Eagle vs Shark

Review by Sean Lynch

As I stood out in the cold in the snake-like line for the premiere screening of New Zealand's latest comedy offering, Eagle Vs Shark, I began to get worried. Only one thought was going through my brain: This better not be another movie about rape!

To be honest, as I eagerly anticipated the long awaited debut screening at the Melbourne Film Festival (as a long time fan of Flight of the Conchords, this was a must-see on my schedule), all I could hear from other film fest attendees were their thoughts on the bevy of other films they had seen. 

And bugger me if every synopsis I overheard involved the words: rape, incest, bestiality - and my favourite phrase of the night - "...Then the pony gave the horse a blowjob".

So it was with great relief when Eagle Vs Shark started - and shock horror - it was actually watchable...and, despite the title, contained no animal sex acts of any kind.

This quirky, offbeat charmer is essentially a tale of two oddball misfits - Lily (Loren Horsley) a romantic dreamer who works in a fast food restaurant, and Jarrod (one half of the Chonchords, Jemaine Clement) a geeky video game store clerk.

The film explores these two socially awkward opposites and the strange ways they try to find love from family and friends (through revenge on high-school bullies, video games and candle making). 

Eagle vs Shark is, in some way, pitched as a romantic comedy. However in reality, it's more so the New Zealand born love child of The Royal Tenebaums and Napoleon Dynamite - an ironically tragic tale for those who have ever felt trapped within their own idiosyncratic world, as well as a unique study of social acceptance systems - from the ultra cool to the ultra loser.

Jemaine Clement is superb as the deadpan and undeservedly arrogant Jarrod, and without doubt the star of the flick. While you tend to get the nagging feeling that it's far too close to Napoleon Dynamite - like a spin off or sequel - the film is still ridiculously funny and entertaining. 

Less than ten minutes in and already it was my new favourite comedy to quote. Every understated line is delivered perfectly, a wonderful mix of reality, quirkiness and comic book creation.

Horsley is fantastic as well, so much so that her sweet performance almost destroys the aim of the film. She portrays Lily as such a beautifully innocent and kind-hearted girl, that when the time comes for director Taika Waititi to make us feel all warm and mushy as the pair finally find love - you kind of don't want them to. 

Put bluntly - Jarrod is a selfish bastard.

Mismatched love aside, there is very little wrong with Eagle Vs Shark. It's funny, it's quirky, it's (in a way) original, it's sweet and visually stunning. It's an impressive looking feature, especially with the intermittent pieces of animation.

This new comedy is well worth checking out if it ends up getting a mainstream release in Australia, as this is one of the funniest and most enjoyable films of the year.

Don't believe me? Well, just wait until you see the final showdown between Jarrod and his old school bully - one of the funniest comedy film moments. Ever.

4 out of 5

Eagle vs Shark
Australian release: TBA (Now Showing at Film Festivals across Australia)
Cast: Jemaine Clement, Loren Horsley, Brian Sergent, Joel Tobeck, Rachel House
Director: Taika Waititi
Website: Click here.