Togo has all the elements of a great tale for the big screen -- gorgeous settings, action enhanced by special effects, A-list star power, and an inspiring tale of humans and their handsome sled dogs. But the film juggles all these elements a little awkwardly, resulting in a solid and worthy but not entirely fulfilling movie set to premiere on the small screen.
Togo is another reminder that Dafoe can make just about any character feel authentic, though he's straddled here with a slightly distracting accent and some eccentric character moments, like when he shouts Shakespeare at his sled dogs.
There are drastic shifts in tone between past and present -- Togo's puppyhood on Seppala's austere but pleasant homestead and breakneck adventure on their death-defying rescue mission. Scenes in between, when Seppala and Togo restore their physical and spiritual energy at dimly-lit Inuit-run rest houses, combine these moods and are among the most memorable in the movie.
Read the full review at Common Sense Media.
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