It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

The acting in this movie is really good.

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

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

I watched this film when I was (where else?) in Alaska. I was eleven at the time. My sister and I couldn't believe how bad this movie was. I saw more holes in the plot of this film than I care to say, although I think one deserves special mention. When the younger sister is forced to hold up the two older males, I had to stop watching. For all those people who justify this film by saying that is "for kids", you are wrong. No one should have to suffer through this film. This makes "cheaper by the dozen" look sophisticated. I admit the the scenery in this film is nice. But scenery should not be the only reason for watching a movie. The plot is thin, the characters are annoying, not to mention stupid. I'm a city person, and even I know that travelling in a boat repaired with duct tape is a bad idea. The bear was cute, but became annoying as the movie wore on. To sum up, even mere children can see the rediculousness of this corny, horrible film.

The Alaska scenery in this movie is spectacular and varies: sea, rivers, mountains, snow, rock, skies, shot with sweeping helicopter and crane shots.But the soundtrack is embarrassing: like something out of the Ten Commandments, great blaring trumpets, soaring strings, Tibetan bass horns, South American flutes, tom toms, fanfares, all preposterously overblown like something of a bygone era. It was seriously distracting.The dialog is silly, like something out of 50's cowboy and Indian dramas e.g. "Trust the bear" and "Dad, can we keep him?" The movie has no subtlety. Everything is spelled out with the explicitness of a TV sitcom.The plot is utterly improbable, with various anomalies that distress, like packing no more than a sandwich for a four day hike without it turning into a problem. Even the bear finds a adoptive mother, something that never happens in real life. No bad guys were harmed in the making of this movie.Cubby the orphaned polar bear cub is the star of the show, sort of like Wookie in Star Trek, who repeatedly saves the day from the evil poachers. It is a bit like the old Rin Tin Tin adventures, only Cubby is much cuter.However, the movie far from boring. I could not help but fear for the actors creating the film because they do so many dangerous stunts. Kids or adults without problems suspending disbelief will most enjoy this film.

Watched this on TV because I really wanted to see Thora Birch acting at 14. SPOILERS follow (but nothing you won't work out for yourself five minutes into the movie).There's lots of nice scenery, and some decent animal training, but it's poor for lots of reasons – it views like silly cutesy kids schmaltz, maybe because that's what it is. Birch is good – not as dazzling as she is today, but you can see it coming. Charlton Heston has always been a fine actor and a great star and, in a feeble role as a comedy heavy, gives an acting masterclass to everyone around him.There's one ghastly vomit-inducing moment which shows how lightly some of these hack movie-makers regard the characters they've created. OK, setup: Dad's a pilot who's just taken a job in Alaska, daughter Birch loves the outdoor life up there, slightly older son hates it, wants back to Chicago and never stops moaning. As soon as Dad's plane goes down, we know the rescue services are going to fail, the kids will have to get the job done, and the whole point of all this will be to get son reconciled with Dad. Setting off, all is sensible enough. The girl knows how to kayak, the boy doesn't, so he screws up, complains about aches and pains etc. And we carry on more or less like this (trying to ignore the comedy poachers and the cutesy baby polar bear). The girl's strong, resolute, sensible and resourceful, the boy's initially hopeless, but toughens up fast into a worthwhile companion. And then comes this moment. I wondered what was going on when, after they've both carried big rucksacks all the way, suddenly, for no reason, hers is gone. Just a continuity error? – I wish. They're climbing this mountain, the kind of thing they've been doing for days, when out of nowhere (and right out of character) girl suddenly whines: 'I can't climb any more. I'm tired,' setting up boy's macho return: 'Come on, I'll carry you if I have to.' The boy has to be transformed from incompetent wimp to tough-guy hero, the tough-guy needs a feeble girl to look after, and if we have to sacrifice the brave strong character we created earlier – hey, she's only a girl, after all, right?Don't pay to rent this, but if you see it on TV – did I mention it's got Thora Birch?

The clean cut stuff. Oh, don't forget the whole "family sticks together" moteef. Got to love it. The way I say this movie was through my family. You know, if you want to teach a lesson, that's fine. Why through this movie?The movie "Alaska" is alright. It's not horrible. But if a family member is lost in Alaska, which is one of the biggest states, would you go searching for them? In freezing weather, with polar bears? It's almost impossible to find that person. It was just a little hard to believe, that's all. The acting is alright. It's nothing too special to watch. I'll give it credit for it's moral lesson though.6/10