DVD REVIEW

Eagle vs. Shark

Miramax Home Entertainment || R || Jan 8, 2008

Synopsis

When Lily, a lonely, oddball fast-food waitress and hopeless romantic, and Jarrod, another forsaken eccentric who has spent the last decade plotting revenge against a bully from high school, connect at a “dress as your favorite animal” party, it’s a match seemingly made in outcast heaven. But as Jarrod bumbles his way to his day of reckoning, he and Lily are pushed to find faith and hope in each other while the world of “foolish suckas” spins around them.


Critique

Jarrod is a 28-year-old man-boy on a mission to exact revenge from the bully who tormented him in high school, a Samoan named Eric. He makes prank phone calls to his house, and he is planning on returning to his hometown to settle the score.

If Napoleon Dynamite has gotten laid (and been an even bigger loser), he would be Jarrod. Eagle Vs. Shark plays like Napoleon Dynamite, down to the characterizations and over the top nerdniness of the male lead.

Lily, on the other hand, is a likeable person, and might be an interesting character in another film. Here she is too much a caricature, too thinly drawn to be more than mildly amusing. To say that no one likes Lily would be an overstatement. No one considers her enough to like her or not. When the fast food restaurant where she works has to decide who to lay off, they draw her name out of a hat; it’s hardly a surprise when we see later that her name was on every slip of paper.

Lily and Jarrod meet and become a couple, though Jarrod is too wrapped up in himself to be much of a boyfriend. She travels with him to his hometown for the big showdown, only to be dumped out of the blue. When the time comes, Eric doesn’t even remember Jarrod. Unlike Jarrod, Eric has moved on with his life.

Napoleon Dynamite was a mediocre, one note, one joke comedy. Eagle Vs. Shark is a copy of that. The film plods along, the jokes falling flat, and the characters quickly losing what scraps of appeal they might have had. You can tell the filmmakers really thought Jarrod was a funny character, but he’s not. We know too little about any of the characters to be affected by the more emotional moments. There is no reach here, no real effort, and not much reason to watch the film.


Video

Eagle vs. Shark is presented in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The transfer sharply captures the flat, straightforward photography. The black and white levels are solid, and the color levels are crisp.


Audio

This disc is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The soundtrack is fairly simple, nothing intense on either side of the spectrum. The presentation is well balanced and all channels are clear.


Special Features

Deleted Scenes: 13 cuts with optional commentary by writer/director Taika Waititi.

Outtakes: Exactly that.

Commentary By Writer/Director Taika Waititi & Guests: Waititi talks about the making of the film. He gets his star/co-creator on the phone to get her perspective, and we hear about making the film with friends on a low budget. This is not the most informative commentary, but it entertains.

Rounding out the extras is The Phoenix Foundation “Going Fishing” Music Video.


Final Thoughts

Eagle Vs. Shark is a lame attempt at comedy, too mired in homage to rise to anything interesting. The bonus material is good, but it can’t save this disc.

VERDICT: SKIP IT

 

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Review posted on Feb 5, 2008 | Share this article | Top of Page

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