Disney flick ‘Eight Below’ rises above expectations
“Eight Below” would seem to have a lot of strikes against it. It stars Paul Walker, a largely underwhelming actor who has emerged in recent years as a sort of poor man’s Keanu Reeves, an emblem of unintelligent American masculinity, and Jason Biggs, best known for screwing a pie. It is directed by Frank Marshall, coming off an eleven-year vacancy from the director’s chair after helming the abysmal “Congo.” It is also a live-action production by the Walt Disney Company, a once-heralded division whose most recent youth market films have been the obnoxiously modern “Herbie: Fully Loaded” and “Sky High,” films which substitute snarky pop culture references for genuine storytelling and warmth. Moreover, and most annoyingly, it’s another damn sled dog movie that hopes that we forget how many films on this subject have been produced in recent memory. Given this pedigree, it is thus surprising that the film is a moderate success, a surprisingly classical and dashingly charming adventure tale about the indomitable spirit of man and beast. More »
