Rated R for language, some sexuality, and brief animated violence.
The Film
Of all the cinematic comedy crazes in recent memory, Napoleon Dynamite was always the one that failed to impress me. I thought the brand of humor the film tried to instill was overly random, and the jokes were disguised to be witty, when instead they were simply dumb. Everyone told me I needed to watch it twice to truly appreciate it. No thanks. It was evident to me immediately by viewing the trailer that Eagle vs. Shark was striving to reach the same audience that adored Jon Heder dancing in his moon boots. For this reason, I never cared enough to go out of my way and see it.
Unfortunately Eagle vs. Shark suffers from more than just utilizing the same flat humor of Napoleon Dynamite with very similar geeky characters. Writer and Director Taika Waititi's Sundance feature will forever be known as playing second fiddle to the Jared Hess picture. This is a shame because, while I was not fond of this film, it was better largely due to the sweeter undertones of the story. The problem is, it never fully explores that asset.
Lily (Loren Horsley) and Jarrod (Jermaine Clement) are both socially inept people. She works at Meaty Boy as a cashier, and he is an employee at a Game Blasterz. During Jarrod's lunch break, he frequents Meaty Boy, and Lily is always admiring him. One day she takes his order, and wastes no time in displaying her friendly affection by offering him free french fries and cheese. At this time, Jarrod extends an invitation to his animal party. He wanted Lily's co-worker Jenny (Chelsea Preston-Crayford) to attend, but she didn't care, so Lily accepted the invite, and arrived with her brother Damon. The sparks fly at this gathering, sort of, and the two end up hooking up. As an awkward couple, they commence a trip to Jarrod's hometown where Lily meets his family, and finds out about his quest for revenge.
At its core, Eagle vs. Shark is a standard romantic comedy dressed in the clothing of an independent release. It follows the same routine as any paper thin tale with Matthew McConaughey would. What makes this different is that it centers on two outcasts or losers or idiots. Whatever you want to call them probably fits. To some, the uncomfortable moments contained here are hilarious, but the majority of the time they come off as dull and desperate. In truth, a few scenes made me chuckle. The Fight Man tournament was funny, as was Jarrod's bedroom with homemade candles.
The performances feel natural and convincing. Loren Horsley and Jermaine Clement infuse the characters with all the facets and ticks that these oddities might possess. I would not label the lack of a connection with the audience as a flaw persay, but it certainly doesn't help the proceedings. I am unsure as to what Taika Waititi was trying to convey through this relationship other than the fact that even the most unlikely of people can find love. Sympathy can be felt for the innocent and kind Lily, but she overdoes the cutesy smirk to the side, and is incredibly timid and self-doubting on a basic level. Had Waititi penetrated her issues further instead of just showing her sulking alone, Lily might have been a more profound character.
Jarrod is nothing but a jerk. I suppose this is the point, and of course many could laugh hysterically at his antics, but in terms of buying into a romance with a woman, Jarrod never exudes any likeable qualities. Jermaine Clement spends too much time channeling the spontaneous and bizarre foolishness of Jon Heder to properly stand out. His family is an assortment of wacky relatives, most of whom are intended to be just peculiar enough to induce laughter.
Waititi has also contributed to the show Flight of the Concords, and was previously nominated for an Academy Award for the short Two Cars, One Night. He has talent, and it is primarily noticeable when he shoots the outdoors. He and cinematographer Adam Clark capture the beauty of the New Zealand area like veteran professionals. The screenplay has definitely depicted the discomfort of misfits commendably, but with uneven lead characters and risky deadpan jokes, it is easy to have an unpleasant aftertaste. The stop-motion sequences from Another Planet Ltd. lend some startling inventiveness, but they can be mistaken as a method for expanding the short running time.
Taika Waititi has added to this growing tangent trend of Generation Y comedies, but it still needs a long time to develop and mature. These offerings should start sacrificing some of the quirks for wit. The script was workshopped at the Sundance Director's and Screenwriter's Labs in June 2005. It wrapped production in 25 days with 35 crew members, and barely made a splash in theaters. Eagle vs. Shark has a heart, but a weak brain. It tries hard to distinguish itself, but ultimately it fails as a potentially nice, but lame flick drowning in the current Judd Apatow world of comedy.
