Review of Big Miracle (2012) by Jason M — 11 Feb 2012

Big Miracle February 3.

Initial Reaction: On Ice?

Main Characters.

J. W. McGraw: He's an oil company owner played by Ted Danson.

Rachel Kramer: She's a Greenpeace activist played by Drew Barrymore.

Adam Carlson: He's a news reporter played by John Krasinski.

Plot Summary.

When John is out shooting a story about snowmobile tricks at a town in a cold part of Alaska, he accidentally finds a large hole in the ice. Inside the hole are three whales that are trapped in the ice.

The story about the whales hit the airwaves, and there's a huge response from the viewing audience; several geologists rush over to help the whales (along with Rachel and J. W.).

But getting the whales out to sea isn't going to be easy - and even the military may not have what it takes to save them.

SCORING.

Main Characters.

I like these three.

J. W. is good as the guy who wants to make big money for his company, but then realizes he could reap in more money by helping those whales.

Rachel's good as the activist who goes way out on a limb in her beliefs of saving the Artic lands - and the whales.

And Adam's good as the reporter who wants to get ahead in the business by documenting the attempted rescue of the whales. SCORE: 9.

Supporting Cast.

The others - not as good.

I like the residents of a small Alaskan town and their way of life, but the rest of the cast (the military and the Russians) just don't have much spunk in them. SCORE: 7.

Plot.

I liked the story presented here because the writers don't just try to wrench and emotional response from the audience. They clearly explain just how troublesome it is to get those whales out to sea. SCORE: 8.

Originality.

This film spends most of the time on the whales instead of trying to fix human relationships and broken families - which is something most films of the genre don't do. SCORE: 8.

Violence Factor.

There's not any fighting in the film (maybe threats of a fight); the people use their words to settle disputes, not fists. SCORE: 8.

Other Moral Issues.

This film shows just how important teamwork and determination are in order to get the job done - even when you don't get the best possible outcome. SCORE: 9.

Final Score (out of 60): 49 % Score: 81.67%.

Not just a feel good film, but a good film.