Since I got Disney+ from a friend back in November, I haven't really used it much after "The Mandalorian" finished its first season. That's due to the lack of original content that has been released for the service, offering only a few films and shows. As for the films, they are extremely lacklustre with the forgettable "Lady And The Tramp" remake and "Noelle". Then, there's "Togo", which has gotten very little attention from those using the service and being yet another film centred about a bond between a dog and his owner. However, there's much more to what appears to be your generic, dog movie dumped into streaming. Based on a true story, the film follows Leonhard Seppala and his lead dog, Togo, as they run 250 miles in order to get a serum to save the infected children of Nome, along with flashbacks where a young Togo proves his worth and spirit to the bitter Leonhard. You might recognize this event as the one that the dog, Balto, is known in, which reveals that the aforementioned canine in reality didn't put enough work as our main characters, instead being the team to relay back to Nome in the final stretch. The story stays true to the events that take place, though there are a few exceptions. The film offers its cute moments, though it doesn't pander to children as the tone takes itself seriously. It's about as good as any dramatization on true events can get. In fact, the only issue I truly have with the film though is that it does get melodramatic at times, mainly by the ending when Leonhard and Togo get back home and try to give the impression that Togo is going to die, yet we find out that he lived for another two years. Outside of that though, the dramatic moments prior were very effective, since they felt rather natural in the story.
William Dafoe is a fantastic actor and clearly was the right choice to play Leonhard, since he does have a resemblance to the figure. He of course puts out a really good performance that blends his dramatic edge as well as a fun charm during the flashbacks when he has to deal with the antics of Togo as a puppy. However, it can be said that this is nowhere near one of the best performances, since it does feel a bit by the numbers, though Dafoe still shows that he's a talented actor. The dogs however are really well-trained to act so greatly in the film. As many films today try to mainly use CGI canines for films that require a lot of work for the animals, it's refreshing to see that they used highly-trained dogs that manage to act genuine in the film. Togo and the other sled dogs are cute and heartwarming to watch, mainly since Dafoe's Leonhard cares for his team of canines and has a special bond with them, which is more present with Togo. There's not much to say about the side characters, as the mayor or supportive allies just seem to play their parts as they are. The only other character to point out is Leonhard's wife, Constance, played by Julianne Nicholson. While she is mainly stuck to the role as the supportive, caring wife who tries to make Leonhard change his mind about his choices regarding to the sleigh run or Togo's potential, she can be very charming to watch and she never comes across as annoying or needy. These aren't the most complex or compelling cast of characters that we have seen before, but they get the job well enough for this type of film.
Ericson Core is a cinematographer-turned-director who might have just made his first big hit in regards to displaying his talents of the camera and putting this film together the way it is. One thing that seems to be off-putting at first is that the film has this slightly blurry border. At first, I found it pretty distracting, since it feels unnecessary and out of context. But, I completely forgot about it once I finished the film. It's a bit odd, but it's not an issue that hinders the quality of the film. Core manages to capture the cold, barren, yet beautiful Alaska using the landscape of Alberta, while having the typically dull colours such as grey and brown and make them look stunning. Core clearly learned from his previous projects and not only has some really good cinematography, but does a competent job directing his third film. The score by Mark Isham is decent for the typical biopic, but it's not a memorable score outside of its use in the film. The CGI is mainly used for the caribou and the two action set-pieces where Leonhard and his sleigh team have to survive the tough landscape. Although it is fake-looking and a bit unnecessary, I excuse the use of the visual effects since they didn't overstuff the film with it, where they could have had all of the dogs or environments made by a computer. The last thing to mention is the editing, which is well-done for the most part, but there is one glaring scene that could have been taken out for time. The final flashback that is presented is where Leonhard and Togo win their first sled race together. Not only is it shown during the 3rd act, but the flashback is completely pointless in the film, since the previous flashbacks did show the beginning of the bond with a cute Togo and a stubborn Leonhard. I just felt that they could have taken out this final flashback out of the film to shorten the runtime a little bit, which is needed since the film tends to feel longer than it is, due to the melodramatic beats of the ending.
"Togo" joins the ever-growing list of films that are exclusive to streaming that are actually really good. While the ending might go on a bit too long trying to pull at the heartstrings, a scene or two could have been cut to shorten the film, and the majority of the characters are forgettable in the roles they have to stick with, this is clearly the best Disney+ original film. With a solid, dramatic yet real-life story to be tell onscreen, great acting from Dafoe and Nicholson, well-trained dogs that give you cute and heartwarming moments, very good cinematography, decent editing and music, and good directing that establishes Core in his new field in the industry. It's nowhere near the best film exclusive to streaming services or even the best biopic produced by Disney, but it is a really good film given its competition in its service as well as having something new to watch on Disney+ as we wait for "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier".
Verdict: 8/10. Pretty great for what it is. Would have benefitted much more if it was released in theatres in my opinion.
No comments:
Post a Comment