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Eight Below is a 2006 American adventure film directed by Frank Marshall and written by David DiGilio. It stars Paul Walker, Jason Biggs, Bruce Greenwood, and Moon Bloodgood. It was released theatrically on February 17, 2006 and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures in the United States.

Plot

In January 1993, Jerry Shepard, guide at a National Science Foundation Antarctic research base, is asked to take UCLA professor Dr. Davis McClaren to Mount Melbourne to find a rare meteorite from Mercury. Since the ice conditions are poor, the best way to the mountain is by dog sled.

Shepard and McClaren make it, but are called back to base camp due to an approaching storm. McClaren begs for more time and Shepard gives him half a day. En route back to base, McClaren slips down an embankment, breaking his leg and falling into freezing water. Shepard uses lead dog Maya to carry a rope to McClaren and pulls him out. They battle hypothermia, frostbite, and near-whiteout conditions as the dogs lead them to base.

At base, the human crew is immediately evacuated, while the dogs are left behind. Shepard, promised that the pilot will return shortly for the dogs, tightens their collars to ensure they cannot get loose. Because of the harsh weather conditions a rescue cannot be attempted.

Back in the United States, Shepard tries to return for the dogs, but no one is willing to finance the expedition. Five months later, Shepard makes one last attempt. McClaren realizing his ingratitude and uses the remainder of his grant money to finance the rescue. They fear there is little chance any of the dogs could have survived so long, but they decide to try anyway. The eight sled dogs – lead dog Maya, Old Jack, Shorty, Dewey, Truman, Shadow, Buck, and the young Max – have been waiting in the freezing conditions for Shepard to return. After a few days without eating, the dogs are prompted into action as a gull flies near, and they all begin to break free, one by one. Old Jack, by now too weak, remains attached. Maya tries to free him, but reluctantly leaves him behind when he shows no sign of wanting to leave. Maya joins the other dogs, and together they catch a few birds, getting their first food in weeks.

After nearly two months on their own, the dogs rest on a slope one night under the southern lights. Fascinated by the display, they run about and play until Dewey falls down an incline and is mortally wounded. The team sleeps by his side and Dewey dies overnight. Max loyally stays by him while the others move on. By the time Max heads in their direction, he has lost the pack.

Maya leads the team to the Russian base, which is unsecured and full of food, while Max finds his way back to the American base, which is locked up. Setting back out, Max recognizes the embankment the dogs traveled on their way back from Mount Melbourne. While exploring, Max finds a dead orca, but is driven off by a leopard seal nesting inside the body. Nearby, Maya and the team hear Max and join him. Max lures the seal away so the dogs can eat, but it doubles back and bites Maya, leaving her badly injured.

In a rage, the five other dogs attack the seal. Overwhelmed, the seal quickly drags itself into the water, after which the dogs feast on the orca. The reunited team continues traveling. Starving, freezing, and exhausted, the injured Maya collapses into the snow. The dogs lie down beside their leader as the snow piles up. They have been on their own for six months.

Shepard, meanwhile, has gone to New Zealand looking for a boat to take him to Antarctica. At a bar, he reunites with his friends and they make it to the base. Upon arrival, they are dismayed to find the body of Old Jack, still attached to the chain, and no sign of the other dogs. Then they hear barking and see Max, Shorty, Truman, Shadow, and Buck come over the horizon. After a joyous reunion, Shepard loads the dogs to leave, but Max runs off, leading Shepard to Maya, lying in the snow – weak, but alive. With six of his eight sled dogs, Shepard and his crew head back to civilization, with the last scene showing a memorial for the two fallen dogs, Old Jack and Dewey.

Cast

Background

The 1958 ill-fated Japanese expedition to Antarctica inspired the 1983 hit film, Antarctica, of which Eight Below is a remake.[1][2] Eight Below adapts the events of the 1958 incident, moved forward to 1993.[3] In the 1958 event, fifteen Sakhalin Husky sled dogs were abandoned when the expedition team was unable to return to the base. When the team returned a year later, two dogs were still alive. Another seven were still chained up and dead, five were unaccounted for, and one died just outside Showa Station.

