EAGLE VS. SHARK

"What animal have you come as?"

Working in the local beef burger takeaway, Lily (Horsley) longs for 12:04pm everyday when Jarrod (Clement) comes across for his lunch from the video game store. Even though he avoids her every time he comes in, she longs for him to talk to her. When he finally does, he gives her an invite to an animal costume party to give to her workmate but instead Lily sees this as an opportunity to meet Jarrod at a social outing. Still avoiding her, Jarrod takes notice when Lily beats all comers during the video game contest but while she wants this to be the start of something, Jarrod has something else on his mind.

When 'Napoleon Dynamite' brought cinema 'geek chic', the forgotten nerds and outcasts of the world finally had a voice but can 'Eagle vs. Shark' give them the chance to continue to shout?

The geeks and weirdoes of the world rejoiced when Jon Heder's portrayal of 'Napoleon Dynamite' gave them a believeable cinematic hero they could finally connect with. This was a character that didn't change his appearance to fit in, become remarkably changed and accepted or get the most beautiful girl in school. The made it Ok to be a geek and showed that there are other geeks for you to connect with. Now New Zealand director Taika Waititi introduces you to another pair of loveable geeks, Lily and Jarrod.

Taika Waititi's tale of a geek with a crush on a major geek is one that is both funny and romantic but you cannot help but think you have seen most of it before. Jarrod is an uber-geek, a local Fight-Man video game champion who is obsessed with getting revenge on the boy who bullied him throughout high school. Lily is just a plain girl that nobody even notices and everyone ignores but there is much more to her and only her brother knows it. Lily likes Jarrod and Jarrod likes the attention, while you might this is just another 'Napoleon' story but with grown up geeks, there is much more to 'Eagle vs. Shark' than you might have first realised.

This is a story of two misfits who should be together but while one of them is open to a relationship but the other has to realise there is more to life than revenge and proving to his Dad that he is just as important as his sadly deceased brother. This brings in Jarrod's family, who are equally as weird, who are still struggling to cope with the loss of the prodigal son. This brings a lot more to the film than just the quirky comedy that you might have expected and makes the film all the more enjoyable.

The film would be nothing about the performances of the leading pair, Loren Horsley and Jemaine Clement. As Lily and Jarrod, the pair create two truly memorable characters. Both are extremely geeky characters, with Lily been adorable and Jarrod been uncomfortably weird, making you wonder what Lily sees in him but can they fight destiny? Joel Tobeck, Brian Sergent and Craig Hall are good in support as well, making the movie all the more watchable.

While 'Eagle vs. Shark' might not offer the most original premise but its execution is better than you might have been expecting. This is all due to the fine performances from the cast and especially Loren Horsley and Jemaine Clement. Geek chic may still be a marketable attribute after all.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

The Mouse Wheel (1.10 mins)
Watch Loren Horsley get used to running on the Mouse Wheel at the local park where the movie was made.

Theatrical Trailer (2.05 mins)
Watch the trailer that previewed the movie in theatres and online.

Flight of the Conchords Trailer (1.52 mins)
Watch a preview of Jemaine Clement's new TV comedy series

Director's intro (0.50 mins)
Taika Waititi introduces you to his film and the DVD in a way he only could

Cast and Crew Interviews (29.52 mins)
Watch interviews with director Taika Waititi, producer Ainsley Gardiner and stars Loren Horsley and Jemaine Clement as they talk about the story, the characters and what the film means to them.

Interview with director Taika Waititi (21.21 mins)
The man at the helm talks about his comedic background, the career running up to the movie, the story, the characters and how passionate he is about this project.

Deleted Scenes (17.36 mins)
These deleted or alternative scenes show a different title sequence, extended version of the family meal, more of Jarrod and Rachel, extra fight training, more of Lily upset, practicing with Ninja stars, Lily waking up half naked, playing Frisbee, leaving and more of Lily and Jarrod. These deleted scenes suffer from the lack of a commentary track or introduction but director Taika Waititi does give a hint at why they were removed during his introduction.

Trailers
Previews of 'Me and You and Everyone We Know', 'Brick' and 'Rocket Science'

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'Eagle vs. Shark' is fine for a low budget movie. The lack of a commentary track is a little disappointing but the interviews with the director, cast and crew more than make up for it. Fans of the movie should be pleased with this disc.

DVD

Napoleon Dynamite

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2007