It is said that we understand more about space than our own sea, although one thing both realms have in common is the propensity to convey epic journeys to silver screen. There's an inherent romantic feel to maritime life, even as a tragic showing like Life of Pi or Titanic. This is the same attribute "In the Heart of the Sea" has, and even though there are minor blemishes, it still produces a good human drama shown by impeccable visual atmosphere.

This is a retelling of a particular ship's ordeal, also an inspiration for the novel Moby Dick. It is told from an account of then young crew member, he now tells the story of adventure and misery in his older days. While it's a good ground for characterization and set-up, it might overhype its own story and break the pacing slightly. Fortunately, Brendan Gleeson and Michelle Fairley are capable enough to maintain their own mini subplot.

The actual voyage consists of two leads, Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) and George Pollard (Benjamin Walker). Owen is a veteran sailor, who is promised a captain seat, but ultimately denied of the right because of nepotism favoring George. The two collides frequently, and more than once their dispute ends up bringing malady to the ship and its crew.

Chris Hemsworth is a great actor, however this is not the same level of rivalry he had in Rush. It is by no fault of Benjamin Walker who does try to fulfill the role, but he doesn't portray the personality clash of an epic saga. In fact, Hemsworth has more connection with Gillian Murphy, the third in command, even though they have lesser screen time together. The rest of the crew isn't compelling enough, in exception of young Nickerson who will eventually narrates it.

For most part the visual is splendid, mainly when it transcends the barrier between sea line and underwater. On some scenes it pans out so nicely it brings an alluringly harrowing view of ocean, its human drifters and beastly occupants. It has overall bluish tone that keeps the cold isolation vibe while the gigantic whale, though we know it's CG as whale is too much of a diva to work with, is still pretty convincing in close up.

Plot keeps a straightforward momentum, although it may be inconsistent sometimes. There are parts where it seems to dawdle for ten or fifteen minute more than needs be, while some scenes are cut short and ultimately feels disjointed. It's not a big issue, but it does make the story skips rather abruptly or plods at times.

In the Heart of the Sea is an interesting excursion with fine visual. Granted, it doesn't navigate well enough under some waves, yet this homage to a great classic has its enchanting and inspiring moments.

'Moby Dick' is the well known adventure of a whaling ship and its crew, relentlessly hunting the legendary white whale that had been a proverbial thorn in any whaling expedition. But before Herman Melville wrote his most famous piece of work in 1850, the American author had received the inspiration for his classic from a real life whaling expedition thirty years prior. The true story of the Essex and its crew reverberated around the world and had the potential to destroy the whale oil industry at a time when the precious commodity was the 'electricity' of the day. Its use in everyday life was common and was the main source of heat and lighting in the nineteenth century. The hunt for the rich oil saw large numbers of whaling ships spending years at a time out at sea so the bright lights of towns and cities could burn before the introduction of electricity. How far we have all come, even from the recent past.

Ron Howard has always been a bankable Director. He has been at the helm of some truly delightful films in recent memory and has rarely provided the audience with a bad experience. His solid wisdom has enabled him to deliver a film that is concrete without being spectacular. Charles Leavitt's screenplay shadows that of the direction; it provides the opportunity for deep dialogue without ever pushing the boundaries of its cast, leaving the best performance to a CGI generated whale. Howard has been able to create an authentic nineteenth century atmosphere, with rich scenes full of all the wonderment's of a by-gone era but the film on a whole seems to lack an emotional impact that Herman Melville's story was able to achieve. 'Moby Dick' seemed to have an excitable expectation about it where as 'In the Heart of the Sea' failed to deliver any really memorable moments. This is not to say that Ron Howard's film is not watchable, it just has been unable to conjure up anything new.

The narrative focuses on the booming whaling industry out of Nantucket and its heavy reliance on whale oil to provide the energy that society needs to live through their everyday lives. The whaling ship 'Essex' is the pride of the fleet and has been commissioned for a new expedition for the growing need of the priceless liquid. The story is told through the eyes of Thomas Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson), who is the last survivor of the fateful adventure that took place thirty years before. His narration is for the benefit of Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw) who is compelled to write about the story. Nickerson centres his narration around Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth), the second in command of the Essex and a man that was born to be a whale-man. Chase is respected by his crew and is good enough to be the Captain in his own right but lacks the heritage to demand such a post. George Pollard (Benjamin Walker) is given the task of commanding the Essex and it isn't long before his personality clashes with that of Chase.