The Video
Miramax independent releases usually receive the utmost attention to detail for DVD. This is no different as the picture transfer is fantastic. Taika Waititi's film is filled with bright colors and fascinating visuals to admire. The balance is more than satisfactory, the contrast is spotless, the unnecessary grain is absent, and no blurs are present. It is given the original 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio, which is great. This is not perfect, but it is strong and at least attractive.
The Audio
The sound is handled with care and is very fine. This is a quiet comedy so the speakers don't exactly have a lot to do, but in the sparse instances where louder noises occur, they are satisfying. The music from New Zealand groups The Phoenix Foundation, Age Pryor, and the Reduction Agents, as well as 80's British group the Stone Roses is all lovely and upbeat tunes which help the substance. I heard no distortion, and never had to adjust my volume knob to any extreme. This has a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, as well as subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.
The Packaging
Eagle vs. Shark is distributed in a standard black keep case with a chapter listing sheet inside. The artwork is the movie poster, which is fabulous. Luckily that cannot hurt this release. The menus are hand drawings, clips, and music from the film. The selections are easy to navigate throughout.
The Extras
Deleted Scenes (with optional commentary by Taika Waititi) - There are 13 scenes all together, which run approximately 15 minutes or so in length. The names are as follows: “Working Out”, “Bottle Throw” (Part 1), “Lily Plays Guitar”, “Jarrod Visits Tracy”, “Lily in the Tent”, “Jarrod’s Phone Call”, “Hitchhiking”, “Bike Date”, “Jarrod Throws Stars”, “Lily the Morning After”, “The Fountain”, “Dream Sequence” (Previsualization), and “Bottle Throw” (Part 2). Most just add to the silence and awkwardness of the main feature. These were cut for various reasons, which Waititi explains on the commentaries. Jarrod working out and throwing stars was somewhat humorous, but most were forgettable.
Outtakes (2:47) – This is the general blooper reel. As I have said on many occasions, these are only funny if you enjoy the film. I didn’t, so these never made me laugh really. However, it is nice to see the cast and crew having a good time.
Audio Commentary - Writer and Director Taika Waititi greets us as the film begins. He is joined by a couple guests: Loren Horsley (Lily) and Joel Tobeck (Damon). This is a nice little commentary I suppose. They joke about the extras being all of their friends, Waititi points out the standard filmmaker highlights, and they share stories and admiration for different aspects of the filming process. All in all, this was passable and not overly lackluster.
The Phoenix Foundation “Going Fishing” Music Video (5:18) – This is the New Zealand group that supplied most of the soundtrack. This is a boring song if you ask me. It is a typical video for a soundtrack with clips and short snippets of the band, who look tired just sitting around.
Sneak Peeks (13:24) – As with any Disney related DVD, you receive plenty of trailers. This contains: Becoming Jane, Golden Door, No Country for Old Men, Wall-E, Gone Baby Gone, and a Blu-Ray advertisement.
The Film: 5.0/10.0
The Video: 8.5/10.0
The Audio: 8.0/10.0
The Packaging: 7.5/10.0
The Extras: 7.0/10.0
The 411: There is an audience for a film like Eagle vs. Shark, but I don’t know how large it would be. This is a story that focuses on relationships between social outcasts and the uncomfortable situations they get in during daily life. The problem is, Writer/Director Taika Waitit’s objective of exposing that backfired on him because it causes the viewer to be equally as uncomfortable as the characters are. That can’t happen. The movie has heart, but not enough smarts to back it up. The DVD is not worthwhile enough to recommend purchasing. The technical specifications are up to par. The commentary was nice, as were the deleted scenes, but the absence of a making of featurette or behind the scenes shots are big flaws these days. Don’t go out of your way to see this.
Couldn't agree with you more Mr. Webb. It had a lot of hype, but really didn't do much for me. It tried too hard to be quarky and it ended up just being an uncomfortable movie with a lot of unused potential. I did a mini review of this in early December, but it looks as if the DVD production didn't add much to the experience. At least your review was well written. So much can't be said for the movie it's discussing.
Posted By: Mikey MiGo (Registered) on January 18, 2008 at 12:18 AM
