Alaska, a family friendly adventure film

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Back before we relocated to Alaska, I remember seeing a movie on Netflix instant streaming titled simply, Alaska.  It caught my eye not only for the title as the move was already on our radar, but also as Dirk Benedict was listed on it.  I adored him in the TV series Battlestar Galactica and felt a little tug to watch the film.  However, the boys were not so enthralled and after the first few minutes of streaming it got tabled for a later date.

 

Well, the time came this past week when the older boys and I decided to watch the film using the ‘on demand’ feature of cable (with J asleep on my lap for most of it.)  It is not a short film at almost 2 hours in length.  and, the story is not that complicated.  But, the stunning scenery that offers plenty of eye candy and the story’s tension kept us watching the entire film in one stretch that afternoon.

 

Synopsis: 

After the death of his wife, Jake Barnes (played by Dirk Benedict) leaves behind the life of a commercial pilot and moves to Alaska with his son (Sean) and daughter(Jessie).  Instead of ferrying people, Jake is now a bush pilot delivering supplies to smaller communities in Alaska.  During an emergency run, Jake’s plane goes down in the mountains.  Rescue efforts fail to find him quickly, which leads to the kids setting out to find their dad in the wilds of Alaska with just the last known check-in location to guide their journey.   Early into their adventure, they come across a polar bear cub at the camp of a poacher.  After releasing the cub, they discover it has attached to them and ends up going on the journey to find their father. 

 

Our Thoughts:

P, R and I all enjoyed the film.  It is family friendly with only a few parts that could be of concern for some viewers.  The poacher camp and interactions that occur as the ‘bad’ guy tries to reclaim the polar cub could be upsetting for some sensitive children.  Hides at the camp provide evidence of hunting, which does not bother our family with hunting experiences but might bother others.  Also, it is implied during the film that the polar bear cub is serving as a spirit guide and protector for the children on their journey.  I know that some Christians are more sensitive about exposing their children to ideas of other faiths and the idea of a spirit guide is definitely one that is found in Native American cultures.

 

Otherwise, this is a fun way to see the varied terrain of Alaska (although many scenes are filmed in similar terrain from British Columbia) and the film has the feel of the family films I remember watching on TV during the 70s and 80s.

 

We viewed it on Encore’s On Demand Channel.  Amazon has Alaska available for instant streaming if you have a Prime Membership or on the instant streaming feature of Netflix. Finally, I found it available for purchase on a 3 movie DVD pack:

 

 

This post has been submitted for inclusion in The Christian Home Issue 46 hosted here.  

As the featured columnist for the Movies and Music category, you can be looking forward to weekly posts on what we are watching or music we’ve enjoyed. 

 

Feel free to leave suggestions for me as well that are family friendly or uplifting for adults.  While I have movies and some music selections in mind, I’m always on the lookout for other great choices.