RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Eight Below
Eight Below

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Eight Below (2006)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
71 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:138

Fresh:98

Rotten:40

Average Rating:6.5/10

Consensus: Featuring a stellar cast of marooned mutts, who deftly display emotion, tenderness, loyalty and resolve, Eight Below is a heartwarming and exhilarating adventure film.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some peril and brief mild language.

Runtime: 2 hrs

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Feb 17, 2006 Wide

Box Office: $81,593,527

Synopsis: Inspired by a true story and the hit Japanese film NANKYOKU MONOGATARI, Frank Marshall's (ALIVE, CONGO) EIGHT BELOW captures a rugged world of ice, snow, and threatening weather that few will ever... Inspired by a true story and the hit Japanese film NANKYOKU MONOGATARI, Frank Marshall's (ALIVE, CONGO) EIGHT BELOW captures a rugged world of ice, snow, and threatening weather that few will ever experience in person. As a guide for a National Science Foundation Research Base in Antarctica, Jerry Shepard (Paul Walker) is perfectly content to spend his time exploring the wilderness with his sled dogs and goofing around with his best buddy, cartographer Charlie Cooper (Jason Biggs). Then UCLA geologist Davis McLaren (Bruce Greenwood) arrives at the camp with plans for a risky expedition: treacherous ice fields make his target destination accessible only by dog sled so late in the season. Soon Shepard, McLaren and the sled dogs--Maya, Max, Old Jack, Buck, Shorty, Dewey, Shadow, and Truman--are on their way in search of McLaren's prize: a meteorite from Mercury. Unfortunately, an approaching storm forces Shepard and McLaren to return to base early. The return trip proves life-threatening, but the dogs pull through, saving both Shepard and McLaren from certain death. The storm also forces the scientists to leave the research center earlier than planned, and there's no room on board bush pilot Katie's (Moon Bloodgood) plane for the dogs. With the promise that someone will return for them immediately, Shepard leaves his beloved dogs behind. Soon, however, it becomes apparent that the weather has made a return trip impossible. Can the dogs survive in the Antarctic wilderness on their own, or will Shepard get back in time to save them? The dogs emerge as the most intriguing characters in the story, each exhibiting a distinct personality and fierce loyalty. The other major player is the wilderness itself, a beautiful, mysterious world that is rarely depicted on film. [More]

Starring: Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood, Moon Bloodgood, Jason Biggs

Starring: Paul Walker, Bruce Greenwood, Moon Bloodgood, Jason Biggs, Gerard Plunkett, August Schellenberg, Wendy Crewson, Belinda Metz, A. James Ryan, Adrian Noble

Director: Frank Marshall

Director: Frank Marshall
Screenwriter: Dave Digilio
Producer: David Hoberman
Composer: Mark Isham
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Nov 19, 2006

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Eight Below

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

When it comes to acting, the dogs are the only thing saving this movie.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
02/17/06
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Don't let the ads or the poster fool you, this isn't Snow Dogs (thank goodness) and you'd be wrong to dismiss this as just another Disney dog movie.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
02/15/06
Rebecca Murray
Rebecca Murray
About.com

Disney throws family audiences a bone with this chilly dog story.

Full Review Source: Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) | comment Comment
02/24/06
John Wirt
John Wirt
Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

Eight Below is so filled with action, adventure, and genuine emotion that it's easy to ignore the few little things that don't work.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
02/27/06
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

That Paul Walker is out-acted by several humans, eight dogs and a leopard seal shouldn't surprise anyone.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
02/16/06
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

In 2002, the cringefest Snow Dogs stripped huskies of their dignity. Eight Below restores it.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
02/16/06
Kathy Cano Murillo
Kathy Cano Murillo
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As magnificent as the setting is, the dogs are more so.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
02/16/06
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

If you thought those marching penguins were brave and adorable, wait till you see an eight pack of courageous, intelligent and captivating dogs ...

Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
03/09/06
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

A family film that doesn't pander, preach, or poop out. That alone is a rare thing.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
02/16/06
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Frank Marshall is smart enough to know his core audience of kiddies came to see the dogs, who take center stage in many of the film's best sequences.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
02/16/06
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin
AV Club

The dogs take the biscuit in Eight Below, an enthralling fact-based tale of man's best friend struggling to survive a harsh Antarctic winter.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
03/14/06
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
BBC

It's the most touching love story about tragically separated sexy beasts since Cold Mountain.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
02/17/06
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

... a shaggy-dog version of a Jack London story, enhanced with an animatronic leopard seal that looks like Charlie the Tuna.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
02/23/06
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

These dogs, as it turns out, can do anything -- even make us ignore the rough patches in a Disney movie.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
02/17/06
Mark Keizer
Mark Keizer
Boxoffice Magazine

In the era of "Narnia." "Harry Potter" and "Kong," it's downright refreshing to watch a movie that finds Planet Earth to be an exciting place.

