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Back Shelf Beauties
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Eight Below I went into the theater with the same thought I always have before I watch a Paul Walker movie - I hope Paul Walker dies in this movie. In real life, I'm sure he is a nice man who takes care of his mother and loves puppies, but he should find a job doing one of those two tasks instead of acting. Shown up by the dogs (who are much better at emoting), Walker stinks, and almost ruins a passable movie. Set in 1993 (even though one character seems to be wearing the latest North Face jacket indicating he might be a time traveler from the future and drives a suped up DeLorean), and "inspired by a true story," Walker stars as Jerry - a National Science Foundation guide and dogsled driver in Antarctica. The season is winding down, but a heavy duty scientist, Dr. Davis McLaren (Bruce Greenwood) has come to conduct an important and possibly historic expedition. Jerry isn't too happy with having to make one more run while conditions are deteriorating, but goes along with the plan when his boss orders it. Jerry, McLaren and the eight dogs head out on the expedition, but a massive storm forces everyone on the continent to evacuate, and the dogs must be left behind when there is no room for them on any plane or helicopter. Jerry is devastated, but vows to return to save his heroic team, hoping he can get there before it is too late. Will Jerry save the dogs? Can they withstand the massive storm and protect themselves from predators? I knew we were in trouble when Jerry informs us Old Jack the dog is making his last run before retirement (Uh Oh! If Old Jack ever saw a cop movie or any Lethal Weapon film, he would have refused to go on the trip). It was our first sign of difficulty, and serves as a warning to parents interested in taking their children. While the dogs look so cute you might think Eight Below was perfect for the little ones (and appears to be more like Snow Dogs 2, as my friend Bill Henry likes to call it), this movie is filled with danger, frights and animal confrontations that will keep your kid awake from nightmares for 2 weeks straight (I had trouble for 3 weeks!). The dogs must overcome severe cold and snow, battle dangerous animals looking to make Old Jack and the gang into dinner, and death is never far away. At one point, the dogs find a dead, decaying whale and decide to feast, something parents should know, so they can decide if junior and sis are ready for this type of film and look at survival in the wild. For everyone else, Eight Below is a good story with plenty of tension and drama, which is great, when Paul Walker is off the screen. Director Frank Marshall does a wonderful job keeping us on the edge of our seats hoping and praying for the dogs because he makes the audience fall in love with the smart, cute animals early on. We see their distinct personalities, adorable interaction with Jerry and great bravery when called into service, so the dogs quickly become the heroes of Eight Below far before they are left behind. He and editor Christopher Rouse craft each sequence to make it look they the dogs are communicating, taking orders and otherwise working as a team, which is fascinating to watch. While the movie seems to lag slightly in the middle and runs a bit too long, Marshall keeps the action going (for the most part) and gives us a great sense of the vastness of the continent as people and dogs travel from place to place during the arduous journey. He is at his best showing the drama and pain of leaving the dogs behind, and makes each rescue scene thrilling. Writer David DiGilio sticks closely to the formula by giving us a comic relief character too stupid to survive until the next meal let alone through several rugged months in Antarctica (Cooper, played by Jason Biggs, who proves sometimes you do it for the paycheck); a romantic interest for Jerry played by the beautiful Moon Bloodgood, who is better at looking pretty than reciting her dialogue (kind of like Himbo Paul Walker - an actor who is a pretty boy, but comes off as pretty dumb); and typical evil old guys with gray hair who make Jerry look like the pretty boy with a heart of gold. Sadly, Walker is in over his head like he is in most movies. He never conveys the proper amount of desperation or drama when trying to convince others to help him return to save his beloved team, and doesn't make it work when first told the dogs are stranded in a certainly life threatening situation. He needs to plead, beg and scream like Al Pacino would if he had the part, but doesn't even reach Rob Schneider levels of competence. Walker is too wooden and bland to be believable. Eight Below is not for the youngest of children. Those 11 and up could have a better understanding of the most graphic parts of the movie, and adults will find it to be a decent, entertaining and emotional film, just brace yourself for ugly parts. 2 ½ Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2006 - WaffleMovies.com
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