Paul Walker: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked
3. Jerry Shepard Eight Below (2006)
Sometimes Walker strayed even further off the beaten track. Sometimes he decided to do something for the kids although, admittedly, the pumping soundtrack, explosions and bright colours of the Fast And Furious films are things children love. Still, in 2006 the actor went full on family-friendly with Eight Below, a based-on-true drama about huskies. THE MOST AMAZING STORY OF SURVIVAL, FRIENDSHIP AND ADVENTURE EVER TOLD, the poster promised. But this was a live-action Disney movie and, as everyone knows, Disney don't work well in live-action. Unless you're talking about the Mighty Ducks films, a trilogy that deserves to be respected along the likes of Star Wars and Lord Of The Rings. The schmaltz and hackneyed plots just don't seem quite as magical (and forgiveable) when they're not animated and musical. Despite another decent cast (Bruce Greenwood, Jason Biggs, Moon Bloodgood et al) and long-time Spielberg producer Frank Marshall in the director's chair, Eight Below managed to turn what genuinely is a great story except it happened in the fifties, to Japanese people into a film that was too intense for kids, and too immature for adults. Again, the lack of consistency shows through in Walker's performance.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
