In the Heart of the Sea

I must confess I truly don't understand these "professional" film critics who get paid to pick apart movies. This is an epic story and made more interesting knowing there is truth within the fiction. Can we just sit down and enjoy a movie for the entertainment value? I did not see anywhere in this film where the actors failed to give you the full feeling of the character they were portraying.

I have never seen a movie yet that Ron Howard failed to move the audience and this is no exception. Rent the DVD from Redbox or pay the $3.99 to Prime Video and don't be dissuaded by those pseudo-professional film critics who are no better than meteorologists who get the weather report wrong half the time.

Based on the story that inspired Moby Dick, its novelist, Herman Melville seeks out the survivor of the Whaling ship Essex to have him tell the tale of the white whale they encountered.

I heard In the heart of the Sea was not action packed enough. It sounded like the best and only action sequences could be found in the trailer, but that was not the case at all. I found it pretty jammed packed with big adventure. From director Ron Howard showing us how to sail a ship, to the epic standoff between man and the world's largest mammal. They even get into how a whale is hunted and then gutted for oil, which won't make any PETA supporters happy.

I would say the real issue is that since they are advertising the movie as the story that inspired Moby Dick, you would expect more whale than we actually got. The survivor telling the tale, Thomas Nickerson (played by Brendan Gleeson as an old man and Tom Holland as a Young one) began his story by telling us it was about the Captain and his first officer (played by Chris Hemsworth), and for the most part the movie was about how these two different men, from different social classes operate a ship.

What I was most impressed with is that it was worth the IMAX 3D ticket. In the Heart of the Sea has so many fantastic visuals, and not just the eye candy that is Chris Hemsworth who was made to look quite heroic in the picture (or maybe I just could not get his image of Thor out of my head). A lot of the imagery was grim to give a realistic look at what it was like to be a sailor in the 1800s, it was brilliant cinematography.

And the story that was told was very complete. I think I learned far too much about the political process and corruption of the whaling industry, back in the day, which is interesting, but does have the story lingering longer than you would expect.

Overall, I'm impressed with the second effort Ron Howard and Chris Hemmisworth team up for after Rush.

Agreeable retelling , vividly played , in which a Captain called Pollard (Benjamin Walker , though other actors that were considered included Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, and Henry Cavill) and a tough first officer , Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) command a surly ship of whale hunters through sheer ruthlessness and ego . Fine rendition freely based on Herman Neville novel : ¨Moby Dick¨ , with enjoyable interpretations from all-star-cast . Based on the true story of the ship Essex , a whaling ship that was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale in the southern Pacific Ocean in 1820 . In this extremely loose adaptation of Melville's classic novel, George Pollard , Ahab-alike , is revealed initially not as a bitter and revengeful madman . This oceans saga features some survivors of a lost whaling ship and relates the tale of a white whale as well as the captain Pollard's obsession with desires for vendetta upon the greatest animal . It starts in New England , where an expert officer and harpooner signs aboard the whaling ship along with rookie captain George Pollard . Both of whom meet a motley crew formed by two-fisted sailors as Caleb Chappel (Paul Anderson) , Henry Coffin (Frank Dillane) , Richard Peterson (Osy Ikhile) , Benjamin Lawrence (Joseph Mawle) , Ramsdell (Sam Keeley ) and Matthew Joy (Cillian Murphy) , among others . They are attacked by a huge Cachalot that causes destruction and wreck havoc . Pollard , subsequently , consecrates his life to hunt it , full of hating and vengeance . He has a self-destructive obsession to hunt the white whale , carrying out obstinately his revenge and determination to seek avenge on the beast that destroyed his crew and ship .

Based on a true incident inspired Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" . Yet another take on of Melville's classic battle of wills story described on the book titled "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex¨ by Nathaniel Philbrick , being well written by screenwriter Charles Leavitt . The picture is a fine as well as free adaptation of the famous novel well scripted/adapted and ably realized , though full of computer generator FX . ¨In the heart of the sea¨ is an attractive tale of life on the high seas , and in particular on board a whale schooner named 'Essex' , while in the classic novel is called ¨Pequod¨ . This impressive adaptation based on Herman Melville's 1851 classic novel is vividly brought to screen . The interactions between George Pollard , Owen Chase , Matthew Joy are reminiscent of ¨Moby Dick's personages¨ as Captain Ahab , Ishmael , Starbuck , Queequeg , Daggoo , as well as the main characters of ¨Billy Budd¨, another novel written by Herman Melville , and it results to be one of the most thrilling and moving see sagas ever written . Suspense and tension of the ocean is completely captured , including enduring frames as the braving storms , famine , panic and despair , the men will call into question their deepest beliefs , from the value of their existences to the morality of their works as whale-killers . Climatic battle between the giant whale and the harpooners , it is an overwhelming piece of cinema as you are likely to watch . Charles Leavitt , Rick Jaffa , Amanda Silver wrote the story and screenplay that was partially faith to the novel . And filmmaker Ron Howard stamping this movie with epic images and thought-provoking dialogs . Enjoyable recounting , including quite a few moments that click make this top-of-the-range movie more than watchable . The FX experts created a great whale made by means of ordinary computer generator . Top-notch main and secondary cast realize extraordinary performances . Chris Hemsworth is nice as well as Benjamin Walker and Tom Holland . This marks the second collaboration between director Ron Howard and actor Chris Hemsworth , their first collaboration was Rush (2013). Phenomenal support cast , plenty of familiar faces who give perfect interpretations , such as Brendan Gleeson , Cillian Murphy , Jordi Mollà , Michelle Fairley , Paul Anderson , Frank Dillane , Joseph Mawle , Donald Sumpter , Richard Bremmer and Ben Whishaw as Herman Melville

