Harrison Ford’s Underrated Adventure Movie Becomes a Global Netflix Hit, 5 Years Later

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On Netflix, Call of the Wild ranks eighth on the list of the streamer’s top 10 movies globally. For the week of December 1-7, it accumulated 3.8 million views, narrowly edging out Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. Over this timeframe, Call of the Wild was watched for 6.4 million hours. This is the film’s first week in the Netflix top 10.

Call of the Wild Underwhelmed at the Box Office, but It’s Worth Watching

Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Call of the Wild premiere in theaters in late February 2020, making it one of the last major new releases to hit the scene before the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before the pandemic hit, Call of the Wild wasn’t the biggest draw. It opened with $24.7 million domestically, coming in second place to holdover Sonic the Hedgehog. Call of the Wild ultimately finished with $62.3 million in the United States and $111.1 million worldwide. That was a disappointing result considering the film’s production budget, which was in the range of $125-150 million. Despite that performance, The Call of the Wild is still worth adding to your Netflix watchlist.

The film is based on the Jack London novel of the same name, chronicling the life of Buck, a Saint Bernard/Scotch Shepherd mix who forms a strong bond with John Thornton (Ford). The Call of the Wild is directed by Chris Sanders, who at that point was best-known for helming animated films such as Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon. Call of the Wild was Sanders’ live-action debut, but the material fits well within his wheelhouse. He has plenty of experience telling affecting stories about friendships between humans and unlikely animal companions. The Call of the Wild received generally positive reviews, with critics considering Sanders’ handling of the classic narrative a highlight.

Where Call of the Wild truly excels is in its portrayal of the Buck/Thornton dynamic. Ford is the ideal fit for the character, who has a gruff exterior but a heart of gold. And once viewers get over the uncanny valley effect of the CGI used to bring Buck to life, the dog becomes a fully realized character in his own right. It’s easy to become emotionally invested in his journey and fall in love with Buck’s larger-than-life personality. The digital effects could be a bit distracting in the opening moments (the CGI was a common critique lobbied at the film), but it ultimately works once viewers settle in. The supporting cast doesn’t have as much to do, so Buck and Thornton are the main draw.

The Call of the Wild isn’t a Christmas movie, but its setting and heartwarming nature still makes it an excellent pick to watch over the holiday season (it’s fitting for any time during winter, honestly). It’s nice to see it finally get the attention it deserves after all these years. It may not be the most acclaimed directorial effort from Sanders (who called the shots on last year’s Oscar-nominated The Wild Robot), but it demonstrates a new side of his range as a filmmaker, and it’ll be interesting to see if he pursues more live-action films down the line.

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