Eight Below

RATED: PG for some peril and brief mild language
RUNNING TIME: 120 MINUTES
PLOT: Eight Below is an action-adventure about loyalty and friendship set in the extreme wilderness of Antarctica. The film tells the story of several members of a scientific expedition who are forced to leave behind their team of beloved sled dogs due to a sudden accident and perilous weather conditions.
STARS: Paul Walker (Jerry Shepard), Bruce Greenwood (Dr. Davis McClaren), Jason Biggs (Charlie Cooper), Moon Bloodgood (Katie).

Gord Burt 4 Stars

Though not overly original in its concept or execution, Eight Below is a wonderful movie about survival and the bonds of friendship that bridge humans and animals.

The movie’s most remarkable cast members are the sled dogs played by 16 animal actors; you have to give credit to their trainers for creating eight very individual, very engaging characters. Somewhere there has got to be an animal toy factory working overtime, because Maya, Max and company are merchandising gold.

Once the animals are left alone, Eight Below tells a beautifully shot wordless, admirable tale of canine bravery, cooperation, loyalty, patience and nobility. At nearly every turn you will know what they are thinking, feeling and sympathize with their pain. Where’s the canine Oscar category when you need it?

Back to the humans, Eight Below also tells the story of how, once returned to the States, the guilt-ridden, obsessed dog lover Jerry Shepard, moves heaven and earth to try to return to the bottom of the world and rescue his dogs, even when the severity of the winter makes his quest seem insane. Paul Walker (whose name is usually a guarantee of a bad movie) is surprisingly compelling as the film’s driven hero and shows he might actually have some acting talent after all. You feel his pain when he leaves his dogs and his joy at their reunion.

The movie counts the time the dogs survive on their own. Four days turn into 15, which swell into more upsetting numbers, until almost six full months have past.

Eight Below is a remake of a 1983 Japanese film, Antarctica, which tells the true story of a pack of huskies, two of which somehow managed to survive a brutal winter by themselves at a Japanese Antarctica station in 1957. Eight Below is moved forward to the present day and has been Americanized.

With their strength, intelligence and loyalty, these dogs are as close to old-fashioned heroes as anyone or anything onscreen all winter. Just remember to take some Kleenex; you’ll need it.

Erin Harde 3.5 Stars

All the great tearjerkers of our time have nothing on Eight Below. Movies about lost lives and loves can't compare with a story about lost dogs, especially the eight gorgeous huskies who star in Disney's latest adventure. Beautiful and smart, they also have better acting skills than their human co-stars; Paul Walker once again proves he has the acting range of a carp.

It is the dogs who rightly steal the show. They are the beloved pooches and pals of Walker's Jerry Shepard, an expedition guide in Antarctica. The first half of the movie is a chance to get to know the team, their names, characteristics and quarks. Maya is the leader, Max the puppy, etc. Even in the face of danger, the dogs lead their master to safety, and only ask for a few fish and some love in return.

Then a storm hits the research station and the crew must head back without the dogs, though they plan to collect them the next day. Instead, they are unable to return until the next season, leaving the dogs to starve to death alone. Commence the tears. The last hour of the movie flips between the dogs and a morose Jerry back in the States. Note that crying is beyond Walker's ability; the most he can coax is an angry frown. The dogs are incredible, and could have carried all two hours completely on their own. Together they learn to kill their dinner, enjoy fireworks and fend off a leopard seal to claim a dead whale. The seal is like something out of a horror movie and will send you flying out of your chair.

Disney doesn't take the easy way out though. Not all of the dogs make it, and it is excruciating when they die. In fact, everything the team does, whether happy or sad, is another bawling moment, especially when Maya passes the torch, in this case a bird, to young Max. From facial expressions to choreographed movement, these dogs are amazing; clearly they are better trained than their co-stars.