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White Wolves
(a.k.a. A Cry In The Wild II: White Wolves)
(1993)
 

Director: Catherine Cyran       
Cast: Ami Dolenz, Matt McCoy, David Moscow


A teacher takes five teenagers (four rich snots and one poor boy) into the wilderness. Yes, you've guessed pretty much the rest of the events of White Wolves, an overall acceptably executed movie, but with nothing to make you go out of your way to watch it.

Do all teenager-in-the-wilderness movies have to follow this formula? Well, the movie is produced by Julie Corman, Roger's wife, and they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Actually, I bet if Roger had produced this movie, he would have chosen to make it into: "kids-run-from-mad-killer or group-of-militia / terrorists/hiding criminals/etc." Though that would have meant to -gasp!- spend more money to hire a bigger cast to provide cannon fodder. Nope, better to make it family-friendly and cheaper.

So maybe you can't do much with this setting and opening situation. Still, with a good director, script, and actors, you could conceivably add excitement and sympathetic characters amidst the scenery. Not here - the effort overall seems to have been to make it generic.

I have to write a review of decent length, so I guess I'll be forced to describe the plot: As we know, a teacher and five teenagers enter the wilderness on a expedition. Though I haven't seen the previous movie, it seems from what I know about it, the teacher is the grown-up child who was lost previously. (He mentions this story to the teenagers, and how he was assisted by a white wolf.)

Naturally, the poor teenager isn't treated well by the rest of the teens, and he has an attitude problem to boot. Later in the journey, the teacher falls off a cliff. When the teenagers find the teacher the next day (in a surprisingly well directed and acted scene), the teenagers find they have to - let's all say it together now! - "...put aside their differences and work together to save the life of their dying teacher. And the teenager who decides to go and fetch help is the poor teenager." (Actually, one of the rich female teenagers insists on going along as well, but I'll still give you a passing grade)

Acting from the amateur cast ranges from good to mediocre throughout - sometimes in the same scene. We are treated to some nice scenery, with a white wolf and a savage bear. Curiously, you never see any of the characters in any of these animal shots, making me suspect if it's recycled footage from the first movie (and this wouldn't be the first time a Corman production has done something like this).

As I implied in the opening, White Wolves certainly isn't the worst movie following this formula. But you've seen it before. However, if you don't mind seeing it again......

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See also: Bad Company, Escape To Grizzly Mountain, Seven Alone