 Movie Review: Eight Below
Director: Frank Marshall
Production Company : Walt Disney Pictures
Cast : Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood, Jason Biggs, Moon Bloodgood, Wendy Crewson, Gerard Plunkett
Rating : PG for some peril and mild language
By Gregg Tubbs
(UMC.org)—Years ago Disney studios built its live-action film reputation on inspiring, family-friendly stories like Old Yeller that leaned heavily on the charms of animals. With the Antarctic adventure Eight Below, they return to the well and come up again with a family classic about courage, loyalty, teamwork and the bonds of friendship—and that’s just between a group of amazing sled dogs. The humans don’t do badly either. But when the spotlight is on the ever-so-human canines, the glorious Antarctic vistas, and the merciless struggle for survival, Eight Below strikes pure gold.
Eight Below tells the story of an American scientific expedition to find a rare meteorite near Antarctica’s treacherous Mt. Melbourne. Copyright © 2006 Buena Vista Pictures Distribution and Winking Productions. |
Although set in 1993—the last year that dog teams worked the Antarctic—Eight Below is inspired by the true events of a 1957 Japanese Antarctic expedition, which was also the inspiration for a Japanese blockbuster film, Nankyoku Monogatari ("Antarctica"). This modern update tells the story of an American scientific expedition to find a rare meteorite near Antarctica’s treacherous Mt. Melbourne. The spring thaw has made the glacial ice too thin to support heavy vehicles, forcing the team to use the lighter, age-old method of crossing the Antarctic expanse—the dog sled.
It’s a dangerous quest and the station’s guide and sled-master Jerry Shepard (Paul Walker) resists risking their lives, and his beloved dogs, for the sake of “a rock.” But lead geologist, Dr. Davis (Bruce Greenwood), convinces Shepard to go on the dangerous expedition by reminding him, “You have to take risks for the things you care about.” These words become prophetic as the film unfolds. Unknown to them, a massive storm is approaching, and before their mission is over, their very lives will depend on the strength, courage and devotion of these eight dogs.
Not once, but twice, the dogs save Davis (BRUCE GREENWOOD) and Shepard (PAUL WALKER) from death, but a storm forces the entire scientific team to evacuate to New Zealand and leave the dogs behind against Shepherd’s protests. Copyright © 2006 Buena Vista Pictures Distribution and Winking Productions. |
Not once, but twice, the dogs save Davis and Shepard from death, but the worsening storm forces the entire scientific team to evacuate to New Zealand. Against Shepard’s protests, they must leave the dogs behind with the promise to return for them as soon as the weather clears. But it doesn’t, and winter sets in, leaving the eight dogs to fend for themselves during the harshest season in the most unforgiving place in the world. Over six torturous months, the dogs struggle against hunger, the elements and a particularly nasty leopard seal. Along the way, these dogs reveal some very human, even Christian, qualities that are the key to their survival.
Maya, the lead sled dog, continues to lead the group—calmly and steadily with her eye on the welfare of the whole team. Each dog in turn uses its gifts to help the others—some use strength, others courage, while others, like young Max, are gifted with compassion, showing a great capacity to care for the others and to give comfort when it’s needed.
Meanwhile, back in America, Shepard is agonized and unable to sleep from the guilt of leaving the dogs behind. While most of his friends tell him the dogs are surely dead and nothing can be done, one particularly close friend, a husky breeder, gives him the counsel he needs. “Find that one thing that will truly put your heart at rest,” he says. Shepard knows what he must do. He has a promise to keep and a debt to repay. With the help of Dr. Davis, he mounts an expedition to save the dogs, or at least to learn their fate.
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| Mayas, the lead sled dog, continues to lead the group—calmly and steadily with her eye on the welfare of the whole team—after the dogs are left behind to fend for themselves during the harsh Antarctic winter. Copyright © 2006 Buena Vista Pictures Distribution and Winking Productions |
On the surface, Eight Below is great piece of family entertainment—exciting, clever, adventurous and authentically heartwarming. As with the best of such films, there are lessons underneath. The film not only demonstrates the wonder of God’s creation, but it also emphasizes how much humans can learn from the remarkable creatures contained in it. Sometimes, positive qualities and right behavior seem clearer and easier to understand when stripped of human baggage, politics and even words. Love is love, grief is grief, and courage is courage. We are inspired by selflessness and saddened by loss, even when it’s among dogs.
