Eagle vs. Shark is the simple story
of two slightly strange and lonely people who meet and connect, although often
awkwardly so. Lily (Loren Horsley) is a sad fast-food waitress, in danger of
losing even that job, but she has a crush on one of her customers. Jarrod
(Jemaine Clement) comes in to eat at the same time every day, and when he
invites Lily to a party they hit it off and begin seeing each other. Jarrod’s
main concern is getting revenge on the bully who picked on him when he was
growing up, so he and Lily take a trip home for Jarrod to enact revenge.
Meanwhile Lily gets to know Jarrod’s family, most of which still look at him as
an outcast and mourn the loss of his brother.
With “dress as your favorite animal”
parties and uncomfortable visits home, Eagle vs. Shark is like Napoleon
Dynamite meets Buffalo
Along with a group of eclectic and
strange characters, Eagle vs. Shark has numerous sequences of unexpected
stop-animation to bring us even further into the delusional fantasy world of
Jarrod and Lily. They are both searching for something, and this is often
represented in the things they fantasize, as are their fears. Being brought
into the world of an outcast is often as uncomfortable as you might expect, but
the struggle isn’t in vain. The experiences that the characters go through
allow them to break out of their shells and leave behind their illusions.
The DVD has
deleted scenes, with optional commentary by writer/director Taika Waititi. Some
of the deleted scenes are pretty funny, although it is a good length at an
hour-and-a-half. As enjoyable as the film was, much longer would have made it
suffer. There is also a series of outtakes, most of which is filled with the
actors laughing for no reason. The commentary is one of the highlights of the
DVD, with Waititi and several guests. There is also a music video which is
basically just footage from the film. The music is yet another great element of
the film, so it is appropriate there is a music video included.
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