BASED on the Japanese blockbuster Nankyoku Monogatari, Eight Below is an engrossing and engaging real-life adventure set in the treacherous ice kingdom of Antarctica.

At the film's heart is a simple story of one man's enduring love for eight cute-as-can-be dogs, but Frank Marshall energises the two-hour running time with some well orchestrated set pieces and compelling performances from his four-legged cast.

The huskies - pack leader Maya, alpha-in-training Max, Shadow, Buck, the twins Dewey and Truman, Shorty and veteran Old Jack - don't disappoint, emoting beautifully on cue, even howling in grief when a member of the team lays down in the snow for the final time.

Human performers can't compete with the cheeky hounds, but beefcake Paul Walker (The Fast And The Furious) delivers one of his best performances, shedding a tear or two when he fears he may never see his sled team again.

Screenwriter David DiGilio, working from the 1957 true story that inspired the Japanese film, takes his time establishing the characters during the somewhat slow opening hour.

But once the storm blows in and the huskies are stranded, with only their canine wits to save them, the pace quickens considerably, with on screen captions updating us on the number of days they have spent alone in the wild.

Intrepid guide Jerry Shepard (Walker), his cartographer best friend Cooper (Biggs) and geologist Davis McClaren (Greenwood) are part of a scientific expedition in Antarctica.

Disaster strikes during a scouting mission to locate a fallen meteorite - there is a freak accident and the chances of survival are badly compromised by the treacherous weather conditions.

The entire research station is forced to evacuate but with so little space on the aircraft flown by Katie (Bloodgood), Jerry has no choice but to leave behind his eight huskies, on the proviso that Katie will fly straight back to collect them.

Unfortunately, the storm increases in ferocity and all flights are grounded, apparently condemning the dogs to a horrific death.

Six months pass and Jerry is tormented by his decision to leave so he resolves to return to Antarctica and pay tribute to his eight friends ("I gotta get back there, I owe it to them"), who he presumes are all dead.

Little does he know.

Eight Below may be aimed squarely at a family audience, but this is no saccharine, feelgood fairy-tale.

There is heartbreak along the way as a number of the canine protagonists lose their battle against Mother Nature, plus a genuinely terrifying encounter with a leopard seal (computer generated) that will shred even the steeliest nerves.

Director of photography Don Burgess fills the screen with the vast glaciers of Antarctica, while the huskies soon melt our hearts with their antics.