Review of In the Heart of the Sea (2015) by Healingtoolbox1 — 11 Apr 2016

Everest (2015) and In the Heart of the Sea (2016) are both true-life disaster stories from non-fiction books. I believe both have the exact same script problem. It may be easier to see in Everest. We like the characters but we never know much of WHY they do what they do--because it was not in the book. So the miraculous recovery of the Outside reporter played by Josh Brolin lacks the backstory to buttress an amazing acting performance.

I agree with Anthony Lane in New Yorker that we don't get to see enuf of a character arc in any character in Heart of the Sea to engage us that much.

Not all "inspired by true events" scripts hold water. But in this regard Bridge of Spies (2015) is a master class in how to cobble together true life characters and detail into a story with dramatic meaning.

The spectacle of Everest and Heart of Sea are not enuf, probably can never be enuf, to compensate for engaging dramatic construction. This is why do few film scripts exist each year; so few have an authentic or archetypal dramatic story with adequate character arcs to tell.