Review of In the Heart of the Sea (2015) by Connor C — 25 Dec 2015

A fantastically crafted epic which portrays the 1820s in gloriously visceral fashion. The film pays a proper homage to the legacies of the men who had to risk their lives every time they set foot on the rickety deck of a ship, in search of the holy grail of the early 1800s market: whale oil.

The cinematography and light compliment each other beautifully to create a picturesque vision of the time and landscape in a way that makes you feel in tune with the scenery. Chris Hemsworth plays First Mate Owen Chase opposite Benjamin Walker's Captain George Pollard.

The clashing between these two men is what kick starts the conflict already prevalent among the men, with Pollard being given the position of Captain simply because of his name and his family's standing in the community compared to Chase who was overlooked despite having more of a sailor's wit and instinct.

Pollard quickly feels the need to prove himself as a leader by asserting himself as a man with all the answers, yet not the right ones. The scenes with the whale which destroyed the men's vessel, The Essex, are thrilling and intriguing when you think of the scope of the beast with the ship.

The film also does an incomparable job of displaying the extreme hardships faced by sailors of the time. Once stranded at sea with little to no hope of rescue, the movie can become harder to watch for those weak of stomach as we sit and watch the men devolve into cannibalism and drawing straws to decide who lives and who dies.

It is almost sickening to see the state the men are in by the end, barely-living husks of their former selves clinging to life and every breath. Nature is cruel, especially at sea.