The film was dedicated to the memory of Koreyoshi Kurahara, the director of Antarctica, who died four years before it was released.

Sled dogs

In Eight Below there are two Alaskan Malamutes (Buck and Shadow) and six Siberian Huskies (Max, Maya, Truman, Dewey, Shorty, and Old Jack). Each actor-dog had help from other dogs that performed stunts and pulled sleds. In all, over 30 dogs were used to portray the film's eight canine characters. Max, Maya, Dewey, and Buck (Old Jack's stunt double) were played by dogs seen in Disney's Snow Dogs.[4] The animal filming was supervised by the American Humane Association, and the film carries the standard "No animals were harmed..." disclaimer, despite an on-set incident in which a trainer used significant force to break up an animal fight.[5]

Working title

According to a Movie Surfers sneak peek as seen on the Herbie: Fully Loaded DVD, Eight Below was originally titled Antartica: The Journey Home.

Release

Critical reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 72%, based on 146 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Featuring a stellar cast of marooned mutts, who deftly display emotion, tenderness, loyalty and resolve, Eight Below is a heartwarming and exhilarating adventure film."[6] Roger Ebert from Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, and said "Eight Below succeeds as an effective story."[7] BBC liked the movie as well, but did not like its long length (2 hours).[8] Reel.com liked it, saying "the movie succeeds at drawing you into their incredible adventure".[9] However, the San Francisco Chronicle disliked the film, saying: "The movie is overly long and much too intense for small children, yet it's filled with dialogue and plot turns that are too juvenile to thrill adult audiences."[10] William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reacted favorably ("the dog actors will melt your heart"), but pointed out, as did other reviewers, that "Antarctica buffs" will be critical of errors, such as portraying midwinter events occurring in "balmy, blazing daylight at a time Antarctica is locked in round-the-clock darkness and temperatures of 140 degrees below."[11]

Box office

According to Box Office Mojo, the film opened at #1 on February 17, 2006, with a total weekend gross of $20,188,176 in 3,066 theaters, averaging to about $6,584 per theater. The film closed on June 1, 2006 with a total worldwide gross of $120,453,565 ($81,612,565 domestic and $38,841,000 overseas).

Awards

Wins

Nominations

Home media

The film was released on separate format widescreen and full screen editions on DVD on June 20, 2006. It was also released on PlayStation Portable (an original widescreen format) on June 26, 2006. The film was released on high definition Blu-ray for an original widescreen presentation on September 19, 2006.

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ French, Philip (April 23, 2006). "Eight Below". Retrieved on December 12, 2014.
  2. ↑ Arnold, William (February 16, 2006). "'Eight Below' warms the heart despite faux paws". Retrieved on December 12, 2014.
  3. ↑ Rechtshaffen, Michael (2006-02-15). Eight Below. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  4. ↑ "A True 'Survivor' Story, Dog Version", The Washington Post (2006-02-16), pp. C12. Retrieved on 11 January 2008. 
  5. ↑ "Animals were Harmed", The Hollywood Reporter (2013-11-25), pp. C12. Retrieved on 28 November 2013. 
  6. ↑ Rotten-tomatoes. Last accessed: February 04, 2012.
  7. ↑ Ebert, Roger (2006-02-17). "Eight Below". rogerebert.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  8. ↑ Smith, Neil (2006-04-16). "Eight Below". BBC. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  9. ↑ Knight, Tim. Eight Below. Reel.com. Archived from the original on 2007-12-16. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  10. ↑ Hartlaub, Peter (2006-02-17). "Man's 8 best friends get the cold shoulder". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
  11. ↑ Arnold, William (2006-02-17). "'Eight Below' warms the heart despite faux paws". seattlepi.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-12.

External links