Full Review Source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) | comment Comment
02/17/06
Rob Thomas
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)

The film works best among the beasts. Their training is impeccable, their emotions are palpable, and almost all of their behavior is credible.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
02/17/06
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

Remarkable, how in a film where we know with an absolute certainty that all or most of the dogs must survive, Eight Below succeeds as an effective story. It works by focusing on the dogs.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
02/16/06
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Eight Below is the Brian's Song of dog movies: schmaltzy, feel-goody, inspired-by-a-true-story-y. It's formulaic and frequently over the top, 30 minutes too long and altogether too slow.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
02/17/06
Allison Benedikt
Allison Benedikt
Chicago Tribune

The interaction between the dogs, some of whom have beautiful crystalline white coats, is far more fascinating than what goes on between the two-legged mammals, which is sometimes mushy (pun intended).

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
02/16/06
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor

The film is padded out to a full two hours, which may not be quite as long as the dogs have to wait for their rescue, but it does feel like it.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/22/06
Peter T. Chattaway
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
all

Latest News for Eight Below

February 21, 2008: Box Office Guru Preview: Vantage Point Aims For #1 Debut
A terrorist attack is played out through multiple perspectives in the high-octane political thriller Vantage Point which leads the four-pack of new openers which also includes... More...

March 01, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: "Wild Hogs" Aims to Run Over "Ghost Rider"
One super hero on a motorcycle looks to get replaced by four middle-aged bikers at the number one spot at the North American box office this weekend. More...

February 22, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: Jim Carrey Aims to Terrify Moviegoers
Following a busy holiday weekend when five new releases opened nationwide, the crowded marketplace will now face another four new films invading multiplexes everywhere. More...

February 15, 2007: Box Office Guru Preview: Ghost Rider Leads Gang of New Flicks
Five new films, each targeting its own audience, cram into North American multiplexes giving moviegoers plenty of entertainment options over the four-day Presidents' Day holiday... More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
66% 66% Public Enemies
83% 83% Harry Potter and the H…
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
75% 75% Julie & Julia
32% 32% Terminator Salvation

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
88% 88% Inglourious Basterds
78% 78% The Hangover
49% 49% Taking Woodstock
26% 26% The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
47% 47% The Girl From Monaco

More New Releases…

RT On Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196

What’s Hot On RT

James Cameron

James Cameron

We look at the Avatar director's career

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

Check out the brand new trailer now!

SAG Awards

SAG Awards

Find out who got nominated!

Nominee Gallery

Nominee Gallery

See who got nominated for Golden Globes!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Bryan Singer Returning to X-Men for First Class Source: Superhero Hype
62
  • Mark Strong Talks Kick-Ass, John Carter, and Robin Hood Source: Collider.com
1
  • How Avatar Happened: The Path to Innovation Source: CinemaBlend.com
19
  • Rob Marshall Says Pirates 4 Is Still a Maybe Source: ComingSoon.net
30
  • ET Teases Iron Man 2 Teaser Source: Collider.com
28
  • Tobey Maguire Refutes Hobbit Rumors Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
  • Prince of Persia Featurette Posted Source: Yahoo! Movies
4
  • Trailer Bulletin: Robin Hood Source: ComingSoon.net
61
  • Mel Gibson Plans a Mexican Vacation Source: Variety
8
  • New Iron Man 2 Clue Posted Source: Screen Rant
26
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tomatometer Watch: Will Avatar Live Up To The Hype?
236
  • Awards Tour 2009: Golden Globe Noms Here!
142
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Girlpower Rules Again with Princess at #1
70
  • Total Recall: James Cameron Movies
59
  • Awards Tour 2009: Inglourious Basterds Lead Critics Choice Noms
44
  • Awards Tour 2009: Avatar Best Picture at NYFCO!
38
  • Weekly Ketchup: James Cameron Plans a Fantastic Voyage
33
  • The Effects of Where the Wild Things Are
30
  • Awards Tour 2009: SAG Nominations Are In!
25
  • Critics Consensus: Princess, Invictus Are Certified Fresh
21
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
21
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
24
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Eight Below at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Eight Below at IGN
  • Eight Below at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
MSN's Year in Review
MSN's Year in Review External Link

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

40 Best Films of the 2000s
40 Best Films of the 2000s External Link

Last week, Moviefone offered us their worst films of the 2000s. Now see their 40 best!

Tarantino's Characters
Tarantino's Characters External Link

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

Top 10 Movies of 2009
Top 10 Movies of 2009 External Link

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Top 20 of the Decade
Top 20 of the Decade External Link

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.