ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, August 16, 1996                TAG: 9608160039
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1    EDITION: METRO 
                                             TYPE: MOVIE REVIEW
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT 

'ALASKA' GOOD END-OF-SUMMER FUN FOR KIDS

For a children's adventure spun out of pure hokum, "Alaska" isn't bad.

At a recent matinee there was a moderate amount of traffic in the aisles during the slower moments. But overall, the young moviegoers were involved with the story, particularly in the last third, even if they didn't cheer at the end. That story, however, is too simple and too cute for most older kids and adults.

Jake Barnes (Dirk Benedict) is a pilot who's moved his daughter Jessie (Thora Birch) and son Sean (Vincent Kartheiser) from Chicago to Alaska. Jessie loves it; Sean hates it. But when Dad crashes his single-engine plane in the mountains, they set out to find him. Their only companion is Cubby, the brave vegetarian Polar Bear - he eats only Moonpies - that they rescue from poachers.

Colin Perry (Charlton Heston), a steely-eyed hunter, wants to recapture Cubby and sell him to the Japanese.

That's really all there is to the script by Andy Burg and Scott Myers. The big scenes are set on white-water rapids, glaciers and mountain peaks. Director Fraser Heston (son of Charlton) and director of photographer Tony Westman flesh things out with some spectacular footage of Alaskan and British Columbian scenery. It's both a strength and a weakness because the kids tend to get restless whenever the soaring aerial shots go on too long.

The simple messages of self-reliance, perseverance and environmental awareness aren't preachy. The acting is fine all around, and while the physical action is exciting, the level of violence is kept to a minimum.

"Alaska" is an end-of-summer sleeper for younger audiences.

"Alaska" **1/2

A Columbia release playing at the Grandin and Salem Valley 8. 105 minutes. Rated PG for mild violence, a little swearing.

LENGTH: Short :   45 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  Thora Birch and Vincent Kartheiser are a brother and 
          sister who brave the wilderness in search of their father in 
          "Alaska." color.