Eight Below (2006) Movie Information:

Eight Below (2006) Directed by: Frank Marshall Eight Below (2006) Written by: David DiGilio Eight Below (2006) Cast: Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood, Moon Bloodgood, Jason Biggs, Wendy Crewson, Gerard Plunkett

Eight Below (2006) U.S. Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures Eight Below (2006) U.K. Distributor: Not available at this time

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Eight Below (2006) Synopsis:

Inspired by a true story, "Eight Below" is an exciting action-adventure about loyalty and the bonds of friendship set in the extreme wilderness of Antarctica. The film tells the story of three members of a scientific expedition: Jerry Shepard (Paul Walker), his best friend, Cooper (Jason Biggs), and a rugged American geologist (Bruce Greenwood), who are forced to leave behind their team of beloved sled dogs due to a sudden accident and perilous weather conditions in Antarctica. During the harsh, Antarctic winter, the dogs must struggle for survival alone in the intense frozen wilderness for over 6 months. The film is inspired by the events of a 1957 Japanese Antarctic Expedition, which served as the basis for the blockbuster Japanese film, "Nankyoku Monogatari" ("Antarctica").

Eight Below (2006) Movie Review:

"Inspired" by a true story and thoroughly Disneyfied by changing the characters into 1990s Americans (they were really 1950s Japanese explorers) and giving the dogs human qualities. It's entertaining and sweet, and rather annoyingly fake.

A skilled guide at an isolated Antarctic base, Jerry (walker) knows it's not a good idea to take a two-day journey across cracking ice fields. But the client (Greenwood) is insistent, so off they go. They make it back, thanks to Jerry's team of eight sled dogs, but they're forced to evacuate without the dogs. It'll be six long months until Jerry, his buddy (Biggs) and gal-pal pilot (Bloodgood) are able to go back. There's no way eight dogs could survive an Antarctic winter alone. Or could they?

Herein lies the problem with Disneyfication. We know full well what's going to happen, and instead of leave any doubt, we get the parallel stories of Jerry trying to mount a rescue and the dogs taking their Incredible Journey. It's beautifully filmed, with lots of adventure and peril, but we never have any doubts. So it's not hugely exciting. We're left to enjoy the acting (by humans and dogs), the cinematography and the spectacularly snowy cinematography.

Walker is fine in the role; he's always surprisingly likeable, and we do feel his connection with the dogs, his only real family. Biggs gets the wacky Steve Zahn role, joking at every turn and livening things up whenever he's on screen. Greenwood and Bloodgood fill their cliched shoes better than the script deserved. And the dogs are terrific, although the filmmakers give them human personalities so we can see which one is heroic, generous, selfless, stupid, and so on.

This is a very cheap storytelling device, and it's sad to say that it works perfectly. (Although the cheap CGI seal-monster thing isn't quite as convincing.) If there'd been a slight sense of intelligence about the script, or more raw honesty in the storyline, this could have been a ripping true-life tale of bravery and emotion that would have engaged grown ups as much as the doggy-loving kids.

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Eight Below (2006) review written by: Rich Cline