- 9
...one of the most incredible action-adventures the screen has seen in some time.
—Pete Hammond Maxim
- 8
...a top-notch survival adventure...
—Ken Fox TV Guide
- 8
...a clean, classical, hooray-for-the-pooches picture...
—Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly
- 7
...succeeds as an effective story. It works by focusing on the dogs.
—Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times
- 7
...one of the better family films out there right now.
—Ethan Alter Premiere
- 6
...a passable Disney Channel slot-filler...
—Nathan Rabin Onion AV Club
- 6
—Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor
- 6
As Walt himself might have advised: "Stick with the mutts, boys."
—Chuck Wilson LA Weekly
- 6
...a rousing good tale.
—Leah Rozen People
- 6
...formulaic and frequently over the top, 30 minutes too long and altogether too slow, but oh when those gorgeous, graceful pups tilt their heads just so...
—Allison Benedikt Chicago Tribune
- 5
...a passable Disney adventure...
—Nick Schager Slant Magazine
- 5
...when the narrative shifts to the dogs' human costars that Eight Below loses its otherwise tight grip on your attention.
—Tim Knight Reel
- 5
The dogs deserve the star treatment, because whenever Walker and the other two-footers take over it's as if Jack Nicholson has yielded the spotlight to, say, David Schwimmer.
—Kyle Smith New York Post
- 5
...a paint-by-numbers family adventure, nothing less, nothing more.
— E!
- 4
...a gorgeous art film full of snowy silences and spare, gestural performances threatens to break loose (the most inspired acting comes courtesy of the canines), though the plot's slavish schmaltz proves as oppressive as the harsh winter that descends upon the dogs.
—Pete L'Official Village Voice
- 4
...sentimental but slipshod...
—Kevin Crust Los Angeles Times
- 4
It's familiar, it's run of the mill, and the writing and performances all too willingly follow suit.
—Pete Croatto filmcritic.com
- 3
...a megadose of Disney schmaltz.
—Nathan Lee New York Times