AmateurMovieReviews.com

There have been very few movies released under the Disney banner that I've wanted to see for myself. Instead, I mostly end up watching these movies just because they're usually suitable for the entire family. If I actually enjoy the film, that's simply an added bonus.

But things were different with the 2006 release of Eight Below starring Paul Walker. This was based (very loosely) on a true story that I had heard about while living in Japan, and I wanted to see what Disney's take on the whole thing would be. I always seem to enjoy movies featuring dogs anyway, so I figured I would have a good time with this movie.

Walker plays a researcher named Jerry Shepherd who is stationed with a few co-workers in Antarctica. Jerry knows the lay of the land and often goes out with a team of sled dogs to check things out. Therefore, he gets tasked with taking Dr. Davis McClaren (played by Bruce Greenwood) out on the sled to a particularly remote area in search of a rare meteorite.

The two manage to find what they're looking for, but then get a distress call over the radio. There's a major storm moving in and the team must evacuate now or risk getting stranded for the entire winter without supplies or access to the civilized world. To complicate matters, Dr. McClaren falls through some ice on the way back to base camp and nearly drowns, but the highly trained dogs are able to save him.

Shepherd thinks the team will evacuate in two airplane trips. The first one will carry out the human researchers, and the second one will be for the dogs and some important equipment. But he hears the devastating news that there's simply no time for two trips. The dogs will have to stay, and Shepherd will have to wait a few days for the weather to clear up before coming back to get them.

Shepherd doesn't like it, but can't argue with the logic behind the decision. He chains the dogs up outside near the camp, and heads out to safety. Unfortunately, the storm turns out to be far more severe than anyone expected. The plane isn't able to go back in a couple days, or even a couple weeks. Eventually, Shepherd has to accept the fact that he won't be able to rescue the dogs, and he goes all the way back home to the United States, where he learns that he won't be able to get to the dogs until the next season (about six months later).

The film then switches to show the dogs and how they work to survive the harsh elements of Antarctica. First, they escape from their chains. Then, they realize that no humans are going to be around to give them food, so they learn to hunt for food themselves. Finally, they manage to break into the camp and get food from the supplies left there. Will the dogs be able to hold out until Jerry and McClaren return for them? Or will the elements be too overpowering? This is a Disney movie, so I'm sure you can figure out the answer!

Overall, I thought this was a highly enjoyable film. It was interesting to see the dogs quickly regain their survival instincts after having been taken care of by humans for so long. It was neat how the dogs worked as a team and were clearly able to communicate with each other to make themselves more effective against the various foes that they encounter out in the wild.

There's not much to say about the human actors in this film. I thought Walker and Greenwood were decent enough, but not outstanding. Jason Biggs had some funny moments as Shepherd's friend and colleague Charlie Cooper, but Moon Bloodgood was mostly forgettable as Katie the pilot.

I think Eight Below is a movie that is definitely worth watching even if you don't have children. Anyone who likes dogs or has ever had a family pet will be able to identify with the utter helplessness that Jerry Shepherd feels when he has to leave his beloved animals behind. And you'll certainly understand why Jerry couldn't "just forget" about the dogs and go on with his life.