http://www.dallasobserver.com/film/gorgeous-wolf-totem-holds-to-nature-adventure-formula-7570823
GORGEOUS WOLF TOTEM HOLDS TO NATURE-ADVENTURE FORMULA
The success of Jean-Jacques Annaud's handsome lupine adventure Wolf Totem relies in large part on the ratio between wolf and totem. There are wolves — those howling, majestic hunters of the Mongolian grasslands — and then there are the many things they stand for: freedom, teamwork, the delicate harmony of nature and the devastating encroachment of civilization on centuries-old tradition. (And that's just for starters.) Whenever Annaud and his cinematographer, Jean-Marie Dreujou, chase the pack across lush green hills and arid plains,Wolf Totem has the elemental beauty of a Carroll Ballard (The Black Stallion) production or the better sequences from The Bear, Annaud's simple, affecting 1988 film. Whenever it pauses to consider, say, how the declining wolf population reflects the thoughtless dictates of the Cultural Revolution, the film bites off more gazelle meat than it can chew.
Though based on Jiang Rong's popular semi-autobiographical novel, which drew on his own experience as a herder for 11 years in Inner Mongolia, this French-Chinese production plays something like a repurposed Dances With Wolves, right down to the Easternized score by the late James Horner. In the Kevin Costner role, there's Chen Zhen (Feng Shaofeng), a feckless student from Beijing who's sent to help civilize the Mongolian nomads and carve out a place for migrating Han Chinese. Eventually, he runs with the tribe. He has a Mary McDonnell in Gasma (Ankhnyam Ragchaa), the widowed daughter of the wise chief Bilig (Basen Zhabu), and he takes in a wolf cub, too, that rivals Costner's "Two Socks" for fluffy, yelping adorability.
Wolf Totem addresses the particular ways Chinese social engineering upsets an ecosystem that Bilig and his forefathers have maintained for generations, but the filmmakers have taken a one-size-fits-all approach to environmentalist adventure. A universal theme like man-versus-nature still needs support from specifics, but beyond the horrifying spectacle of hurling sacks of wolf cubs to the heavens, Annaud and his co-screenwriters, Alain Godard, Lu Wei and John Collee, don't offer many. They've flattened the story into natives and naïfs against polluters and functionaries, and simplified the torments of a hero caught in between.
When the wolves run free, however, Annaud supplies all the breathtaking panoramas promised by a big international production set loose in the wilds of Inner Mongolia. In IMAX 3-D, you can practically feel the wetness of a wolf's snout as it scans the grasslands, looking for strays in a passing herd or a poorly monitored sheep pen. There are striking images: a previously untouched lake blackened by careless settlers from the east; frozen gazelle carcasses preserved by being wedged into the ground, which serve as a makeshift wolf refrigerator. Wolf Totem itself becomes a pitched battle for supremacy between the breathtaking glories of nature and the grinding banality of man. Here, as ever, nature loses.
http://www.pressreader.com/usa/san-jose-mercury-news-weekend/20150911/282492887477214/TextView
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/09/11/3801495/movie-review-gorgeous-wolf-totem.html
Somewhere between "Planet Earth" and a historical drama lies "Wolf Totem," a sweeping Chinese epic from French director Jean-Jacques Annaud. Taking place in the throes of Communist fervor in 1967 China, the film traces the journey of a young man from Beijing discovering the natural, spiritual mysteries of Inner Mongolia. The lessons that he learns about conservation and wildlife are ones that ring true even today.
Based on the smash hit 2004 novel by Jiang Rong, the story follows Chen Zhen (Feng Shaofeng) and Yang Ke (Shawn Dou), two eager young men from the big city who find themselves in Mongolia, living with a nomadic tribe of sheep herders, a long way from home. But they're surprised to find that this place feels more like home for them, melding quickly into the lifestyle of a shepherd, living in a yurt, galloping their horses along the Technicolor green plains.
After a dangerous experience wandering off the path, Chen Zhen quickly becomes enamored of the packs of wolves with whom the nomads share their land. They have a symbiotic relationship, sharing food, and resources, and the nomads have a deep spiritual respect for the power of the wolves - as they should.
As industrial forces rumble into the land, looking to exploit resources for the greater good of the republic, the delicate balance is upset and all-out war breaks out between the wolves and humans. Complicating matters is Chen Zhen's puppy, Little Wolf, a cub that he secreted away from a den in hopes of raising on his own.
As cultures clash, the mighty wolves have to contend with forces far greater than they are - guns, jeeps and mass destruction. But can the city folk learn to live with the wolves in common understanding and respect?
The greatest aspect of "Wolf Totem" is the gorgeous, sweeping cinematography that captures the landscape in breathtaking aerial shots and crystal clear color. If you spring for the IMAX and 3D experience, it's even more immersive and crisp, though there isn't much in the way of 3D action. There is one jaw-dropping action scene, a blizzard stampede of horses with wolves in hot pursuit that is genuinely awe-inspiring. It's also a chance to experience some of the last work of late, great composer James Horner, who lends his talents to the score, which utilizes a traditional Chinese music.
The story has its touching moments but dissolves into disjointed melodrama in the back half of the film. The attempted eradication of the wolves is so heartbreaking that the explosions, attacks and illness that befall our characters feel over the top in comparison. There is more than enough heartstring-tugging and drama to go around, so the pile-on is unnecessary.
Still, Feng's performance as the young student evolving and growing up in front of our eyes is a compelling one, as well as his relationship with Little Wolf (though it often seems that he needs some training himself). The message contained herein is a powerful one, stressing the idea that the only way to live is to live together. It's a concept we could still stand to ponder.
'WOLF TOTEM'
2.5 stars out of 4
Rated PG-13 for disturbing images and violence involving animals, and for brief sexuality.
Cast: Feng Shaofeng, Shawn Dou, Yin Zhusheng, Ba Sen Zha Bu
Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud
Running time: 121 minutes
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