“We were headed for the edge of sanity… like we were aberrations, phantoms. Trust gave way to doubt. Hope to superstition.”
– Old Thomas Nickerson
SYNOPSIS: A recounting of a New England whaling ship’s sinking by a giant whale in 1820, an experience that later inspired the great novel Moby-Dick. – via IMDB
Right off the bat, I must admit that I never read Moby Dick. Yes. There, I said it. I finally got around to seeing this, though. I was expecting a wasted, pointless film ultimately, because reviews came back less than favourable, although not scathing. Personally, I found the movie to be entertaining and engrossing, even though there were flaws. I think the biggest drawback to the film is that the cast is not utilised as well as it could be, so many of the cast members and their characters are grossly underused. I was, however, a fan of Melville getting the story from Nickerson, and creating Moby Dick from there. The film explores some of the darker, nastier things about surviving while shipwrecked that far out, and this is done really well. Just thinking about the lengths that these men had to go to to survive is just something else. Hemsworth delivers a solid performance, and Cillian Murphy is, as always, well worth watching. I’d watch him anywhere though. The cast works well together to spin the story of a whaling ship, desperate to get enough oil to return home, crazy enough to take on a monstrous whale and pay the cost. Not only that, the interpersonal relationships between them were also well done, fraught with politics, friendship, competition, and status. Visually, In The Heart of the Sea is stunning to look at, though this is something I did expect, if we are being honest. The costumes, the settings, everything looked good. I do feel, however, that the movie did play things very safe, but I was engrossed from the off, and my husband thoroughly enjoyed it, too, which I actually didn’t expect. It gets to emotional places that are sad, don’t get me wrong, but never pack the raw punch you are holding out for. Overall, In The Heart of the Sea is worth the watch, a film that I enjoyed watching and can recommend.
HUSBAND!
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YOURS!
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A cool review. Pity you liked it as you could have said the narrative was all at sea haha. Love the poster.
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xD There we go! It’s a pretty cool one.
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While not a huge fan of Moby Dick (I was forced to read itr in High School), I’ve been looking forward to seeing this, especially after reading the story that inspired it. Great review Zoe!
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Thanks Kim! I hope you enjoy this!
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☺
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Great recap! I’m disappointed with myself that I missed this one, because I’m sure it was magnificent on the big screen.
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I’m sure it must have looked amazing on the big screen!
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Hmm. Sounds better than I was expecting. This one just didn’t really appeal to me (even with The Hems!). Suppose I’ll check it out at some point. : )
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xD Better than I was expecting, too, and I didn’t even have the motivator of The Hems!
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I’m not a huge fan of the Hemsworth (apart from THOR), but I might rent this for Cillian Murphy!
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Not a bad pick, Ruth, not bad at all!
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I enjoyed it. The back and forth narration helped shape Gleeson’s character but took away from whatever momentum we had with Helmsworth. Also, I think what bothered me was Helmsworth. He was way too pretty. Overall, I liked it more than many. Nice review, Zoe.
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Thanks Cindy! I agree, it built on the one side of the story but did let the other side suffer a bit. I didn’t really notice Hemsworth, to be honest (I am sure between you and I we are going to be hunted down soon).
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Let them come. 😉
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I have actually read Moby Dick. I found both it and this film tedious. Lol!
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xD There we go, definitely not for you then!
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It pissed me off how rough a ride this thing got. It’s not a bad movie. Not even close.
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Right?! I really expected something dreadful because it really got knocked. Why, I have no idea.
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I’m glad you liked it because it felt like it got too much of a bashing to be honest. I think it tells a great story very well and is a gripping movie in parts.
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Absolutely in agreement! Solid film, all in all, and got way too much hate.
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