Through heavy storms, potential mutiny and misdirection, the Essex and its crew struggle to make the quota of three thousand barrels of oil needed for a successful voyage. With hope quickly turning to doubt, morale is boosted with a story of infinite whale sighting's a thousand miles from land and the chance for the crew to meet the demands of their employers. once the Essex reaches its location they are confronted by a monster that they have never encountered before; a sperm whale with white markings that is one hundred feet long and full of vengeance. It doesn't take a genius to know what happens next but the aftermath leaves both Pollard and Chase with memories that changes the course of their lives.

This is the whales film and the gigantic beast's on screen presence is what the audience wants to see. He makes an absolute mess of the Essex and hauntingly stalks the survivors as they float in small boats in the vastness of the Pacific knowing that they are all at the whale's mercy.

Brendan Gleeson is always good to watch and puts in a solid performance as the older Thomas Nickerson. Ben Whishaw is a star of the future and does credit to his role in a safe performance as the famous Melville. Chris Hemsworth is trying to spread his acting wings by expanding his appeal to the powers that be. The big Aussie hunk is doing his best to become a bankable leading man but the jury is still out as to whether he has the screen presence to successfully become the film star that we all want him to be. He can act but I feel at times that he is left behind by more accomplished craftsmen.

'In the Heart of the Sea' is a curious film. See it once and enjoy what it has to offer but 'Moby Dick' it ain't. The audience does get an insight into the extremities of an industry that was once the life blood of human civilisation. There is a scene that could be confronting to those viewers with a weak stomach as the Essex crew go about extracting the oil from the harmless beasts of the ocean but luckily this is only seen once although vital in the context of the narrative.

Agreeable retelling , vividly played , in which a Captain called Pollard (Benjamin Walker , though other actors that were considered included Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, and Henry Cavill) and a tough first officer , Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) command a surly ship of whale hunters through sheer ruthlessness and ego . Fine rendition freely based on Herman Neville novel : ¨Moby Dick¨ , with enjoyable interpretations from all-star-cast . Based on the true story of the ship Essex , a whaling ship that was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale in the southern Pacific Ocean in 1820 . In this extremely loose adaptation of Melville's classic novel, George Pollard , Ahab-alike , is revealed initially not as a bitter and revengeful madman . This oceans saga features some survivors of a lost whaling ship and relates the tale of a white whale as well as the captain Pollard's obsession with desires for vendetta upon the greatest animal . It starts in New England , where an expert officer and harpooner signs aboard the whaling ship along with rookie captain George Pollard . Both of whom meet a motley crew formed by two-fisted sailors as Caleb Chappel (Paul Anderson) , Henry Coffin (Frank Dillane) , Richard Peterson (Osy Ikhile) , Benjamin Lawrence (Joseph Mawle) , Ramsdell (Sam Keeley ) and Matthew Joy (Cillian Murphy) , among others . They are attacked by a huge Cachalot that causes destruction and wreck havoc . Pollard , subsequently , consecrates his life to hunt it , full of hating and vengeance . He has a self-destructive obsession to hunt the white whale , carrying out obstinately his revenge and determination to seek avenge on the beast that destroyed his crew and ship .

