My wife doesn't often go to the cinema, so when she wanted to see Eight Below, I willingly took her along, expecting an enjoyable, feel-good movie. What we saw went well beyond our expectations. The movie was not just good, it was superb.
First of all, the cinematography was excellent, the best I've seen since The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. It is certainly worthy of Oscar consideration. The stark beauty of the ice and snow and the chilling hazards of Antarctic storms were portrayed most effectively.
The animals were marvellous. The movie demonstrated not only the beauty of these wonderful Anatarctic dogs, but also beautifully captured their individual personalities. The "villainous" leopard seal was also realistically portrayed.
Then there were the human actors. I have not seen Paul Walker before. That is my loss. He portrayed surprising depth of sincerity, commitment and emotion in the lead role. Moon Bloodgood was delightful and Jason Biggs, although occasionally slightly irritating (as his role required) was effective as the comedy relief.
In the first, "getting-to-know-the-characters" phase of the movie, I thought, "This is pretty good". The second phase of the movie - the trip to Melbourne Mountain and the return journey - provided some exciting scenes which elevated the movie into the "very good" category. But it was the third and main phase of the movie - the fight by the dogs for survival in the wild and the tortured mind of Paul Walker's character as he tried desperately to return for them - that elevated this movie into the "superb" category. Once you really "got" that he didn't regard the dogs as animals but as members of his crew that the depth of his commitment introduced real emotion.
This is a movie that I will see again and be just as moved. Well worth your time in every aspect. In fact, SUPERB.
First of all, the cinematography was excellent, the best I've seen since The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. It is certainly worthy of Oscar consideration. The stark beauty of the ice and snow and the chilling hazards of Antarctic storms were portrayed most effectively.
The animals were marvellous. The movie demonstrated not only the beauty of these wonderful Anatarctic dogs, but also beautifully captured their individual personalities. The "villainous" leopard seal was also realistically portrayed.
Then there were the human actors. I have not seen Paul Walker before. That is my loss. He portrayed surprising depth of sincerity, commitment and emotion in the lead role. Moon Bloodgood was delightful and Jason Biggs, although occasionally slightly irritating (as his role required) was effective as the comedy relief.
In the first, "getting-to-know-the-characters" phase of the movie, I thought, "This is pretty good". The second phase of the movie - the trip to Melbourne Mountain and the return journey - provided some exciting scenes which elevated the movie into the "very good" category. But it was the third and main phase of the movie - the fight by the dogs for survival in the wild and the tortured mind of Paul Walker's character as he tried desperately to return for them - that elevated this movie into the "superb" category. Once you really "got" that he didn't regard the dogs as animals but as members of his crew that the depth of his commitment introduced real emotion.
This is a movie that I will see again and be just as moved. Well worth your time in every aspect. In fact, SUPERB.