StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Inadvands Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

jb_campo I watched Alaska several times with my kids when they were younger, and just rewatched it last night. It's a cute film with the central theme - never give up. Dirk Benedict does an OK job as the father who moves his family to the Alaskan wilderness. This role was no stretch - he basically flies a plane and acts hurt, with brief interlude of arguing with his son. Sean, his son, has the typical teenage angst of not being happy in his own skin, while his daughter Jessie adapts seamlessly to her new environment.I love the cinematography of beautiful Alaskan landscapes. Even more amazing is that the kids, Thora Birch and Vincent Kartheiser, do all their outdoors stunts, like sea kayaking thru rapids, rock climbing, and mountaineering. The flight scenes are exquisite. It's been almost 20 years since this 1996 film was made - I wonder how much of the glaciers in this film are left. Charlton Heston is the bad guy, and makes you laugh when he has to pretend he is not into guns. By far, the little bear Cubby, is the star. He plays a key role throughout.Just put reality into the background when you think about two kids doing what these kids did and how they did it, with their background. It's an enjoyable non-reality ride that will leave you happy and content. That should be enough for you and your family. Kids will enjoy this a lot.

Chase_Witherspoon Average family fare has the face man (Benedict) a pilot and widowed father to two teenage kids, one of whom is struggling with the transition to manhood, manifest in his strained relationship with his father and general disaffection for his adopted home of Alaska. Benedict sets out on a late-evening flight as wild weather approaches, and predictably, his plane crashes leaving his kids potential orphans. Not content to accept the presumed verdict, his kids mount a life or death mission through the Alaskan wilderness to locate their father, with a curious polar bear cub leading their way, and a pair of poachers on their trail.Heston's son directs this formulaic adventure tale with glorious scenery and cinematography and a few reasonable stunts involving wild river rapids, and precarious mountain climbs. Heston is uncharacteristically low-key, mainly a background character, although he does command the more grandiose dialogue and manages to snare most of the one-liners. Like him or loathe him, he's understated and his presence has little overall impact on the quality of the film, other than to give his son's film a marquee headline.The hallmarks of "Call of the Wild" and "White Fang" are present, the polar bear cub is cute-as-a-button, and Tootoosis' sage advice on human interaction with the local ecology, gives the film a conservation quality that is appropriate for the kids. Obviously it's clichéd and predictable with few surprises, but if you're after a sincere family friendly film the kids can comfortably watch under limited supervision, then the Hestons' "Alaska" should tick the box.

Sjoerd (Filmfan-NL) True, I've seen worse. It has all the ingredients all the other quadrillion movies of this type have. Kids, growing pains (never understood what that element has to do in these stories), beloved father gone missing, a save-the-day animal, two flatter than flat bad guys, some sidekicks (friend, an old Indian, sigh) and a flimsy excuse for a story. If I am really honest, the only thing that I will remember about this one is Thora Birch's relatively large chest for a girl her age. Acting is all poor. Benedict was better in his worst A-team episode, Birch is or at least was no actress (sorry to say) when she made this. Her brother is ridiculously bad, and whatever made Charlton Heston accept a role in this vehicle, must be they had something on him to blackmail him with. Even the pictures of the Alaskan nature are nothing to write home about. Your kids may like it, for adults it just lacks too much in all areas.

knutb This film brings back memories from the first movie i watched, "Tundra" from 1936. It had the same elements: A post pilot crashing on the tundra, getting lost, finds a pal, a small bear who had lost track of its parents. It was a very touching story, and exiting. But thanks to Hollywood - it all worked out well in a happy ending!When I now watch "ALASKA,it seems to be based on the same "TUNDRA".I have not seen any referance to it in the credits, but hoped that someone out there who also have seen "TUNDRA" could help to solve my "mystery".