Eagle vs Shark is the tale of two socially awkward misfits and the strange ways they try to find love; through revenge on high-school bullies, burgers, and video games.The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes was that while there were "frequent moments of wit and mordant humor, Eagle vs Shark needs more to distinguish itself from other precious, Napoleon Dynamite-ish comedies' moments." That is probably about right. I loved the awkwardness of both characters, I loved the idea of an animal party. I've given this a good rating mostly for its quirkiness, but I do have to concede that Taika Waititi had still not quite found his groove. If not for that "Conchord" star power, this might have gone completely unnoticed.

I don't frequently repeat movies, but I've found that this is one that I can watch more than once and still experience the same highs and lows that I did the first time.You get to watch two stories in this enjoyable little offering, the actual story of Lily and Jarrod and a charming animated movie that reflects what's happening.It's a bit jarring when you first see it. As a movie-goer you're accustomed to standard-issue attractive faces and bodies, spunky heroines and their boyishly charming love interests. By contrast, quiet, ground-down Lily and Jarrod with his complete lack of self-awareness take some getting used to, but they are not without things to like about them. And watching Lily blossom and grow more confident, not because of Jarrod, but because she's learning to like herself, is wonderfully inspiring.A difficult movie to start, but an easy movie to love, a little awkward, but able to be settled into quickly. Like the characters themselves, if you give it a chance, you're almost guaranteed to love it.

Beautifully shot, painfully endearing and wonderfully funny. The film teeters on the edge of saccharin but (Thank heavens!) never falls on that side. The script is brought to life by Jermaine Clement (Jarrod) and Loren Horsley (Lily) whose expert comic timing and delivery make "Eagle vs. Shark" a film that I feel could not possibly fail to please. Horsley's performance as Lily is practically flawless; never, in my opinion, has there been a more likable character in the movies. Clement is hilarious, I wish there was a better way to put it but i literally laughed till I cried and his unbearable awkwardness provided the perfect counterpart to Lily's unbearable sweetness. The beautiful Wellington, New Zealand is the perfect back drop for this equally beautiful, however obscure, love story. I think this film is truly unique and heartwarming and entertained me from start to finish. When I had finished watching it, I was genuinely tempted press play and watch it again.If you haven't seen it, watch it and if you have seen it, watch it again.

Eagle vs. Shark is a love story of two lonely people, who're socially distant - to say the least - from 'normality'. But what is normality anyways? Is it necessarily something that one should reach for? That's one of the main questions that Taika Cohen raises, and also the very thing that makes this piece quite extraordinary in its own way. It's like a reformed version of Peter Pan.Though Eagle vs. Shark is a love story and a comedy, romantic comedy isn't a very good word for it. It actually has a lot of tragical aspects to it, and it isn't all that lighthearted one might assume. It's a tragicomical story of two social misfits - one of which has stuck in a childlike behaviour because of all of the trauma he has faced in his past, and the other one who feels like a total outcast of the society, because of all of the rejection she has faced in her social life.Eagle vs. Shark has often been compared to "Little Miss Sunshine" and it does have - besides the somewhat similar type of humour - one major similarity in it's themes - the importance of family. It is the route and solution to all of their heartaches and traumas. Having one might drive you in to madness, but not having one is just twice as awful. This is also at the same time the strongest, and the weakest link of Eagle vs Shark. Since the family issues are thematically the whole core of the movie, it should have concentrated more on those issues. It passes the whole subject too hastely - thus sadly never reaching such depth in it's characters that it could have reached.Eagle vs. Shark manages not to fall in to any of the typical romance clichés. It goes by it's own heartwarmingly peculiar ways from the beginning to the end, balancing between comedy and drama the whole way. It's almost impossible to even categorize it in any way. Even though I wouldn't cinematically call it a masterpiece or anything, it still is really a one of a kind.