Eight Below Review
by Tim Voon (winklebeck AT hotmail DOT com)November 24th, 2006
Eight Below (2006)
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 2006 Timothy Voon
3.5 out of 5 stars
Directed by: Frank Marshall Cast: Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood, Moon Bloodgood, Jason Biggs
There is a certain charm that most Disney animal movies carry with them, that is uniquely Disney. The animals are either lost and find their way home, find themselves in great danger but somehow manage to survive, with dogs as a perennial favorite topic. One of their best gimmicks is to give these animals human-like qualities i.e. loyalty, compassion, forgiveness, courage which makes us identify with these loveable huskies on film.
I did enjoy this movie, despite all the tear-jerking doggy drama contrived to pull our heart strings. Sometimes, you have to put aside the superficial criticism and instead look at the bigger picture, which is inspirational at heart. And yes, if you were wondering, it is based on fact.
This is the story of 8 loveable huskies, who are members of the International Antarctic base of explorers that perform research on the coldest continent on earth. On a mission trip to find meteorites, Jerry Shepherd (Paul Walker) the guide and Dr Davis McClaren (Bruce Greenwood) the scientist, fall into danger. They are saved by the huskies. However, a storm is brewing and the injured humans need to be evacuated to safety, leaving no room on the plane for the dogs. Despite Jerry's efforts to persuade the others to go back for the dogs, no help can be found until the following spring. Antarctica is impossible to travel to during the cold winter.
So begins our story of survival, as these abandoned huskies struggle to survive one of Antarctica's worst winters alone. Director Frank Marshall is ideal for directing this film. 'Alive' certainly comes to mind when I was watching this movie, and fortunately, these huskies do not have to resort to eating each other in order to survive. One of the problems I had initially was figuring out which dog was which. I did eventually work out that the leader of the pack was Maya, a female and the hero of the pack was Max, a small male. It is during this tussle to survive, that Max shows us courage and compassion, and Maya learns humility with failure. The dogs' biggest challenge besides the cold is finding food and a run in with a nasty leopard seal. I was hoping for a polar bear, but I guess most of these are hibernating at this time of the year.
There is only so much one can show of dogs running around in a blizzard, scavenging abandoned human camps or feeding on a dead killer whale torso. This movie is balanced by the human side of the drama, when Jerry beats his conscience to a pulp at not being able to go back for the dogs that saved him. Paul Walker is not a great dramatic actor, and fortunately, very little is required off him except to shed a tear and brood at his loss. Jason Beggs gives light comedic relief which is reminiscent of his teenage 'American Pie' type roles. He never seems to be able to move out of adolescence into adulthood. Again, I am being superficial with my criticism.
The most amazing moment of the movie is the reunification of dog with their human counterparts. There is an inexpressible joy that fills the frosty air. I found it amazing that these animals could forgive their masters which such ease. If only human beings were as forgiving, we would live in a much better world today.
Timothy Voon
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