On the human side, Eight Below also teaches us the importance of keeping promises and obligations to those you love and that, as Davis pointed out, “You have to take risks for the things you care about.” Is this too much to read into a simple story about a bunch of lost dogs? I don’t think so. Simple stories are often the best way to reveal great truths, especially when they are as well told as this one. Eight Below succeeds not only because of its action-packed drama of survival, but also because of its grand emotional themes of friendship, responsibility and triumph of the spirit—both human and canine.
Gregg Tubbs is a freelance writer living in Columbia, Md.
This review was developed by UMC.org, the official online ministry of The United Methodist Church.
Group Study Guide
Study Questions
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What was your first impression of the sled dogs? Did that impression change as the film went on? Why?
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If you could ascribe human qualities to each dog, what would they be?
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What Christian values could you see illustrated in the actions of the dogs? Do you believe God can use animals to teach us?
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Throughout the Bible, animals play a role in fulfilling God’s plan. Can you name a few? Which do you think were the most important?
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What drives Shepard to return for the dogs? Was it love? A sense of obligation? Or simply the need for closure?
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Promise keeping is a prominent theme in the film. Why is faithfulness so important in our relationships? Who had promises to keep in this film?
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Some of the dogs suffer and die. How do you reconcile the suffering, particularly of innocent animals, with your faith? Do you believe God cares about all living things?
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Do you believe that the things you care about are worth risks? Have you ever taken a risk for something that was important to you? How do you decide whether something deserves such a risk?
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Were you surprised that some of the dogs died? How did the dogs respond to deaths? Could you have left them behind to save yourself? Discuss the issue of sacrifice from a Christian perspective.
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What difficult choices have you made in your life? Did you have any regrets? Can your faith help you make and live with difficult decisions?
Group Activities
A Trusting Team: In the harsh Antarctic, team members, whether human or canine, had to trust in one another. Have your group try one of these teambuilding exercises that focus on trusting one another.
Exercise choice #1: Ask the members of your group to pair up with a partner about the same size and age. Have each pair sit on the floor, backs to each other, with their backs touching. Ask them to reach behind and lock arms at the elbows and them try to stand up, without unlocking their arms or using them for balance. It’s alright if the pairs don’t succeed; it’s the exercise that matters.
Exercise choice #2: For this, you will need a blindfold. Divide your group into pairs. One member of each pair will be blindfolded while the other will act as the "eyes." The challenge is for the “seeing” person to verbally guide the blindfolded person to cross the room to a predetermined point, retrieve a small object (your choice), and then return to the starting point. Start by spinning the blindfolded person around a few times to disorient him or her.
After the exercise has been completed, discuss how it felt to have to trust each other enough to stand or to have another person act as one’s eyes. What did you learn about communicating? Did one member of each pair become the “leader”? If you know it, or have a hymnal available, finish up by singing the old hymn, “Trust and Obey.”
Animals and Creation : Discuss your own feelings about the relationship between God, people and animals. Are people and animals the same? Do we have a responsibility to treat animals and all of God’s creation with respect? Learn what the Bible says. Begin with Genesis 1:26-31. See also Genesis 7 and 9:15 and Psalm 104.
Heavenly Creatures: In the Bible, many animals play an important role in realizing God’s plan. As a group, play a game of “Heavenly Creatures.” Take turns either acting out, in pantomime, or drawing animals from the Bible. If you choose pantomime, you cannot speak, but may make the sound of the animal. The other team members must guess not only what the animal is, but also what story in the Bible it comes from. Here are some examples:
The Serpent in the Garden of Eden
The Donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem
The Lions from Daniel
Jonah’s big fish
Resources
Official Eight Below Web site
Theatrical Trailer
QuickTime
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