Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com Almost everyone has a pet at some point in his or her life. Even an imaginary friend can be remotely close to that in some cases. They are animals that share a special connection with its owner. Something of which only the owner and pet could understand. Out of these various animals that constitute as pets, the most domesticated and common of all is the dog. Regularly labeled as "man's best friend", the dog continues to be the one of the few animals that can garner enough people to come out and see them in movies. Yes cats are also popular but besides Garfield (2004), who isn't even real, what other films have portrayed cats in a positive manner as of recent? Majority of the time, they are portrayed as antagonists.There's also nothing better than pairing up a dog with almost any girl's dream guy and a guy's right hand man, Paul Walker, who by this time was already well known thanks to The Fast and the Furious (2001) franchise. Here, Walker plays Jerry Shepard (huh, how appropriate) a field guide for a station in Antarctica. There he uses his trusty husky dogs to get around. On a normal day, Jerry is introduced to Dr. McClaren (Bruce Greenwood), a scientist hoping to find a special rock fragment that came from planet Mercury. On their travels they end up running into a snowstorm that drives them back to base. Dismally with no other choice when being evacuated, Jerry is told he has to leave his huskies behind. Once left alone, the dogs begin their journey of survival and Jerry begins his struggle to return to retrieve his pals.The writing to this movie is astoundingly well rounded. I'm surprised that David DiGilio hasn't gotten much work after this. Supposedly he's penning the slow moving Tron: Legacy (2010) sequel but that's it. Each character has their moment of development when it comes to the fuzzy snow dogs. Supporting Jerry in his emotional troubles are Katie (Moon Bloodgood), who also has a closer attachment to Jerry than everyone else for apparent reasons. There's also Cooper played by Jason Biggs who keeps his humor light and comical since he's better known for being in the American Pie (1999) series. Dr. McClaren's development is the most satisfying though. Be that as it may, the dogs are the ones who earn big props for the things they do in this film.In fact, along with the running time, viewers may learn some helpful safety tips if one were to be in such situations. I know I did. For one thing, they too get some development. At the beginning Jerry introduces the dog team to Dr. McClaren. From there, if one can remember most of the names, the viewer will be able to see a number of the dogs grow in character. All the same, the performances behind these dogs are spot on. They reminisce that of the dog actors from The Thing (1982), very well trained. This particular credit belongs to Michael Alexander, an animal trainer who has worked in several other feature films involving animals. His ability to have these dogs act so believable and human like is mind- boggling. Imagine how many hours that took just to get one action performed correctly! Holy cow!The cinematography is another breathtaking element to the film. Weather can be a problematic issue when it comes to making movies. How they filmed the Antarctic scenes is beyond comprehension. It must've been so cold, yet, Don Burgess was able to film large panning shots of the landscape. Snow dunes or frozen lakes, by golly was it magnificent. Burgess is also the guy who worked for Spider-Man (2002), Cast Away (2000) and Forrest Gump (1994). And then there's Mark Isham's score to the film. Isham is mostly a composer who enjoys adding texture like sound mixes in his music. In spite of that, Isham actually provided a theme for the dogs and used soft piano chords to emote the proper feelings for the dogs. My only complaint was that theme isn't easy to recall. Surely this could not have been that hard to do. Other than that Isham still provided great music. If you enjoy a good adventure of survival, this is it.Its music lacks a recognizable main theme but it still is powerfully effective along with its likable set of characters and emotional quest of endurance.

rachelandfilms You might have a few preconceived notions about this film, which I feel the need to clear up before I can begin with the actual review/opinion portion of this post. Don't worry, I'm not going to spend too long on this, but it is necessary, so bear with me.First of all, this is a family drama by Disney so right now anyone over the age of 15 is probably thinking 'this isn't a film for me'. You are wrong. This film may be by Disney but that doesn't mean it's just for kids, this packs a punch and a half and I defy any adult not to shed a tear or two over this one. It's reminiscent of Marley & Me in that respect. Not only will it tug at any person who has a heart, but it also raises some interesting ideas about how far a person would go to rescue the ones they love, whether that person is human or canine. Don't dismiss yourself because you don't think this film is for your demographic; personally I'm not sure this film has an age demographic. If you like a good film then here's your ticket.Second of all, the cast. If, like me, you're not a fan of Paul Walker because he seems like a one-trick-pony who can only do action-hero/bad- guy/heart-throb then please just leave those thoughts at the doorstep for a moment. Walker shines in this production, because for once he's playing a character whose sole purpose isn't to get the girl (though he does) or catch the bad guy and look cool doing it – this character has an emotional connection to the canines he is trying to save and that emotion is etched into every action he takes and every plea he makes. Paul Walker isn't the only casting choice I would like to address however, because while he does make up much of the film, it is also the canine cast whose journey we explore. These guys aren't just there to coo over either, these guys are characters. They have their own characteristics and story lines and they are just as heart-breaking and believable as the human cast. I was genuinely flabbergasted by the talent these beautiful canines display – and flabbergasted isn't a word I use lightly.If you would like to read the rest of my thoughts concerning this film then you can visit this site (filmrambler.blogspot.co.uk)

Chrysanthepop Frank Marshall's 'Eight Below's a complete delight. Based on the Japanese film 'Nankyoku Monogatari' (a film I really want to watch), this heartwarming (and at times heartbreaking tale) focuses on a team of sled dogs who are left to fend for themselves in the snowstorm of a harsh winter of Antarctica. I think the film would have worked better if it only focused on the dogs (after they're left behind) and their survival after they've been abandoned rather than on Jerry Shepard's determination to get back and rescue them, mainly because this latter portion isn't properly explored.However, the actors do a decent job. Paul Walker performs adequately. Jason Biggs provides some fine comic relief and Bruce Greenwood is okay. But, the best performance comes from the dogs (D.J., Timba, Troika, Noble, Flapjack, Dino, Sitka, Chase, Floyd, Ryan, Jasper and Lightning). Not only do they look adorable but credit must go to their trainers as well.In addition, the the Antarctica sequences are terrifically shot. The visuals are fascinating. The images of the dogs against the beauty and harshness of the landscape is stunningly captured. The instrumental score in these sequences is effective.In the end, 'Eight Below' is not only a story about survival but about sticking together as a team, all the way through it which, in the end, proved the key to their triumph. This is something many humans could learn from.

Jennah B I rented this movie to watch with my 5 year old. I figured that its from Disney how could it be bad. Was I ever wrong! We enjoyed the first 45 minutes of the movie, but as soon as they left those poor dogs chained and out in the cold. It really bothered me. They should have taken the dogs with them, they knew the weather was bad, they should have foreseen that they may not be able to return easily.After old Jack is the only one stuck on the chains and you can tell how sad and bad off he is, I started crying, my daughter started crying. I ended up fast forwarding until the end just to show my daughter that some of the dogs ended up OK. We could not handle this movie! Then I read the true story and it's even worse - 2 out of 15 survive.Makes me mad thinking how awful we treat animals, and this movie just illustrated it further. After those dogs saved the Dr., he didn't even bother to fight and go back for them.THe acting was good, and so were the first 45 minutes of the movie, so that's it got 5 stars.