Alaska (1996)

Director:

Fraser Clarke Heston

Writers (WGA):

Andy Burg (written by) &
Scott Myers (written by)

Release Date:

14 August 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family

Tagline:

A missing father. A desperate search. An unforgettable adventure.

Plot:

Jake Barnes and his two kids, Sean and Jessie, have moved to Alaska after his wife died. He is a former...

Plot Keywords:

Mountain | Polar Bear | Poacher | Alaska | Pilot

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Thora Birch	...	Jessie Barnes
Vincent Kartheiser	...	Sean Barnes
Dirk Benedict	...	Jake Barnes
Charlton Heston	...	Colin Perry the Poacher
Duncan Fraser	...	Koontz, Perry's Pilot
Gordon Tootoosis	...	Ben, Quincy General Store
Ben Cardinal	...	Charlie, Quincy Air Service
Ryan Kent	...	Chip
Don S. Davis	...	Sergeant Grazer
Dolly Madsen	...	Mrs. Ben
Stephen E. Miller	...	Trooper Sam Harvey
Byron Chief-Moon	...	Chip's Father (as Byron Chief Moon)
Kristin Lehman	...	Florence
Adrien Dorval	...	Burly Fisherman
Ed Gale	...	Animatronics Bear Cub

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild language and adventure/peril.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:All | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:F (Ontario) | Finland:S | Germany:6 (w) | Iceland:L | Spain:T | UK:PG | USA:PG (certificate #34327) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Purcell Range, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the initial opening scene we see Jake Barnes flying his Super Cub south over glaciers and high rocky mountains, a feature only seen in the geography of South Alaska. When he checks in via radio, he confirms his location as being one in south-central Alaska. We then see him flying over a group of polar bears. Polar bears are only found along the northern coast of Alaska and Canada and on the Arctic Sea, not in the mountains of south Alaska (almost 1000 miles away).

Quotes:

Ben, Quincy General Store: When I was a boy, you had to hunt a bear with just a spear, and you took his spirit or died trying.

Movie Connections:

Features Street Fighter: The Movie (1995) (VG)

What part of: "This is a Children's Film" don't you understand?

Hard to figure the negative comments about this film. It is geared to an elementary school audience who will find it very entertaining. But it is also good family viewing because the scenery is terrific and the polar bear cub is very cute. Since there was never a conspiracy to keep the demographic identity of the target audience a national secret, those complaining about its lack of sophistication were just too lazy to check it out before actually viewing it. The film delivers exactly what it promises so there is no real basis for that kind of criticism.

The editing is first class; especially on the canoe down the rapids sequence where the second unit stuff is perfectly cut into tight shots of the two stars. Thora Birch turns in another excellent performance and Vincent Kartheiser shows that even before "Angel" he modeled his acting on William Shatner (this is not a complement).

There are a number of plot holes but nothing that really matters. One interesting thing is the scene where the bear cub helps in the rescue effort by pulling the rope with his teeth. Seldom can you point to a "single" stupid detail that drastically dumbs down a film but that is the case here. Lose that one moronic shot and the film gains about 20 IQ points and could add a couple years to its target audience.