Au cœur de l'océan

I am a huge fan of Moby Dick. I've taught it as a novel; I've read it several times. Its artistry is beyond measure. Herman Melville certainly knew his stuff when it came to whaling and the sea. Apparently, Melville gained his inspiration from a particular whaling voyage that produced fodder for his imagination. This film takes the fictional Melville back to the time where he heard the story of the white whale. If one looks at the book as the allegory it is, we put the stamp of whiteness and all the implications of the color (or lack of it) that it implies. This movie takes any artistry out of the story. Ahab lost his leg and pursues the elusive cetacean in the ultimate act of revenge. Here, a bunch of guys get in over their heads. They had an overzealous captain who simply was out for the commercial value of the animal. When the whale destroys the ship (they do give him supernatural powers) part of the crew is in whaleboats, trying to get someplace safe. Terrible things happen, including cannablism, and some manage to hold off their fates till they are rescued. But there is something dull about the pacing of the story. We aren't made privy to much of what goes on among them. There are the obligatory sacrifices that are not new to this genre. It's a decent movie, but a better script and some more personal depth would have helped.

It is said that we understand more about space than our own sea, although one thing both realms have in common is the propensity to convey epic journeys to silver screen. There's an inherent romantic feel to maritime life, even as a tragic showing like Life of Pi or Titanic. This is the same attribute "In the Heart of the Sea" has, and even though there are minor blemishes, it still produces a good human drama shown by impeccable visual atmosphere.

This is a retelling of a particular ship's ordeal, also an inspiration for the novel Moby Dick. It is told from an account of then young crew member, he now tells the story of adventure and misery in his older days. While it's a good ground for characterization and set-up, it might overhype its own story and break the pacing slightly. Fortunately, Brendan Gleeson and Michelle Fairley are capable enough to maintain their own mini subplot.

The actual voyage consists of two leads, Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) and George Pollard (Benjamin Walker). Owen is a veteran sailor, who is promised a captain seat, but ultimately denied of the right because of nepotism favoring George. The two collides frequently, and more than once their dispute ends up bringing malady to the ship and its crew.

Chris Hemsworth is a great actor, however this is not the same level of rivalry he had in Rush. It is by no fault of Benjamin Walker who does try to fulfill the role, but he doesn't portray the personality clash of an epic saga. In fact, Hemsworth has more connection with Gillian Murphy, the third in command, even though they have lesser screen time together. The rest of the crew isn't compelling enough, in exception of young Nickerson who will eventually narrates it.

For most part the visual is splendid, mainly when it transcends the barrier between sea line and underwater. On some scenes it pans out so nicely it brings an alluringly harrowing view of ocean, its human drifters and beastly occupants. It has overall bluish tone that keeps the cold isolation vibe while the gigantic whale, though we know it's CG as whale is too much of a diva to work with, is still pretty convincing in close up.

Plot keeps a straightforward momentum, although it may be inconsistent sometimes. There are parts where it seems to dawdle for ten or fifteen minute more than needs be, while some scenes are cut short and ultimately feels disjointed. It's not a big issue, but it does make the story skips rather abruptly or plods at times.

In the Heart of the Sea is an interesting excursion with fine visual. Granted, it doesn't navigate well enough under some waves, yet this homage to a great classic has its enchanting and inspiring moments.

'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.

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.

HOW ON EARTH DID THIS MOVIE BECOME A FLOP??

Only USD$25 million in the US and less than US$100 million worldwide?

This movie needs to be celebrated and deserves far better credit. It's a tale of survival, grudge, jealousy. fear and agony. And the director managed to showcase the glory of Moby Dick and reality of the London oil business in the 1800s.

Pros: 1) Story 2) Casting 3) VFX 4) Background Score

Cons: 1) Maybe Too Political?? 2) Whale has minimal screen time