In the Heart of the Sea Movie Review

Hello, fellow moviegoers!
   Moby Dick is one of the most famous American novels ever written. Even though a majority of people nowadays (including myself) have not read it, it has managed to become a major pop culture icon. It’s had silent films made, Tom and Jerry spoofs, and even a Led Zeppelin song named after it. Now, a new film can be added to that long list. It's not necessarily based upon Moby Dick, but rather the true story behind it.
   In the Heart of the Sea stars Chris Hemsworth, Brenden Gleeson, Tom Holland, and Cillian Murphy. It is based upon the true story that inspired the tale of Moby Dick. The film is told from the perspective of an older man played by Brenden Gleeson. He’s recounting the tale of his misadventure on the ship Essex, a whaling ship that happens upon a whale with a human-like sense of retaliation. This film was on my 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2015 list. Did it live up to expectations?

   In the Heart of the Sea is a good movie. This review starts and ends with that. Is it a great movie? No. Is it a bad movie? No. It’s good. That’s about all there is to it.
   The cast did an overall nice job. All of their characters were portrayed well, and they did their job. But nobody was really amazing in this film. Which was disappointing as there was so much that could have been done with these characters. There is only one actor in this film that delivered a great performance, and that was Brenden Gleeson. He gives a great performance in everything he’s in even if it’s bad. Just look at him in The Village. If he can give a great performance in that film, he can give a great performance in about anything.
      The actors’ dedication to the film should be noted. As they did actually slim themselves down to skin-and-bones for their roles. Just look at how much The Mighty Thor, Chris Hemsworth, slimmed down for the role (pictured left).  It made those parts of the film very realistic, and the gravity of their situation really hit home because of that.
   The visual effects were hit and miss. There were some scenes that were seamless, but with other scenes the green screen was extremely noticeable. It ended just being a nuisance. Whenever the CGI would be unnoticeable (which it should always be), the film would jump to a different scene with mediocre visuals. Because the audiences’ brains were used to the great effects, the run-of-the-mill effects seemed worse than they actually might have been.
   The whale itself was great whenever it was on screen, but when it wasn’t the film slowed down drastically. Also, there was no build-up to any of the whale scenes. This behemoth would just come out of nowhere and disappear from the plot right when it was starting to get really interesting. When the end of the film hit, it seemed like the whale storyline was left unresolved. As that is an integral part of the plot, it ended up making the film feel incomplete. This whale was such a missed opportunity. It could have been one of the best things in cinema this year, but just like the rest of the film, it settles for decent.
   At the end of the day In the Heart of the Sea is a good film. I would recommend it to you if you’re a fan of the story of Moby Dick or even just a fan of Chris Hemsworth. It’s not a perfect film. The pacing is a little off, and the visual effects were iffy at times. But, I’d enjoyed it nonetheless.
6.5/10

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   So what did you think of In the Heart of the Sea? Did you enjoy the whale or did you find it underutilized? Let me know by commenting on this post. Also, if you enjoyed this review, share it on Facebook and Twitter. It really helps! Don’t forget, I post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so check back then for more movie reviews and editorials!
 
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