Cameraman Anthony Dod Mantle's appropriate color cinematography splendidly conveys the bleaker qualities of the chase . Exciting and thrilling musical score by Roque Baños , being filmed on location in the Canaries , where in 1956 John Huston directed the classic version starred by Gregory Peck , Richard Basehart , Harry Andrews and Orson Welles . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Ron Howard . This is the sixth film directed by Ron Howard based on a true story. The others were "Apolo 13 (1995)", "A beautiful mind (2001) ", "Cinderella Man (2005)", "Frost versus Nixon (2008)" and "Rush (2013)". Rating : Very good , better tan average . Well worth watching .

After seeing the reviews, I wasn't sure if it was worth 2 hours. Much better than expected. I think the critics ratings were hugely unfair. This is a quality film. If you like seafaring adventure with a good cast, you'll like this.

'Moby Dick' is the well known adventure of a whaling ship and its crew, relentlessly hunting the legendary white whale that had been a proverbial thorn in any whaling expedition. But before Herman Melville wrote his most famous piece of work in 1850, the American author had received the inspiration for his classic from a real life whaling expedition thirty years prior. The true story of the Essex and its crew reverberated around the world and had the potential to destroy the whale oil industry at a time when the precious commodity was the 'electricity' of the day. Its use in everyday life was common and was the main source of heat and lighting in the nineteenth century. The hunt for the rich oil saw large numbers of whaling ships spending years at a time out at sea so the bright lights of towns and cities could burn before the introduction of electricity. How far we have all come, even from the recent past.

Ron Howard has always been a bankable Director. He has been at the helm of some truly delightful films in recent memory and has rarely provided the audience with a bad experience. His solid wisdom has enabled him to deliver a film that is concrete without being spectacular. Charles Leavitt's screenplay shadows that of the direction; it provides the opportunity for deep dialogue without ever pushing the boundaries of its cast, leaving the best performance to a CGI generated whale. Howard has been able to create an authentic nineteenth century atmosphere, with rich scenes full of all the wonderment's of a by-gone era but the film on a whole seems to lack an emotional impact that Herman Melville's story was able to achieve. 'Moby Dick' seemed to have an excitable expectation about it where as 'In the Heart of the Sea' failed to deliver any really memorable moments. This is not to say that Ron Howard's film is not watchable, it just has been unable to conjure up anything new.

The narrative focuses on the booming whaling industry out of Nantucket and its heavy reliance on whale oil to provide the energy that society needs to live through their everyday lives. The whaling ship 'Essex' is the pride of the fleet and has been commissioned for a new expedition for the growing need of the priceless liquid. The story is told through the eyes of Thomas Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson), who is the last survivor of the fateful adventure that took place thirty years before. His narration is for the benefit of Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw) who is compelled to write about the story. Nickerson centres his narration around Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth), the second in command of the Essex and a man that was born to be a whale-man. Chase is respected by his crew and is good enough to be the Captain in his own right but lacks the heritage to demand such a post. George Pollard (Benjamin Walker) is given the task of commanding the Essex and it isn't long before his personality clashes with that of Chase.

Through heavy storms, potential mutiny and misdirection, the Essex and its crew struggle to make the quota of three thousand barrels of oil needed for a successful voyage. With hope quickly turning to doubt, morale is boosted with a story of infinite whale sighting's a thousand miles from land and the chance for the crew to meet the demands of their employers. once the Essex reaches its location they are confronted by a monster that they have never encountered before; a sperm whale with white markings that is one hundred feet long and full of vengeance. It doesn't take a genius to know what happens next but the aftermath leaves both Pollard and Chase with memories that changes the course of their lives.

This is the whales film and the gigantic beast's on screen presence is what the audience wants to see. He makes an absolute mess of the Essex and hauntingly stalks the survivors as they float in small boats in the vastness of the Pacific knowing that they are all at the whale's mercy.

Brendan Gleeson is always good to watch and puts in a solid performance as the older Thomas Nickerson. Ben Whishaw is a star of the future and does credit to his role in a safe performance as the famous Melville. Chris Hemsworth is trying to spread his acting wings by expanding his appeal to the powers that be. The big Aussie hunk is doing his best to become a bankable leading man but the jury is still out as to whether he has the screen presence to successfully become the film star that we all want him to be. He can act but I feel at times that he is left behind by more accomplished craftsmen.

'In the Heart of the Sea' is a curious film. See it once and enjoy what it has to offer but 'Moby Dick' it ain't. The audience does get an insight into the extremities of an industry that was once the life blood of human civilisation. There is a scene that could be confronting to those viewers with a weak stomach as the Essex crew go about extracting the oil from the harmless beasts of the ocean but luckily this is only seen once although vital in the context of the narrative.