Eight Below film review

certificate_PG

EIGHT BELOW

True tales of human endeavour and endurance have always made for compelling cinema, but when those same feats involve man's best friend it adds a whole other dimension. Such are the extraordinary events that inspired Eight Below, they have already prompted a Japanese blockbuster. Considering relatively few in the west are familiar with 1983's Nakyoku Monogatari, it's a story that bears retelling and one that Eight Below does very effectively with lachrymose consequences.

Dog lovers might want to grab a few extra napkins when they get their popcorn. You're going to need them. Adapted from a1957 real-life incident, Eight Below recounts the incredible saga of a team of sled dogs left to fend for themselves for months during a brutal Antarctic winter while their distraught handler tries desperately to mount a rescue operation.

Paul Walker reveals some hitherto unseen sensitivity as Jerry Shepard, a survival guide and the dogs' musher. He is ably supported by Bruce Greenwood as Davis McClaren, a scientist who travels to the Antarctic in search of a meteorite, Jason Biggs as the jokey cartographer Cooper and Moon Bloodgood who plays bush pilot Katie who shares a romantic past with Jerry. But the real stars are the dogs all of who are given distinct personalities and prove that, no matter how impressive CGI has become, it can never match the real thing.

The adventure begins when McLaren breaks his leg while he, Jerry and the team of eight dogs head back to their base before an impending major storm hits. Frostbitten Jerry reluctantly leaves the dogs and heads to hospital along with McClaren for treatment, vowing to return as soon as possible for his precious charges. But the storm prevents anyone being able to fly back until the long Antarctic winter is over.

Directed with assurance and a light touch by Frank Marshall who, along with first time screenwriter David DiGilio, definitely knows how to work those heartstrings, though never without purpose or a modicum of restraint. For Marshall, who helmed Alive, about a group of men struggling to survive after their plane crashes in the Andes, it's a return to a similar hostile environment and exploration of spirit and fortitude, but this time the result is more satisfying.