And so begins the inevitable live action Husky movie review sequence (I know not again right). We own a Husky Border Collie cross and as the first movie trailed all 3 of those types of dogs, watching it was an inevitability when DW gets involved.
and it got worse from there via the recommendations engine
Snow Dogs (review)
So, this is a classic Cuba Gooding Jnr movie in the sense that it’s not exactly great but it would be a whole lot worse if he wasn’t in it. He’s a rich Miami dentist who ends up in fish out of water territory up in Alaska. At one stage I thought the plot was heading in a Cool Runnings-esque direction but in the end it was more about Cuba and his unlikely father.
Disney+
Daft but entertaining in the main
If you like dogs, cute dogs
A genuinely funny Michael Bolton joke
Disney-
You’d definitely have to be in the right mood to enjoy this
Rating 6/10 a little better than expected, certainly enjoyed this all the way through. You would have to pay me a lot to watch it again.
Togo (review)
The second in our Alaska based husky movie marathon. Togo is 2019 released (new for Disney+), based on a true story set in 1925 about a Husky with Attitude turned racing champion. Willem Dafoe is in it which is a good start, he’s perfectly cast as this film’s craggy old mountain dude. The actress playing his wife (Julianne Nicholson) also turned in a solid performance. That said, while it may be true, the story is not a whole lot of fun.
Disney+
Classy Willem Dafoe more suited to this sort of role than a space goblin/water goblin etc.
It’s a true story
Nice reveal about the statue in New York at the end 'Balto!'
Disney-
Too many ‘HE’S GOING TO DIE’ moments left the nerves frazzled by the end
A bleak watch at times, 1925 with a lockdown and a virus on the loose, too topical!
It gives away too much in the trailer.
Rating 5.5/10 we found this to be hard work as a story, puts the dog-loving viewer under a lot of stress!
Iron Will - Whoa! Gee! What a picture (review)
You wait years for a Husky movie review to come along and 3 arrive at once. I’m starting to pick up sledding commands by day 3 here in Husky Week.
This features a young Kevin Spacey, Brian Cox (the Scottish actor not the Mancunian spaceman) and John Terry (not that one although DW did suggest that lol) in another movie about someone getting some huskies and racing them around Alaska.
Iron Will was the best of the husky movies yet and the first one that I’d consider watching again at some point. It’s another period piece set between the wars and it evoked the time well.
Disney+
Pleasingly traditional Boys Own style adventure
Properly nasty villain
Brought the race to life very well, made it entertaining to the end
Disney-
Excuse the darkness but Spacey comforting a 17 year old boy looks very wrong these days
Rating 7/10 to my immense surprise this was pretty good. It may be cinematic snow-blindness but this was inspiring, well put together and a satisfying journey of a movie.
White Fang (review)
This is a slight departure in husky week because it’s about a dog that is at most only half husky (the other part being wolf), but there are also regular huskies in it so it makes the grade. We’re up in North America in the snow again, this time during the gold rush.
White Fang is an adaption of a well known book of the same name by Jack London, the sort of adventure story I tended to read as a kid albeit I don’t recall ever reading White Fang. There are several other versions of this out there but this is the 1991 Disney live action movie starring Ethan Hawke. There’s also a sequel which I haven’t seen on Disney+ yet (shh don’t tell DW
)
I didn’t think this was great all things considered. It isn’t terrible but it definitely dragged. This story was far more about the young man than the dog which irritated my other half and all the bits around the two of them forming their bond etc. were rushed as they tried to cram too many story checkpoints developed over time in a chunky novel into too little time (a bit like how I find the first Harry Potter movie - Diagon Alley - check, chocolate frog - check, ginger friend - check etc.). As a result I found it not as moving as probably it is supposed to be but it could just have been the mood I was in on the day.
Disney+
Fundamentally a strong story
The dangerous natural world and sketchy towns of the gold rush era are believably recreated
Disney-
Took to much of the runtime to get to the key man-dog relationship
The supporting character flips personality a little too completely around the halfway point
Dog-fighting scenes are a hard watch for animal lovers
Rating 5.5/10 pretty average stuff as far as I’m concerned, especially as it’s based on a well loved book that I suspect is a lot better than this.
Eight Below (review)
In a major departure, this one is about huskies pulling sleds at the South Pole
Polar expedition time as a scientist tries to find a unique piece of meteorite out of season in the most hostile conditions.
Not a bad movie, long-ish at just over 2hrs but well made and a quality piece of work which must have cost a fair bit to make. And he cheeky young actor in a supporting role as a cartographer? No matter what he does, Jason Biggs will always be Jim from American Pie.
Disney+
Races into the story with a minimum of fuss, always clear what is going on
Well made, produced and acted - the ‘canine actors’ are great too
Disney-
Sets up like a disaster movie which makes for a stressful watch
At one point there’s a slightly ropey CGI seal which jars with the rest of the production quality
Rating 6/10 this is a solid movie with an excellent opening 30 mins or so. After that we found it a little long (and bleak for a lot of the runtime) but that’s more a personal preference. If you enjoy a more serious kind of adventure story you might really like this.
Disney+ Husky Movie Top 5:
1. Iron Will (7/10)
2. Snow Dogs (6)
3. Eight Below (6)
4. Togo (5.5)
5. White Fang (5.5)
I have no desire to watch White Fang 2 - make it stop now please!