Movie Review: 8 Below

Starring eight fluffy dogs, a really scary leopard seal, and Paul Walker

I wanted to see this movie ever since i saw the trailer before Chicken Little! It's the story of 8 sled dogs that get left behind at an Antarctic camp after their humans have to hurry away and seek medical attention, fully intending to come back a few days later and retrieve the dogs before Winter sets in. Unfortunately, the biggest storm in 25 years prevents anyone from going to Antarctica, so Jerry can't go back and get his 8 buddies. Since he had planned to come right back, Jerry left them chained up outside with no food, so the dogs have to get themselves unchained and fed.
The story was based on actual events, but of course everything that takes place with the dogs is pure speculation, but i think Disney did alright. The dogs learn how to catch birds for food, and luck out in finding a killer whale carcass, except the dead whale is literally inhabited by what is now my biggest fear: a leopard seal. Cue awesome chase and fight scene. Max The Dog plays decoy with the Scary Leopard Seal so his doggie buddies can get some whale grub, and Scary Leopard Seal decides the best way to chase Max is to dive under the ice and stalk the doggie shadow running around over him. SO. SCARY. !!!!!
The film cuts back and forth between the dogs struggling to survive and Jerry struggling to find some way to get back to Antarctica. Paul Walker, while easy on the eyes, is not the best actor. But this one was hard to mess up, and i thought he did alright. He played it more about frustration and responsibility and not self-pity. He also had the classic 'boy and his dog' thing working in his favor. The other humans in the cast were alright, doing the best they could with a Disney script. Poor Jason Biggs was the bumbling, goofy best friend and it was painful at times. (Think Jar-Jar Binks.) i felt bad for him.
Anyway, it's a Disney movie so you know Jerry's gonna find a way to Antarctica and you know at least the majority, if not all, of the dogs will survive. What's crazy is that they spent something like 6 months down there on their own! Yes, it was a tear jerker on more than one occasion, and yes, there were some really cheesy Disney-esque moments (are there Northern Lights at the bottom of the world? i didn't think so, but i could be wrong) but it was a good moviegoing experience. i'm not the least bit surprised that this was #1 at the box office, everyone likes a good survival story. 3.8 out of 5 thawed paws.