squad as the looney Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn).

Harley Quinn is a free bird. The Joker dumped her and left her without a purpose. So she tries to find her calling in Gotham City. But without "Mr. J," she doesn't have the freedom to annoy everybody she wants. One such annoyed man is dapper kingpin Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor). But he has bigger (smaller?) concerns right now.

Roman wants a MacGuffin diamond, but young pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) swiped it. Roman lets Harley go after Cassie and the diamond. He also sends Gotham's criminals after them too. Harley isn't about to give up her quarry without a fight. She decides to protect Cassie and take her on as an apprentice. A Robin for her Batman.

Meanwhile, Gotham Detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) gets on Harley's case. The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth-Winstead) wants the diamond for personal reasons. Dinah Lance, the Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), is inducted into Roman's services. They get together to oppose Roman, his vile henchman Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina), and their army of goons.

Everybody get that?

Director Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs) and screenwriter Christina Hodson let Harley narrate the proceedings. An animated prologue tells us Harley's life up to her breakup. She frequently goes back and forth in time during her narration (i.e. Why is Harley raiding the police station? The next scenes fill us in.). The unchronological narrative makes sense considering the perspective. The only flaw is that the backtracking tends to kill some of the momentum. Fortunately, it gradually fades away, leading to a spectacular finale.

Harley is an entertainingly unapologetic criminal. Her would-be assailants have some legitimate grievances, but her audacity makes these encounters hilarious. Her time with Cassie shows how selfless she can be. Cassie herself is another great character. We understand her cynicism once we hear her foster parents violently argue. Cassie reacts to Harley's rundown apartment with awe; that says a lot. She's not much of a fighter, but her craftiness is put to great use in the finale.

The other Birds are great. The Huntress's comical seriousness is hilarious in-spite of her violent backstory. Renee Montoya spends the movie dealing with Harley and sexism in the Gotham Police. We're on her side all the way on the latter part; on the former, only a bit. Dinah spends the movie dealing with her mother's legacy and her current employers. She's as compassionate as she is an amazing fighter.

What about the villains? Roman Sionis is usually a suave and hammy gentleman, but that makes him scary. I mean, he has the daughter of a rival executed - a minute after sparing her - for the pettiest of reasons. Zsasz is all too willing to help him in his misdeeds. This makes their ultimate defeats all the more satisfying.

The film is a visual delight. Production Designer KK Barrett, Costume Designer Erin Benach and Cinematographer Matthew Libatique join forces to create a colorful world. A few highlights include Roman's nightclub, the Amusement Park in the finale and Harley and Roman's combined wardrobe. We also get some great CGI to realize Harley's pet Hyena, Bruce. The makeup artistry is just as good as Suicide Squad's Oscar-winning work (I know others had problems with it, but not me.).

I need to wrap up soon. So I'll conclude by saying that Birds of Prey is as delightfully wacky as its main character. Its eccentric narration easily excuse some narrative issues. Its ensemble makes for an entertaining bunch of comic book characters. Let's hope the Academy remembers its alluring visual design next year while it honors Mr. J.'s movie tomorrow.

Yes. See it now. See it soon.