Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy,
Ben Whishaw, Tom Holland
Release Date: Dec
11, 2015 RealD 3D
Rated PG-13 for intense Sequences of Peril, Intense
Sequences of Action, Brief Startling Violence
and Thematic Material.
Runtime: 2 hr. 2 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure
Review:
In the Heart of the Sea is a serviceable film that sadly
never achieves the epic scope it aspires to.
Ron Howard, workman as always, diligently directs his film with a clear
earnestness which shines through the filming.
It’s a fine looking film, occasionally bogged down by some shoddy
looking CGI, that does nearly everything we ask from our films but it just
seems to be missing something. The characters
and tension is poorly drawn with little to no depth on either end. Chris Hemsworth looks the part but his
character, the proto Ahab, isn’t very compelling or interesting. The supporting characters is a venerable
whose who of strong actors and all of them end up in thankless roles,
particularly Brendan Gleeson and Cillian Murphy. The film does perk up a bit during the
pivotal whale act which is much more thrilling than the rest of the film
combined.
If you liked "The Perfect Storm" or Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air," you'll find "In the Heart of the Sea" very much in the same vein. A story of people under terrible physical and mental assault which the reader could not imagine enduring, coupled with a superbly explained telling of the issues at hand that is well set in its place and time.
ReplyDeleteHighly recommended -- you may want to finish this one all at once.