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 EIGHT
BELOW
by Jane Louise
Boursaw
Rated PG for
some peril and brief mild language. Ok for kids 7 and up. Released in
theaters Feb. 17, 2006. 4 out of 4 Reels.
Should you
bring the kids? Some scenes might be too intense for kids younger
than seven. For more info on particular age groups, see "Bringing the
Kids" below.
One loner,
eight sled dogs, and the wonderful world of Disney. It all adds up to an
edge-of-your seat movie that gives new meaning to the term "survival of
the fittest". This movie harks back to Disney critter-classics like
"Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar" and "Rascal," if you're old enough to
remember those (and if not, they're available on Amazon.com).
Set on the
rugged continent of Antarctica, Jerry Shepard (Paul Walker) is a tour
guide for visiting scientists and lives in a small research station with
his wise-cracking buddy, cartographer Charlie Cooper (Jason Biggs). With
the "summer" season ending, Shepard has one last visitor to take care of
a geologist named Davis McClaren (Bruce Greenwood), who's on the prowl
for a suspected meteorite in a remote location of the ice desert.
Shepard's none too thrilled about making the trip this late in the
season, but his boss encourages him to do it.
Here's where
we meet the eight charming sled dogs (a.k.a. "the kids"), ranging from
strong and maternal leader Maya to all-brawn-and-no-brains Shorty. The
trip starts badly when McClaren finds himself dangling into an ice
crevice, and gets
even worse when he tumbles down a cliff, fracturing a leg and plunging
into frigid waters. The dogs come to his rescue both times. But McClaren
isn't a clueless moron he just cares deeply about his work, something
Shepard can understand.
Cue the
blizzard, as the dogs and two frostbitten men hurry back to the station.
Needing medical attention, the men will have to fly out in bush pilot
Katie's plane (she and Shepard have a romantic history). Only problem
is, there's no room for the dogs (what, they couldn't leave behind a few
supplies or maybe a seat or two?!).
Shepard
anxiously chains the dogs at the research station, promising to return
and fetch them as soon as possible. But harsh weather prevents a trip
back, and the dogs are left to fend for themselves for five months while
Shepard worries himself into a tizzy. Will the dogs survive? We get the
feeling that all or most of them will. We just don't know how, and
that's what keeps us mesmerized for two hours.
THE
WRAP-UP: "Eight Below" has plenty of nail-biting moments and Jack
London-esque scenes, sure to jerk a few tears out of the most stalwart
of humans. And the storyline moves along quickly, with just the right
mix of people and dog scenes. All in all, this movie is thoroughly
entertaining. It's no surprise that audiences flocked to the theater its
first weekend out. It makes me wonder why they don't make more movies
like this one.
 BRINGING
THE KIDS:
PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5): There's too much peril and emotional pain
in this movie for little ones they'll have plenty of time to learn
about that stuff later on. Instead, older preschoolers might enjoy "Balto,"
an animated tale about a dog-wolf who risks his life to prevent a deadly
epidemic in Alaska in 1925 (a true story that inspired the Iditarod). Or
"Snow Dogs," a fish-out-of-water tale about a Miami resident who travels
to Alaska after inheriting a team of Huskies.
GRADE-SCHOOLERS
(ages 6 - 10): Disney has this age group's number: lots of action, a
few scary moments, and big, furry animals. Close-ups of the dogs show
them as thoughtful, anxious, or just plain cute, but they're never made
out to be Disney-fied cartoon characters. They're real dogs, yet we
easily believe they know something about love, trust and courage. Be
aware that some scenes might be too intense for kids younger than seven:
the dogs endure falls from cliffs, freezing temperatures, and a run-in
with a take-no-prisoners seal. Also, not all of the dogs survive. Sexual
content is limited to a couple of kissing scenes, and there are two
minor swear-words.
TWEEN /
TEEN (ages 11+):
Sure, they're dogs with thick fur and, ok, we believe they might
actually make it through the harsh winter. Still, it's hard not to be
moved by this tale of bucking the odds, making the best of a bad
situation, and relying on friends and family when you need them most.
These are good things for tweens and teens to take into adulthood.
SCORE:
4 out of 4 Reels.
Jane's Reel Rating
System:
One Reel Pathetic.
Even The Force cant save it.
Two Reels
Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.
Three Reels
Thought-provoking. Something to talk about.
Four Reels Wow! The
stuff dreams are made of.
E-chat with me
at
jane@reellifewithjane.com - I
LOVE to talk about movies!
 Read my other reviews
here.
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