Review: In the Heart of the Sea

Author Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw) visits an elderly Tom Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson), hoping to get the scoop on what happened on the voyage of the Essex in the early 1800s. The crux of the film flashes back to tell the story of the voyage in search of whale oil, and particular the stressful relationship between first-mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) and rich, but far less experienced captain George Pollard (Benjamin Walker), who thoroughly resents the former’s input. Storms, starvation, and petty stubbornness ensues. Michelle Fairley plays Nickerson’s wife, Tom Holland plays the young Nickerson, and Cillian Murphy plays the second-mate.

 

Based on a novel from 2000 by Nathaniel Philbrick, this 2015 seafaring flick from director Ron Howard (“Parenthood”, “Backdraft”, “Apollo 13”, “Ransom”) tells the story of author Herman Melville’s chief inspiration in writing the classic “Moby Dick”. I’ve read neither Melville’s novel nor Philbrick’s, but as scripted by Charles Leavitt (“The Mighty”, and the excellent “Blood Diamond”) this is a film of two distinct halves. The first half is a boring re-tread of every seafaring adventure you’ve ever seen, and the second half is even more boring as things aboard the ship turn from clichéd class/rank politics into rather unpleasant survival story clichés that aren’t any more interesting. I was expecting something a lot better than this. I know all seafaring flicks operate on some clichés, but this one seems to operate on all of them.

 

It’s also thoroughly unconvincing, right down to whatever the fuck accent Chris Hemsworth was attempting. I think it was meant to be a Bostonian accent (apparently Nantucket, to be precise), but if so, he monumentally botches it in a bunch of different ways throughout. Seriously, he has horrendous navigation skills when it comes to that accent, it’s like a bad “SNL” parody, something I seem to say a lot about Hemsworth and his accents. If it weren’t for “Rush” (a much better Ron Howard film), I’d start to wonder if he’s just a shit actor. I get that no one has much of an idea of what someone would’ve sounded like early 1800s Nantucket, but Hemsworth never convinced me for a second that they would sound remotely like him. Everyone else’s accent sounds either flat and neutral, or like they’re doing a really bad RFK impersonation. Even the otherwise very fine (but wasted) Brendan Gleeson has a wavering accent of indistinct locality.

 

The film looks extremely attractive as shot by Anthony Dod Mantle (“Slumdog Millionaire”, “127 Hours”, “Rush”), but even that has its downside. Yes, the images are stunning, but there’s a few moments here and there where the green screen is completely obvious. Gorgeous, but artificial-looking, with some scenes seemingly shot through a slightly green-tinged filter that probably ought to be more blue (that’s nit-picking, though). Some of the later scenes are a bit too washed-out for my liking too, but honestly, visuals are not this film’s major issue, I really am nit-picking in that regard. The stormy scenes in particular are absolutely frightening, the best thing about the entire film, though the CGI dolphins and whales are fairly convincing to my eyes, too. On an action level, it definitely delivers from time to time, too. I just wish I cared, and that comes down to scripting and acting. With everyone seeming as though they’re merely acting in a seafaring adventure rather than convincingly inhabiting their characters, and a look that while gorgeous, is artificial…it’s hard to be pulled in. When you add the abundance of story and character clichés, you’re kept at even more of a distance. I mean, no matter its basis in history/literature, do we really need another character dynamic of the wannabe captain forced to serve under a less experienced, rich kid who immediately rubs everyone the wrong way? Practically every film of this type has a similar dynamic going on (“Mutiny on the Bounty”, even), usually done more convincingly. Hell, even the film’s climax echoes the earlier “Wreck of the Mary Deare”.

 

Unconvincing seafaring flick eventually turns into an unconvincing tale of survivalism, and plays like a bad “SNL” sketch about ‘old-timey’ people for the most part. Beautiful, but artificial and dull. I found myself letting it all wash over me a bit after a while. Massive disappointment from a usually fairly reliable filmmaker.

 

Rating: C