review: EAGLE VS. SHARK

Miramax  //  Buy from Amazon.com She's a shark, he's an eagle! Loners Lily (Loren Horsley), a hopelessly romantic fast-food waitress, and Jarrod (Jemaine Clement), an oddball video game clerk, hook up at a "dress as your favorite animal" party, but he's too obsessed with wreaking vengeance on a high school rival to follow up on the relationship. Lily insists on standing by her man and sees him through the rigorous "training" for his all-important payback mission. When the day of reckoning finally arrives, Jarrod and Lily find something deeper than romantic fantasies and revenge--faith in who they are. Billed as the Kiwi version of "Napoleon Dynamite" (however unfair or unjust that comparison may be), "Eagle vs. Shark" is ultimately a love story between 2 abnormal individuals, who approach romance and relationships in the same unique fashion that they carve out their own place in the cosmos (that is, off-kilter.) I liked the film - I did chuckle, I didn't look at the clock (much) - but I wasn't enamored with it, and maybe that's also an unfair statement to make... but I went in expecting to be charmed by the cutesy, quirky characters and their attemps at love, and I wasn't charmed so much as entertained, and somehow that wasn't enough for me. Regardless, this is a fun, lighthearted film that anyone can sit down and enjoy, but if you're going in looking for New Zealand's take on "Napoleon Dynamite," you may be disappointed. Video The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is solid throughout - no complaints. Audio The Dolby 5.1 surround mix is a-okay - dialogue is clean & crisp and the musical numbers resonate out nicely. Extras audio commentary w/ director & actors deleted scenes outtakes music video Closing Thoughts A fun, quirky look at a fun, quirky romance + minimal extras = a delightful bit of imported cinema