In the Heart of the Sea

Parental Rating: PG-13

Contains: Language    Violence    Adult Content    

Jill's Review

Opens December 11, 2015

Runs 121 minutes

This movie is about the actual whale that inspired the novel "Moby Dick". In 1820, the Essex sailed from Nantucket out to sea headed by Captain Pollard (Benjamin Walker) and First Mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) to collect as much whale oil as possible. As they travelled farther and farther from home, the whales became scarcer and scarcer. Until thousands of miles from home they encounter the great white demon, a giant sperm whale that managed to take down the Essex and leave the men stranded for over 90 days. As told by Tom Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson), one of the few survivors, this was something so harrowing that he had been unable to talk about it for 30 years. The men faced storms, starvation and other horrors in their attempt to survive and ultimately return home to their families.

This movie is bookended by Tom Nickerson relating this story to Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw) who eventually wrote "Moby Dick". That is fictional, but the rest of the harrowing adventure is true. Only 8 of the crew from that ship made it back. This movie immerses you into the life of a whaler. It is physical and violent at times. It is also gross. Chris Hemsworth was physically perfect for this role, climbing ropes and swinging around, perfectly at home on the ship. His accent was a little suspect but I thought he was good. You don't really get to know very many other characters. The Captain is entitled and inept. Young Tom is on his first trip to sea. And Matthew Joy (Cillian Murphy) has a past drinking problem. But, we don't know much else about these guys. So, the whole focus of the film is on the ship and the whales. And, that is enough. It is amazing to watch. It is breathtaking at times. And, the action is relentless. There is never a dull moment, but there are some very squirmy ones. Be prepared for whale blubber and other icky things. Overall though, this is a film about survival. Go see it.

Movie Search

Find a movie by name, genre, or ranking.