Based on a true incident inspired Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" . Yet another take on of Melville's classic battle of wills story described on the book titled "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex¨ by Nathaniel Philbrick , being well written by screenwriter Charles Leavitt . The picture is a fine as well as free adaptation of the famous novel well scripted/adapted and ably realized , though full of computer generator FX . ¨In the heart of the sea¨ is an attractive tale of life on the high seas , and in particular on board a whale schooner named 'Essex' , while in the classic novel is called ¨Pequod¨ . This impressive adaptation based on Herman Melville's 1851 classic novel is vividly brought to screen . The interactions between George Pollard , Owen Chase , Matthew Joy are reminiscent of ¨Moby Dick's personages¨ as Captain Ahab , Ishmael , Starbuck , Queequeg , Daggoo , as well as the main characters of ¨Billy Budd¨, another novel written by Herman Melville , and it results to be one of the most thrilling and moving see sagas ever written . Suspense and tension of the ocean is completely captured , including enduring frames as the braving storms , famine , panic and despair , the men will call into question their deepest beliefs , from the value of their existences to the morality of their works as whale-killers . Climatic battle between the giant whale and the harpooners , it is an overwhelming piece of cinema as you are likely to watch . Charles Leavitt , Rick Jaffa , Amanda Silver wrote the story and screenplay that was partially faith to the novel . And filmmaker Ron Howard stamping this movie with epic images and thought-provoking dialogs . Enjoyable recounting , including quite a few moments that click make this top-of-the-range movie more than watchable . The FX experts created a great whale made by means of ordinary computer generator . Top-notch main and secondary cast realize extraordinary performances . Chris Hemsworth is nice as well as Benjamin Walker and Tom Holland . This marks the second collaboration between director Ron Howard and actor Chris Hemsworth , their first collaboration was Rush (2013). Phenomenal support cast , plenty of familiar faces who give perfect interpretations , such as Brendan Gleeson , Cillian Murphy , Jordi Mollà , Michelle Fairley , Paul Anderson , Frank Dillane , Joseph Mawle , Donald Sumpter , Richard Bremmer and Ben Whishaw as Herman Melville

Cameraman Anthony Dod Mantle's appropriate color cinematography splendidly conveys the bleaker qualities of the chase . Exciting and thrilling musical score by Roque Baños , being filmed on location in the Canaries , where in 1956 John Huston directed the classic version starred by Gregory Peck , Richard Basehart , Harry Andrews and Orson Welles . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Ron Howard . This is the sixth film directed by Ron Howard based on a true story. The others were "Apolo 13 (1995)", "A beautiful mind (2001) ", "Cinderella Man (2005)", "Frost versus Nixon (2008)" and "Rush (2013)". Rating : Very good , better tan average . Well worth watching .

I went into the cinema expecting something fairly decent. Something that would at the very least, satisfy. I I was more wrong than I thought. It was better than satisfactory. It was brilliant. The Effects are the best of the year, and Chris Hemsworths Acting is top notch. Ron Howard has always been a great director, and I did enjoy a beautiful mind and Apollo 13, but this film has to be one of the greatest of the year. The film is very emotional at times, and the storyline is very well thought out. Definitely deserves an Oscar for best visual effects, and hopefully it will bag some more Oscars on the way.

The movie is best viewed on the big screen, as it possibly wouldn't have the same effect on a TV. Get into the cinemas before it's too late.

HOW ON EARTH DID THIS MOVIE BECOME A FLOP??

Only USD$25 million in the US and less than US$100 million worldwide?

This movie needs to be celebrated and deserves far better credit. It's a tale of survival, grudge, jealousy. fear and agony. And the director managed to showcase the glory of Moby Dick and reality of the London oil business in the 1800s.

Pros: 1) Story 2) Casting 3) VFX 4) Background Score

Cons: 1) Maybe Too Political?? 2) Whale has minimal screen time

yes, some movies get released in India even before US/UK. this is one such movie which got released one week before US.

I went for the movie more for nature, graphics and 3D of Whale, but as a sweet surprise, the director took more time in depicting characters and their feelings rather than spending time on Whale or graphics, which is a welcome change, considering we having lots of movies with CG now a days.

as i said in the summary, it is a movie at the right pace, brooding, dark and desolate at times but nevertheless beautiful.

beautiful how the bickering relationship between captain and his first mate changes into a influencing r.ship in the end is lovely.

should i say ? must watch.

many viewers from IMDb yet to watch this movie, so no spoiler from my side ! enjoy the survival of the fittest and the people who have hope to survive any situation !!

swim in the lovely emotions director created

In the Heart of the Sea tells the true story of the Essex, a whaling ship. In 1820, while first mate Owen Chase(Chris Hemsworth), captain George Pollard(Benjamin Walker) & the rest of the crew were searching for whales in the middle of the ocean, they encounter a gigantic sperm whale. This gigantic whale causes the Essex to sink. Now, it is up to Owen Chase & the rest of his crew to somehow survive the harsh conditions at sea. They will also have to be alert for the return of the whale. The true story of this movie, inspired Herman Melville's(Ben Whishaw) famous novel, Moby Dick.

