In The Heart Of The Sea (12A)
Verdict: Deserves to make a splash ★★★✩✩
The Force Awakens (12A)
Verdict: Out of this world
★★★★✩
Ron Howard’s 19th-century whaling epic In The Heart of The sea hasn’t quite sunk without trace since it opened in the U.s. last week, but it is clearly adrift in stormy waters, and to make matters worse, there is now the wake of a cinematic leviathan to contend with, in the mighty form of the new star wars film.
There is only one epic on everyone’s minds this month, and it certainly isn’t Howard’s. But since I reviewed star wars: The Force awakens in wednesday’s Mail, ahead of that night’s premiere, let me tinker with the cosmic order of things and give priority here to In The Heart of The sea, which despite its miserable early performance at the U.s. box office is actually rather good.
Based on a book by nathaniel Philbrick and opening here on Boxing day, it tells the true story of the final voyage of the Essex, a whaling ship from the new England island of nantucket, which in turn inspired Herman Melville’s celebrated 1851 novel Moby dick.
The Essex set out in 1820, under the uncertain command of the inexperienced George Pollard (Benjamin walker), scion of a famous nantucket seafaring family. determined to assert his authority over the low-born but heroic first mate, master whaler owen Chase ( a floppy- haired, improbably muscular Chris Hemsworth), he led the Essex into perilous conditions and very nearly to the bottom of the ocean.
BUT it wasn’t Pollard’s stubbornness and naivety that did for the Essex. It was an enormous white whale, possessed like the shark in Jaws of a level of vindictiveness that seemed downright human. destroying the ship wasn’t enough for this creature; it then pursued the stricken sailors on their makeshift lifeboats, evidently intent on finishing them off.
all this is told in extended flashback, as Melville (Ben whishaw) researches the story that is to make him famous, by persuading the only surviving crew member, Tom nickerson (Brendan Gleeson, superb as ever), to open up about the traumatic events of 30 years before.
It’s stirringly done, and Howard has put the reported $100 million budget to good use; the scenes at sea are brilliantly choreographed and at times positively breathtaking. no matter how many people don’t flock to see it, the film’s British cinematographer, anthony dod Mantle, who won an oscar for slumdog Millionaire, has another artistic triumph on his hands.
why the film is running aground financially is hard to understand. whatever, it’s a shame because it is deserving of an audience,