Three stars. Rated PG-13, for dramatic intensity, startling violence and considerable peril
By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 12.11.15
The ingredients are sure-fire: a
fascinating, fact-based narrative; a plot that demands bravery and ghastly
sacrifice by the men involved; a solid cast led by Chris Hemsworth, who makes
ample use of his steely, blue-eyed resolve; and everything under the capable
guidance of seasoned director Ron Howard.
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| Facing an undeniably vengeful attack by a massive white sperm whale, ship's first mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth, foreground right) does his best to protect his men. Unfortunately, even he won't be able to prevent what's about to happen... |
And yet, In the Heart of the
Sea somehow fails to resonate. Too many of the characters are defined solely
by one-dimensional tics; the storyline is completely predictable; and the
interpersonal squabbles are the stuff of trite cliché, particularly the sniping
between Hemsworth’s first mate, Owen Chase, and their ship’s inexperienced and incompetent
captain, George Pollard (Benjamin Walker).
On top of which, the thoroughly
pointless 3D effects, added after the fact, do no favors to the otherwise
exemplary work by cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle. The entire film is too
dark and frequently looks washed out: the inevitable results of poor
post-production 3D processing.
Howard’s film too often feels
like a routine Boy’s Own Adventure Saga, albeit one granted a first-class
budget. Everybody hits their marks like a pro, but the result just isn’t very
involving: nowhere near as riveting as, say, Master and Commander: The Far
Side of the World, several big-screen versions of Mutiny on the Bounty, or
even the many British TV episodes of Horatio Hornblower.
Scripters Charles Leavitt, Rick
Jaff and Amanda Silver also play fast and loose with historical accuracy,
despite basing their screenplay on Nathaniel Philbrick’s meticulously
researched 2000 book, In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship
Essex, which in turn is based on two published accounts by men who survived
the incident. The scripters cherry-picked some details, glossed over others,
and most particularly “adjusted” both Chase and Pollard for melodramatic
intensity.
Perhaps borrowing from a similar
technique in 1997’s Titanic, the saga is recounted in flashback via a framing
device that finds an aging Thomas Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson), long ago the
Essex cabin boy, recounting these events to a certain Herman Melville (Ben
Whishaw).
It’s a cute touch — and Gleeson
and Whishaw display more acting chemistry than can be found in the film’s
primary storyline — but it’s totally bogus. Although these events definitely
helped inspire the 1851 publication of Moby-Dick, Melville wouldn’t have
needed to approach Nickerson for “the truth of the matter.” Chase’s own account
of the tragedy was published in 1821, shortly after his rescue and return to
his home in Nantucket.
Ah, well. Picky, picky, picky,
right?