In the Heart of the Sea is a spectacular film. The CGI is perfect & the whales in the movie look extremely realistic & intimidating. The 3D works really well in all the scenes involving the whales & the chaos & destruction set pieces. However, it is unnecessary for the emotional scenes of the movie. Director Ron Howard perfectly captures the suffering of all the crew members of the Essex. He makes sure that the movie is not just about the special effects & adventure but, also adds dramatic set pieces. One flaw of the movie is the lack of character development. Despite everything they go through, you don't genuinely care about the fate of all the characters in the movie. You only care about, Chris Hemsworth's character, Tom Holland's character, Cillian Murphy's character & to a certain extent, Benjamin Walker's character. At the end of the day, this is not a major flaw because, you can't give each & every character a detailed back-story. This would have unnecessarily elongated the duration of the movie. Chris Hemsworth has given the best performance of his career, as Owen Chase. Hemsworth's dramatic weight loss for the film, shows the dedication & hard work he has put in for his role. Benjamin Walker is great as George Pollard. Cillian Murphy is brilliant as Matthew Joy. Brendan Gleeson is good as Tom Nickerson. Ben Whishaw is wonderful as Herman Melville. Tom Holland is outstanding as Thomas Nickerson. Frank Dillane is superb as Owen Coffin. The supporting characters are impressive too. In the Heart of the Sea is a must watch. Go for it!

I am a huge fan of Moby Dick. I've taught it as a novel; I've read it several times. Its artistry is beyond measure. Herman Melville certainly knew his stuff when it came to whaling and the sea. Apparently, Melville gained his inspiration from a particular whaling voyage that produced fodder for his imagination. This film takes the fictional Melville back to the time where he heard the story of the white whale. If one looks at the book as the allegory it is, we put the stamp of whiteness and all the implications of the color (or lack of it) that it implies. This movie takes any artistry out of the story. Ahab lost his leg and pursues the elusive cetacean in the ultimate act of revenge. Here, a bunch of guys get in over their heads. They had an overzealous captain who simply was out for the commercial value of the animal. When the whale destroys the ship (they do give him supernatural powers) part of the crew is in whaleboats, trying to get someplace safe. Terrible things happen, including cannablism, and some manage to hold off their fates till they are rescued. But there is something dull about the pacing of the story. We aren't made privy to much of what goes on among them. There are the obligatory sacrifices that are not new to this genre. It's a decent movie, but a better script and some more personal depth would have helped.

If you like a decent story, the ocean, whales and man against the elements, here you go. If you want it to be memorable, you need to give it dimension, form, purpose and some intrigue. That is missing here and I am surprised that it is considering Ron Howard directed this. As to Chris Hemsworth, I am not sure he can carry a picture as a leading man. His verbal and emotional skills are not quite as fully developed as his body is. To be fair, this movie is not Moby Dick but instead the story that inspired it. When the words Moby Dick are conjured, one thinks of Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab and all the other colorful characters in the classic movie of its time. Here, we are given a story that needs our help to be entertaining when we should be since we paid to be so. If there are deleted scenes that will come out on a Blue Ray, this will help it along. I liked the movie but not $9.00 worth which is what it cost to get in. Wait until cable and you will enjoy it more one evening. Not a popcorn movie but a snack wouldn't hurt plus a tasty drink

Based on the story that inspired Moby Dick, its novelist, Herman Melville seeks out the survivor of the Whaling ship Essex to have him tell the tale of the white whale they encountered.

I heard In the heart of the Sea was not action packed enough. It sounded like the best and only action sequences could be found in the trailer, but that was not the case at all. I found it pretty jammed packed with big adventure. From director Ron Howard showing us how to sail a ship, to the epic standoff between man and the world's largest mammal. They even get into how a whale is hunted and then gutted for oil, which won't make any PETA supporters happy.

