Review of The Finest Hours (2016) by Reini U — 08 Apr 2016

Normally I do like straight adventure movies, esp. those based on a real story. And the Pendleton Rescue is legendary.

I have no problem with changing the events around the heros wife, who lied sick in bed during the rescue, while in the film she is not yet married and raises her feminist profile bothering the hero's boss during the rescue.

But changing the fundamental rescue strategy to do the exact opposite by targeting the tanker towards the deadly surf does not play well with me. I've been personally in such big waves. There's no chance saving anyone in such a surf. The real hero did the right thing, he stayed clear and waited calmly. In the movie the whole crew started frantic maneuvers to get them all killed sooner.

Besides the factual problems to make the story more stupid and thrilling, there were likable and stupid parts in this adventure movie.

The casting of the wife was better than the real-life figure, Eric Bana and partially Chris Pine were totally overstrained with their parts, Casey Affleck again proves that he is one of the most interesting actors of our generation, even if he had to deal with the worst screenwriter decisions, Javier Aguirresarobe's camera is of course excellent but the visuals are hampered by unrealistic wave CGI, the directing and score is clichéd and dragging and the ending is just horrible.