WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Monsters. Creatures of haunting power that inhabit our nightmares, fictional beasts of frightening visage and deadly resolve. Myths. Through the ages, tales told of fantastical creations and their supposed existence from empire to empire, country to country, city to city, town to town, village to village, generation to generation, parents to children before bedtime. Legends. Some accounts that have embedded so deep into culture and minds, they defy description. In 1820, veteran whaler and Captain in the making Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) laments a promotion once more denied to serve as first mate aboard the New England-based ship Essex, under its privileged commander George Pollard (Benjamin Walker), to sail out and return with needed wealth from the ocean–whale oil.
Much to the hesitations of Chase’s wife Peggy (Charlotte Riley), he, Pollard, and a rugged crew made up of both greenhorns and experienced whalers take to the open seas. Initially having dispute with Pollard’s decision-making, they finally find the prizes sought via a pod of sperm whales. Taking to their long boats, success comes only partially. Pollard then makes a tragic choice to sail into the far South Pacific on the word of a Spanish Captain met in a stopover, who confirms whales in numbers like no other place, but also warns of a monster they’ll find. Undaunted, the Essex heads to the fertile grounds, celebrating, until they face the reality that some tall tales are true–a massive white whale intent on ensuring they never leave alive.
Suddenly experiencing such an improbable, intelligent force, the aftermath of their encounters becomes a harsh tale of survival and what men are willing to do to live when pushed to the edge.
Next, my Mind:
The very sharp and insightful director Ron Howard excels at this type of material, able to infuse the narrative with the necessary humanity that will engage the viewer and make the overall themes pop. This effort, told from the perspective of the now-aged Essex crewman Tom Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson) to “Moby Dick” author-to-be Herman Melville (Ben Wishaw), is a solid seafaring adventure that recalls the actual tale of the ship vs. whale event which inspired the novel. Featuring intense storm and whaling sequences on top of the harrowing, decidedly one-sided confrontations with the colossal whale, the film becomes a deeper human drama in addressing not just the dilemma of the creature itself, but also the associated fears, hopelessness, desperation, and actions of men having to come to terms with mortality.
Hemsworth does well enough in playing Chase, a toughened, hard-working, dues-paid whaler with great aspirations first having to swallow his pride in not being a Captain yet, then suddenly forced into being a sole leader and voice of reason amongst a deteriorating group of mentally and physically haggard men. Decent supporting turns by Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, and others assist in making the tragedy of the events more real. And the always excellent Gleeson delivers well as the elder Nickerson, his tentative, anguished recollections to Wishaw’s determined to get the story Melville adds tension to even those quiet scenes. Those thinking this film is some non-stop action romp on the sea will be disappointed, as it is carried off much more in the same tone and general execution of 2003’s sea-based epic, “Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World”.
In total, “In The Heart of the Sea” is a sensible enough dramatization of the events that spawned the “Moby Dick” novel, entertaining in its well-filmed visuals and vigorous, sometimes disturbing, escapades, while also still providing a sobering look at the potent power of creation and how small we actually are in the face of it.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