I would say the real issue is that since they are advertising the movie as the story that inspired Moby Dick, you would expect more whale than we actually got. The survivor telling the tale, Thomas Nickerson (played by Brendan Gleeson as an old man and Tom Holland as a Young one) began his story by telling us it was about the Captain and his first officer (played by Chris Hemsworth), and for the most part the movie was about how these two different men, from different social classes operate a ship.

What I was most impressed with is that it was worth the IMAX 3D ticket. In the Heart of the Sea has so many fantastic visuals, and not just the eye candy that is Chris Hemsworth who was made to look quite heroic in the picture (or maybe I just could not get his image of Thor out of my head). A lot of the imagery was grim to give a realistic look at what it was like to be a sailor in the 1800s, it was brilliant cinematography.

And the story that was told was very complete. I think I learned far too much about the political process and corruption of the whaling industry, back in the day, which is interesting, but does have the story lingering longer than you would expect.

Overall, I'm impressed with the second effort Ron Howard and Chris Hemmisworth team up for after Rush.

I like the story of Moby Dick. The 19th Century novel by Herman Melville about the story of a giant whale that rams a whaling ship and sinks it. Kudos! So when I saw this film slip under the radar amongst the tide of Star Wars overkill at the local cinema I just had to watch it. What I saw left me pleasently surprised.

First I discovered it was directed by Ron Howard whose previous films I admired. Films like Rush (the story of James Hunt winning the 1976 F1 title) and Apollo 13. The cast looked quite good. Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson and Ben Whishaw (again). The title at first seemed quite baffling. Hardly inspiring and unlikely to grab the Star Wars zombies attention? Upon watching the film I discovered it wasn't a direct Moby Dick remake. It presents another angle showing how Melville was stimulated to write the book by way of a semi-biographical telling of one of the surviving sailors story back in the 1800s. Whishaw plays Melville in a brief role. Gleeson the older surviving sailor telling his lifelong secrets.

Director Howard is an expert in this type of film. He has a track record of telling human disaster stories (Apollo 13). The story has a human rivalry element between first officer Hemsworth and the silver spoon in his mouth Captain. The rivalry is simlar to that in Rush between James Hunt and Nikki Lauda in motor racing. CGI is evident a little bit in the scenes where the giant whale attacks the ship that reminded me of the Great White Shark in Jaws. With better timing and marketing this film would be more widely known.

Let's deal with the elephant in the room or in this particular case the great white whale in the boat, old ginger top Ron Howard's impressive looking new high seas adventure is not one of the year's best (or awards player as many thought) but it's an often mightily enjoyable time out at the cinema thanks to its visual spectacle.

Delayed from an early year release at years start and set a new opening timeslot in the awards friendly period of December, hype started building for this adaptation of Nathaniel Philbrick's well-loved novel (or simply the "real Moby Dick" story) that had many calling out the film as both a likely box office hot shot and a real wild card at this year's awards circuits.

What singular element likely to hold In the Heart of the Sea back from such bounties is hard to pinpoint but a summation could be given to suggest a lack of heart and strangely plotted narrative are key factors to Heart's inability to truly set sail.

Those who expected Heart to be a real man v whale high stakes thrill ride will be sorely disappointed as that's really not Howard's focus here while others may find themselves growing weary quickly of Heart's more survival against the odds scenario that sadly features characters we'd love to care a little more about.

From all reports investing in the characters in Philbrick's book is not an issue but with Chris Hemsworth's Owen Chase here leading the charge as second mate of the Essex and its captain George Pollard (played to boorish effect by Benjamin Walker) the crew of this wailing vessel fail to engage us on their high stakes journey and as "big white" makes his debut and the crew start to be whittled down in number, a realisation dawns that Howard and his screenwriter Charles Leavitt haven't done enough for us to invest our emotions in their increasingly doomed plight against one huge freak of nature.

After so-so turns in Snow White and the Huntsman and the beyond awful Blackhat, questions must now be raised about Hemsworth's ability to lead a film outside of his Thor comfort zone and whilst his not terrible here he's certainly not the one to help lead Heart forward to another level and in his struggles with nailing accents is again prevalent here although that's never stopped fellow Australian ex-pat Russell Crowe. Side players like Cillian Murphy's Matthew Joy and Brendan Gleeson's aged Thomas Nickerson end up making more of an impression but as like most of the ensemble they are underused and slightly underdeveloped.

