Reel Reviews: ‘Eight Below’ a warm hearted pleasure
I have two main reactions to “Eight Below,” Disney’s latest family film. On one hand I like it – here’s an entertaining, typical (and that’s not necessarily bad) action/adventure film successfully told. On the other hand, the film plays it safe. The film’s message states that you take chances for the things you care about. Yet few chances were made by the filmmakers. “Eight Below” is a good film, but not quite great; it is exciting and good natured, though unsurprising entertainment.
The film is based on the true event of a 1957 Japanese Antarctic expedition, in which apparently a small group of scientists were forced to abandon their sled dogs (It is frustratingly tough to find many details). Six months later, after the deadly Antarctic winter, some surviving dogs were rescued. The 1983 Japanese blockbuster, “Antarctica” (“Nankyoku Monogatari”), was also based on the events. Interestingly, “Antarctica” was primarily told from two of the dogs’ perspectives.
In contrast, “Eight Below” tells pretty much the same story, but mostly from a human point of view. The story: Tour guide Gerry Sheppard, played by a dependably static but likable Paul Walker (“Into the Blue”), whose eight sled dogs are pretty much his family. Stationed with an Antarctic base crew, Sheppard guides a meteor-hunting scientist amid a fast approaching storm. Forced to quickly evacuate, the team must leave the dogs at the base. The movie then follows two storylines: one is the survival story of the dogs, and the second is about the tour guide who wants to return and save the dogs.
It would have simply been nice to see even more of the dogs in this movie. Anyone who has written a screenplay knows how tough it can be to tell the story of numerous characters (this is why you often see one-parent families in films. See “E.T.” or “Finding Nemo”). So because this movie followed eight dogs and roughly four people, I never felt truly engrossed in their plights.
Also, the head scratches when I wonder why the movie is being released in the winter. Movies are great escapes, and who wants to sit through an unbearable winter when we’ve got one happening outside the theater? I remember seeing Disney’s similar “White Fang” in the theaters as a lad, in the dead heat of the summer. It was sure nice to at least feel cooled off, if only it was in my head.
Despite those complaints, though, there is a lot to like about “Eight Below.” The cinematography is beautiful (filming took place in Canada, Norway, and Greenland), and the story exciting. This is a family picture that everyone in the family really can enjoy.
Chris Blakesley is a film critic for the Utah Statesman. Comments can be sent to him at
cblakes@cc.usu.edu.