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

This movie has great scenery of Alaska. Otherwise it is a waste of time. The two children, who have recently moved to Alaska from Chicago, somehow manage to survive a long journey through the dangerous terrain to rescue their father who has survived a plane crash. know they are going to make it despite their ignorance. The kids are obviously beginners at acting. Dirk Benedict, who plays their father, opens his eyes wide to show emotion. The best part of the movie is the baby polar bear. I noticed in the credits that many times they used mechanical bears. I never was able to detect when the bears were real or when they were fake. If you want to see Alaska, do a lot of fast forwarding through the action parts because you know the kids will survive.

The above line, which is actually spoken in "Alaska", should be enough for you to decide whether this is your type of film or (hopefully) not, but let me just add a few more details. They say that when a music score calls attention to itself it's either very good or very bad. The score of "Alaska" falls into the latter category: it's an insultingly overemphatic piece of work that is constantly telling you what you're supposed to be feeling (awe, danger, joy, mysticism). Apart from that, the story is dull, since you always know that everything will turn out all right in the end, and the bear cub is way too cute - its "assistance" in the climax is a real groaner. All this film has going for it are some dangerous and well-performed physical stunts. (**)