This real life Moby Dick is directed with enough assurance and visual flair by the professional and proficient Ron Howard that throughout its two hour run time there's enough to warrant a cinema screen viewing but you can't help escape the feeling that in the end we were never hooked the way we should be to this almost unbelievably huge adventure.

In the Heart of the Sea assuredly sails between the waters of greatness and mediocrity to in the end become a sparingly thrilling yet forgettable telling of one unforgettable story.

3 ½ emaciated Thor's out of 5

This is a high quality sea faring adventure movie, apparently based on a true event. I am glad to highly recommend the film as the whole production is first class and to fully appreciate the picture better to view it at the movie house rather than the likes of DVD. As for example the spectacular ocean scenes are at their best on the big screen.

In around 1820 huge profits were available to shipping companies for catching whales mainly for their sperm. One such company had an important whale hunting expedition but for selfish motives employed an inexperienced ship's captain, whilst the second in command ought to have been in charge. That fatal error leads to disastrous consequences. Indeed it was this story which led to the subsequent fictional classic book Moby Dick.

The movie for me captures the time period perfectly as the production and design is meticulous even down to the accents and language spoken. I felt I was transported to the 1820's and beyond.

An excellent cinema experience!

7 and a half rounded up:

8/10.

In the Heart of the Sea is an Action/Adventure/Biopic based on the real disaster that inspired Herman Melville's 'Moby-Dick'. The film follows the voyage of the 'Essex', a whaling ship that was bought down in 1820 by a Sperm Whale in the South Pacific, and is a tale of Adventure, Drama, Survival and Boredom. Obviously the main reason I and most other people wanted to go and see this movie was to see this massive whale go toe to toe with the Essex and its crew. Actual confrontations with the whale in this film were few and far between but when they happen, man do they make an impact. This whale was ginormous, he was grand and it was such a spectacle seeing this huge beautiful whale on screen. The way they emphasise his size through juxtaposing him with the boats gives his presence much more weight. Confrontations with the whale were intense and serious edge-of-seat stuff. The CGI effects of this whale were beautiful and incredibly detailed. This would have taken up a huge chunk of the budget as making this whale look as realistic as possible was crucial to the enjoyment of the film. Some of the CGI in the wide shots were well done, but there were still quite a few scenes and wide shots throughout the film, especially in Nantucket that really just didn't look right and did take me out of the film.

The film's biggest problem over the entire film was the pacing and the negative effect that had on my overall enjoyment of the film. This was a lot of the time a very slow film, especially at the beginning where the first 20 minutes or so was very dreary and quite boring. Throughout the film there are quite a few uninteresting moments that constantly just make you lose interest. The biggest culprit of these boring sleep inducing moments were the scenes that are showing Thomas Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson) recounting the events of the film to Herman Melville. Scenes like this are nothing new and have been done in countless films before this, but they were just completely uninteresting and didn't really add anything to the actual story of the film. I guess they were trying to get us to care about his character and his younger self for what he endured but for me at least i could have done without those scenes and it would have cut at least 15 minutes of its long 2 hour runtime and the film would have flowed better and quicker. There was one bit of dialogue early on that i thought spoiled how the film was going to end, but it was a very good piece of misdirection by the writers, if it was intentional.

Acting wise, the film was pretty good. Chris Hemsworth was the obvious standout, he was able to show off his acting talents quite a few times throughout the film, but still it was nothing amazing. The supporting cast was also mostly pretty strong, Benjamin Walker and our friendly neighbourhood Tom Holland were good, not great, just good strong performances. Ron Howard did a pretty good job directing the film, most of the time he nailed the tone of the film. The dramatic action scenes were filmed and directed in a very frantic and chaotic manner that upped the stakes during those intense moments. Especially in the latter portions of the film he does represent the sad tones and emotion pretty well and handles some very confronting scenes in a way that isn't too disturbing but also isn't sugar-coated. The latter half of the film although not free of some boring moments does pick up significantly from the first half when it introduces some survival elements. It doesn't really end on a high note, it should have been a short and sweet ending but it is dragged out a little longer and just ended up being alright.

