8 Below is the thrilling tale of incredible friendship between eight amazing sled dogs and their guide Jerry (Paul Walker). Stranded in Antarctica during the most unforgiving winter on the planet, Jerry's beloved sled dogs must learn to survive together until Jerry - who will stop at nothing - rescues them. Driven by unwavering bonds of friendship, enormous belief in one another, and tremendous courage, Jerry and the dogs make an incredible journey to reunite in this triumphant and inspiring action-adventure the whole family will treasure.
Directed by
Frank Marshall
Written by
David DiGilio (screenplay) (as Dave DiGilio); Toshirô Ishido (film Nankyoku Monogatari); Koreyoshi Kurahara (film Nankyoku Monogatari); Tatsuo Nogami (film Nankyoku Monogatari); Kan Saji (film Nankyoku Monogatari).
Starring
Paul Walker (Jerry Shepard); Bruce Greenwood (Davis McClaren); Moon Bloodgood (Katie); Jason Biggs (Charlie Cooper); Gerard Plunkett (Dr. Andy Harrison); August Schellenberg (Mindo); Wendy Crewson (Eve McClaren); Belinda Metz (Rosemary); Connor Christopher Levins (Eric McClaren); Duncan Fraser (Captain Lovett); Dan Ziskie (Navy Commander); Michael David Simms (Armin Butler); Daniel Bacon (Bureaucrat #2); Laara Sadiq (Bureaucrat #3); Malcolm Stewart (Charles Buffett). Please contact SFC to add other cast members and characters.
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A Well-balanced Antarctic Adventure Story
Mark Banks (United Kingdom)
Opinion: Recommended
I have to be honest in saying that were it not for the USCCB's annual top-10 lists - especially now that they have added a family top-10 too, I don't think that I would have heard of this film. This, as you'll conclude from my green recommendation, would have been a great shame. The film is something of a rarity - a family film that features real, as opposed to animated, human characters, and a film about animals that doesn't push the boundaries of sentimentality. Even the action/adventure scenes are well-balanced and not overly dramatised. If the film has one fault it's of the overly-gory sharp-toothed seal that comes out of nowhere to try and attack the dogs - a scene lasting a couple of minutes that may quite possibly frighten younger viewers. Other than that the film moves along at a good pace and switches the action between the dogs and the human adventurers to good effect. If there's a moral to the story it's simply to follow your heart and don't give up on what you know is the right thing to do.
