Review of In the Heart of the Sea (2015) by Harry W — 24 Apr 2016

Based on the story that inspired the inspired the iconic Herman Melville novel Moby Dick (1851), In the Heart of the Sea's potential for a powerful spectacle combined with a reunited collaboration between Ron Howard and Chris Hemsworth offered many compelling reasons for viewing.

All I could ask for from In the Heart of the Sea was, at the very least, a good visual experience. With Ron Howard as director I wouldn't think that it was too much to ask for. Given his Academy Award-recognized credibility and long line of successful films there was a lot to support the idea that In the Heart of the Sea would add to them. Alas, it is not his finest hour.

To break it down, let's start with the story. The premise is a simplistic one which requires characters, style and edge to really get anywhere. By huge surprise it fails to embrace any of these because the actual drama in the film is less effective than that of a disaster movie. Since In the Heart of the Sea aspires to be a truly dramatic piece it doesn't rely solely on visuals to anchor it, but it nevertheless focuses on the large scale of the sea voyage without any consideration for character. Every role in the film is simply an archetype or a background character with some minor relevance to the story at hand and minimal reasoning as to why the audience should really care, and the efforts of the cast are not enough to transcend it. There is room for some truly powerful dramatic material in there given that the story entails the power of the human spirit in pursuit of vendetta and characters fighting hard an unprecedented battle for survival, but with everything being reduced to extensive periods of mundane cinema there is hardly any power for them to build off of. One moment in the film relays Herman Melville's fears that the story will "Not be as good as it should be", but ultimately the text he's referring to is the film that he is appearing in at that very moment.

Visually, In the Heart of the Sea betrays the high profile potential of its story and cannot excuse such rigorous expenditure because there ends up being no glory in watching the film with any open eyes. The shots of the Essex at sea oscillate between close-ups of the ship against a blurry background which could not more obviously be a green screen and entire CGI sequences which are roughly animated blurs beneath a lifeless colour scheme of monochrome. The lack of high definition in these scenes give viewers the reality of being on a oceanic voyage in the storm in that it is just a lot of shaking and splashing. But nobody is flocking the the cinema to watch the reality of a problematic ship journey in its raw form, they are coming to marvel at the spectacle of it. In the Heart of the Sea offers no such thing, and even the shots outside of these scenes fail to do anything right. In the Heart of the Sea is goes between two distinct styles of colour: One is too dark to enjoy, the other is on tune with the style of cinema du look films due to their acid-trip aesthetic. The shots of the whales themselves are a better testament to the massive budget of the film, but they don't offer any actual progress towards quality.

With such little feeling to it and no amazing visuals to support it, In the Name of the Sea leaves viewers stranded for almost two hours in search of entertainment. The last hope for anyone is that it could come from the performances of a respectable cast, proving to be just another pipe dream that viewers are teased with.

Chris Hemsworth's leading performance is not one which offers him any credibility. Rather than repeating the display of rich charisma he put into Rush (2013) when he worked with Ron Howard last, he repeats the feat achieved in Blackhat (2015) of simply being miscast all over again. It's a problem from the start because he cannot find a convincing accent in the role, rather relaying his actual Aussie accent to viewers in the loudest way again and again. I don't know what accent comes from Nantucket, but aside from the one scene in which he seemingly attempts a half-assed Joe Pesci impression, audiences will get nothing but a reminder of his portrayal of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When he's interacting with Cillian Murphy who clearly knows how to articulate his voice correctly, the contrast lowers the quality of Chris Hemsworth's performance even more while empowering the efforts of Cillian Murphy in the process. Admittedly there is not a demanding standard for acting within In the Heart of the Sea due to its lack of characters and reliance more on physical engagement with the set pieces, but Chris Hemsworth's ability to fight through a perceived oceanic catastrophe can only take him so far. When the man jabs his spear into the whales, it does not seem like a man forcing his inner demons into a weapon against sea life. It's just a muscle-laden action hero showing off his masculinity, and the sight of him holding a spear is little more than a pale imitation than the sight of him holding Thor's hammer in the film series that made him famous. Chris Hemsworth fails to transcend the one-dimensional hunk he is characterized as in gossip magazines or offer any reason why viewers should feel anything for his character whatsoever, ending up as a lifeless lead. With Blackhat and Vacation (2015) under his belt for 2015, the year was simply not a credible time for the man.

The cast of In the Heart of the Sea is packed with numerous characters who are all far from compelling and even the grace of the actors cannot transcend that. But Cillian Murphy has some spirit to him, and Tom Holland carries an emotional state which is constanly rich in terror and damaged innocence. The chemistry between Ben Whishaw and Brendan Gleeson also carries some gentle yet spirited moments.

With an absence of visual marvel or any compelling dramatic meaning, In the Heart of the Sea is a dramatically inert and dubious misfire from Ron Howard.