In the end, this is an Action/Adventure that has its intense, dramatic moments, but is not without some boring moments that if excluded could have kept the film to like 1 hour and 40 minutes and would have made it more enjoyable and impactful. If you are fascinated of the story of Moby-Dick then you will probably get more out of the film than i did but it really wasn't as great as it was meant to be. - 6/10

Also this film believe it or not was supposed to release way back in March of 2015, but it was pushed back to December into Awards season to possibly get some Oscar recognition. Should have stayed in March because i'll be genuinely surprised if this even gets nominated for any awards when you consider all of the other great stuff from this year.

The story is about the Essex, a whaling ship that was, amazingly, sunk by a whale. The story is told through a flashback from one of the survivors of the journey and follows them from just before the cruise through their eventual rescue and return to Nantucket.

While "In the Heart of the Sea" is a bit overlong, it is a tremendously well made film. The script, not surprisingly, takes a few liberties with the actual story but is, overall, essentially factual*. But what really blew me away was the look of the film-- the 1820 New England landscape, the ship and the whale attacks. While you know that most of this was done using CGI, you simply cannot tell by looking at it...it looks so amazingly real.

*Several liberties were taken. A big one is the way the story is told--by the one survivor of the Essex affair back in 1950 who relates his story to Herman Melville. Well, this didn't happen...but it does make for a neat way to tell the story, so I didn't mind this. Additionally, First Mate Chase and his post-Essex life are COMPLETELY different from the way they're portrayed in the film. In each case, the changes were made to make the film more cinematic and enjoyable but also remind you that the actual story is a tad different.

In 1850, writer Herman Melville arrives in Nantucket Island to interview Tom Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson) about the lost of the whaling ship Essex. Tom was a young man when he joined the ship. George Pollard is the inexperienced captain from an established family. Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) is the experienced first mate who is looked down on and driven to captain his own boat. Matthew Joy (Cillian Murphy) is Owen's mate. The ship travels beyond the regular hunted-out grounds and faces a truly dangerous whale.

Director Ron Howard delivers a visual experience combining an old oil painting and modern CGI. He adds in flares of closeups that is unique but not necessarily exciting. Some scenes remind me of an old 50s lifeboat movie. Some scenes are fully modern CGI. The action works well but it is simply missing the heart. It is missing the human emotion. It's the opposite of Melville's classic which is all about the human condition. The movie ends with the weakest of dilemma which nobody cares about. This should be all about an action survival movie. There are some beautiful looking but not that thrilling action scenes. The story could use a real villain and some more human conflicts.

Heart of the Sea is a mass-produced still-life painting: technically proficient but as flat as the canvas it's on. Technically, it's fine; the cinematography is interesting, the actors hit their marks, the sound is on point. But other than a few moments of nice humor and mild sea-faring thrills, the film lacks any spark. It's like director Howard and co. weren't that interested in creating an emotional, cerebral or exciting film, but more focused on simply getting the job done. The story of 19th century whaler Owen Chase (played by an oddly-accented Hemsworth), the influence for the literary classic Moby Dick, is a story worth knowing. However, the giant scale and obsession inherent in this tale is never fully conveyed, as Howard opts for computers and green screens, in lieu of the actual sea, to tell his story. So instead of a propulsive thriller or even a thoughtful psychological study, we get a generic and forgettable action/adventure, couched in boring characters. And much like the crew of the Essex itself, we are stranded in a seemingly endless sea of lackluster storytelling It also features some of the worst cinematic framing ever. Instead of just filming Moby Dick itself or just the story of real-life Owen Chase, they opt for a messy mash-up, constantly cutting away from the Essex's voyage to a recounting of the story to Melville; like bad narration taken to the nth degree. Even some marginally compelling moments showing the survival instincts of desperate people can't save this sinking ship. Watch Jaws, All is Lost, or Master and Commander if you want to take a worthwhile trip to the heart of the sea.

Whilst it isn't a worthy follow up to "Rush", which I deem one of the best pictures in recent years, "In the Heart of the Sea" had many elements that remind us why we love Ron Howard's direction in his best movies so much, yet it also reminds us of his faults in his lesser films.

