EIGHT BELOW Best Family Film, 2006 - 5 Stars Superb and Likable from Beginning to End Paul Walker stars in this almost perfect family action film about a team of eight sled dogs (hence the name), who have to be left behind when a team of scientists and explorers in Antarctica are evacuated due to severe weather conditions. Before this, director Frank Marshall had been a highly successful producer, with only a handful of director’s credits on his resume, including Congo. But he proves himself admirably, with the help of screenwriter David DiGilio. They weave two equally interesting plots together: one following the lives of the human characters and the other the lives of the dogs. In the beginning, the two are joined in a wonderful relationship that involves work, play, survival and rescue in one of the coldest regions in the world. But when the dogs are left behind, the two plots separate, and could have caused problems if they both hadn’t held our interest. But they do – and how! In Antarctica, the dogs fight to survive on their own - for six months! Meanwhile, Walker's character, Jerry Shephard, searches desperately for a way back in order to save them. Walker is the perfect outdoorsman-guide, and his relationship with the dogs is totally believable and the crux of the film. He also has wonderful relationships with his fellow workers: Katie, his love interest, played by Moon Bloodgood; and Charlie, who provides the comedy relief, played by Jason Biggs. Bruce Greenwood plays the scientist who causes a lot of the problems for the team in the beginning. The entire supporting cast is excellent. Based on the "making of" feature, very little if anything in this film is CGI. It is all live-action and was shot, in part in Vancouver, part in Greenland, and a small part - the scene with the leopard seal - on a soundstage. In addition, there are some non-Antarctic scenes. About that leopard seal: that is one of the scariest scenes ever filmed, in my opinion - right up there with any in Jaws. The seal itself is mechanical, rather than CGI - except, perhaps, in the underwater sequence, which is handsomely done. As a matter of fact, the cinematography by Don Burgess is some of the best location shooting I’ve ever seen. It's hard to understand how a film in which the canine actors carry half the action could not lag, but it never does. From beginning to end, it is interesting, exciting, inspiring, entertaining, heart-warming and everything else a family film should be. This is due to the concerted effort of the entire cast and crew. It is the rare case when everyone on a film production does his job and does it well; but that seems to be the case with Eight Below. It is superb. Waitsel Smith, March 31, 2007 Text © 2007 Waitsel Smith. Image © 2006 Walt Disney Pictures. All rights reserved.

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