Review of In the Heart of the Sea (2015) by Westin S — 17 Mar 2016

In The Heart of The Sea is a beautifully shot movie and successful combination of CGI-effects with traditional sea-adventure story-telling. Or this is at least what was supposed to be. While it certainly dazzles with its visual impact, the story about the real inspiration behind Herman Melville's Moby Dick fails short of providing the exciting story it was meant to be.

The movie is an attempt to reveal the story that inspired the novel about the legendary whale. A story about the harsh battle for survival of the crew and of course the tension between the captain and the first mate, In The Heart of The Sea has the ingredients to be something much more than a chase of great white whale. The beginning of the movie is quite promising as the potential tension and dislike between the two most important men on the vessel, Captain Pollard (Benjamin Walker) and First Mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth). The rivalry between both provides enough intrigue in the beginning and the audience will be satisfied with the clash between Walker and Hemsworth. Things get even more exciting, when towards half of the story the crew of Essex encounters the great white whale for the first time. From then on, Ron Howard's delivery turns into a survival story with a half-known end.

Unfortunately, in the second part of the story, neither the survival of the crew, nor initially intriguing conflict between Chase and Captain Pollard are further developed in an exciting or at least convincing way. It is as if Ron Howard himself is hypnotized by the beauty of the ocean and the CGI effects he uses, that he forgets to develop the story beyond several scenes of utmost exhaustion/hunger of the crew. You will still be satisfied with the whole concept, old-school elements and overall feeling after seeing the final credits, but the level of satisfaction will certainly not be at the level at which it was in the beginning of the movie.

In conclusion, In The Heart of The Sea is a passable, ane yet beautiful, sea-adventure story, which will just go fine as your choice for home-cinema evening with a glass of wine in your hand.