First off and most notably: can we please, please stop having useless narration of people remembering events of their youth in true story pictures? There is so much wrong with this technique. Firstly, it is a cheap writing idea, secondly you simply aren't invested in the emotional core of the characters telling and listening to the story, they just don't have much to do for you to get attached, thirdly it breaks the pace a little to many times, and finally it shoves down your throat the emotional beats by the narrator telling you them instead of the story having breathing space to convey the emotions and it is absolutely annoying. This is one of those things that Ron Howard unfortunately trips a lot into, yet thanks to his charming direction he frequently manages to make it light and heartfelt, unfortunately not here.

To continue on negatives: weirdly, for only the first hour or so of the film, there are constant shots that feel out of place because of poor CGI. Firstly because CGI smoke already being a terrible idea in any place, is used to overkill, yet still, I lost count of moments where the movie was cutting fast in action or not and it was absorbing, then a shot was out, another three were great and then again another CGI mess. It was stunningly strange and even more so since it lasted for the first two acts only. Which also brings me to another negative point: the last part of the second act and the first part of the third were emotionless. I really don't know what it was because performances and visuals were across the board great, but that whole part just felt off, I got bored and almost fell asleep and then as soon as the part ends I was radiant again. I really don't know what it was, it was just sterile and unengaging for a chuck.

The rest was actually quite fascinating. The first hour is totally absorbing. Talking about what Ron Howard does so good, he is a director that really understands giving you a feeling of being there with the characters and this is no different, I felt aboard on the ship with them and through the storms. He knows perfectly well what to show us to get fascinated. Moreover there are some fabulous visuals in the film and really intense action sequences that grab you by the throat and don't let go until you're exhausted. Hemsworth as always shines as the leading man and he is supported by a well chosen cast.

Coming from a true Ron Howard fanatic I must admit I was disappointed with the film, there was a lot of buzz surrounding it and I expected to get another "Rush", that is probably why I focused so much on the negatives, yet still "In the Heart of the Sea" is a good movie and definitely something positive to add to Howard's already amazing resume. Lets just say that I would like to see him tackle again this type of film with big visuals and budget because I would really like to see him excel in this type of movie.

I had big expectations for this, the cast, the Director and a story like this, how could i not have? And...

Well it is far from meeting my expectations, but it's a good film overall.

The ensemble cast is amazing, and give great performances and the story is breathtaking. The screenplay isn't perfect, it could have done something more with the characters, something to make them more complete,and in the end you feel like there's a great beginning and ending but its missing a great middle. It's definitely missing something, the whale for instance, you never feel like there's a satisfying goodbye.

But the film is very interesting, and thrilling even if it just contents with being OK, rather than reaching the huge potential of an epic tale like this, that seems rather less epic that it definitely is. But what really fails? The director!

How a director like Ron Howard made so many wrong decisions is astonishing. The hue problem i had with the film, is its style. The camera movements for most of the time seem like were made by a drunk running. And then someone just had a huge day of fun, throwing every effect possible to make sure you couldn't see a thing.

Most of the time, the scenes are just extremely close ups, or the camera is placed in such weird places you only rarely see a normal shot. Then there's a game of focus and the acknowledgement of the camera, its the sea so they thought it would be a good idea to throw flares all over the screen, splash tons of water to the camera, and manny more effects like this, which makes almost impossible to see a thing, especially in the action scenes.

And on top of that the in many scenes it seems like they shot the film right in front of the sun! The shots they think are amazing are actually terrible, and you never get a truly great shot of the whale. There are rare shots that are beautiful, but the cinematography is one of the worst i've seen. There's tons of potential on a tale like this to make haunting visuals, and the action scenes are really great and thrilling, it's such a shame you cant see them properly. There's such a great film under all that visual style.

The sound is just perfect, as is the production design and production values overall, there's a very rich world and vistas, the special effects are great, but many times the cinematography just wastes them. The score has its moments, but is far from being what this story deserves.

Overall there's a greater film that the sum of its parts. The ensemble cast and the story being the best of the film, which i can't love because of its style decisions.