THE CALL OF THE WILD (2020)
A fast, entertaining adventure for older children and adults.
Should You Watch It?
The Call of the Wild is a well-made, fast-paced adventure with an endearing central character. Buck’s compassion for other dogs and his ability to care for people give the film a positive moral center. The story also encourages humans to treat animals with respect and dignity.
The tradeoff is a mixed worldview. The movie ultimately stresses returning to primal nature rather than uplifting civilization, and Buck follows a spiritual black wolf toward his wild ancestors. Younger children may also be frightened by dogs fighting, humans being vicious with dogs, and other scary moments. The CGI dogs can sometimes make it harder to feel emotionally connected to Buck.
If your family includes middle schoolers and older viewers, this is WORTH THE TRIP — MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UP.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESBuck is a huge, energetic dog living a privileged life as the Judge’s dog. After he is stolen and taken to Alaska, he is sold to a dogsled team that delivers mail.
The team’s cruel alpha dog, Spitz, rules through fear. As Buck begins caring for the other dogs, the pack starts trusting him, and a rivalry develops between Buck and Spitz. Along the way, Buck encounters John Thornton and begins seeing visions of a black wolf.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is an especially entertaining film, even with a few distractions. The Call of the Wild is well made, edited well, and highly entertaining for most of its running time. Its fast pace keeps the adventure moving.
The film’s CGI, including the dogs, can be distracting. Audiences may not feel as emotionally connected with Buck because so much of him is computer-generated. Some sections also lack a clear villain or sense of jeopardy. Still, the movie delivers an engaging adventure with a compassionate main character.
The Worldview
The film presents a mixed worldview of morality and natural mysticism. Buck is caring and compassionate toward others, representing an animal companion who even serves as a psychologist at times. The movie also teaches that humans should treat animals with respect and dignity.
Eventually, however, Buck follows a vision of a black wolf into nature and back toward his wild ancestors. The movie and the book emphasize returning to primal nature rather than civilization. Environmentalist elements stress respecting nature in its raw form, while references to ancestors suggest that they establish the foundation for current times. The film also contains revisionist historical elements, and its villain is a rich white man.
The movie’s compassion and concern for animals align with biblical care for God’s creation. But Scripture presents humanity as responsible stewards within God’s ordered world, not as people who must abandon civilization to recover their truest selves. “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it’” (Genesis 1:28).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Strong Romantic worldview as characters wander the wilderness in search of adventure and the pursuit of destiny/calling, dog follows his instincts based on a manifestation of a spiritual black wolf that leads him in the right direction by speaking to his inner wildness, with some environmentalist elements that communicate the importance of respecting nature in its raw form, some pagan elements with references to ancestors and how ancestors set the foundation for current times, some revisionist history, and some moral elements stress helping others, caring for others and being compassionate, and the dog even serves as a psychologist at times
Foul Language
Two light obscenities, and a few times characters say, “Son of a” but then trail off and don’t finish the phrase
Violence
Moderate amount of action violence, dogs get hit with whips and clubs, man gets hit in a bar fight, gunshots fired and end up hitting a character that leads to his death, lantern stars a fire that eventually kills a man trapped inside a cabin, avalanche threatens the safety of a dogsled team but they end up being okay, two dogs get into a fight that wounds both of them, and blood depicted when character gets a scratch and is shot
Sex
No sex
Nudity
Upper male nudity when a character wades in a creek
Alcohol Use
Character uses alcohol to drown his sorrows, but a dog rebukes his love for alcohol and ends up showing him that alcohol won’t heal his wounds
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Greed, evil white men and envy.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Buck shows compassion toward the other dogs even when they are mistreated. What does it look like to care for someone who cannot repay you?
Luke 6:35 · Philippians 2:4The movie says humans should treat animals with respect and dignity. What responsibilities has God given people toward the rest of creation?
Genesis 1:26–28 · Proverbs 12:10Buck is drawn toward his wild ancestors and away from civilization. What is the difference between appreciating nature and treating nature as a spiritual guide?
Romans 1:25 · Psalm 19:1John Thornton is helped by Buck’s compassion. How can caring relationships help people face grief and hardship?
Galatians 6:2 · Romans 12:15The Final Word
The Call of the Wild is a well-made, fast-paced adventure with a compassionate heart. Its mixed worldview, scary elements, animal violence, and distracting CGI call for parental discernment with younger viewers. For middle schoolers and older, it is WORTH THE TRIP — MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UP.
