In the Heart of the Sea (2015) Film Review

In the Heart of the Sea is an interesting film because its original appeal has suddenly vanished. Despite gaining some early traction when it scheduled for a March 2015 release date, and when it was later moved to December in slots which make it mostly avoid facing the enormous Star Wars Episode VII it was considered a good move to be alongside its Oscar contemporaries. And yet, mere weeks before its release, all that traction evaporated for unforeseen reasons, and with a middling critical response and failing to defeat the final entry of The Hunger Games franchise in its fourth weekend of release the film has simply become whale chow for Star Wars. With many considering its failure being a part of Chris Hemsworth's fault (outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe he's had little success in a lead role) or auteur Ron Howard's limited popularity, can the story which set up the American classic Moby Dick be an underrated find or deserving to be mauled?

In 1820, one Thomas Nickerson (Tom Holland) is about to embark on his first voyage as part of the whale oil trade which had recently gained huge success in his area. Leading the voyage is one George Pollard (Benjamin Walker), hired solely for his family heritage within the industry to the dismay of First Mate Owen Chase (Hemsworth) who had been promised the role of Captain following his previous voyage. Nonetheless, the crew of the Essex sets sail with the usual goal of obtaining whale oil goes awry when – against the word of warning from a fellow oil-seeker in one of the countries they visit – they hunt in an area protected by a destructive and unstoppable white whale, who ends up killing or destroying the lives of everyone on the Essex – not only losing all their oil but also their refuge and any way they can get home.

While a slight sense of intrigue is lost in the factor that Holland's character is played in an older form by Brendan Gleeson, repeatedly seen discussing the events that transpired to Moby Dick author Herman Melville (everyone's favourite Peruvian bear Ben Whishaw), the story remains enticing and interesting when the crew set sail towards the hunting area – with the opening few minutes where we see the crew introduced and come to grips with everything being a slow-paced but required proportion that likely won't hold up on repeat viewings. But as I said, once things actually get started In the Heart of the Sea does become interesting with an engaging ensemble piece and some particularly exciting moments. That being said though, it doesn't offer anything entirely new (the story itself was even adapted a couple of years back in mini-series form), so while it is an interesting viewing it does mostly rely on how much you care for the characters and its direction, which sadly isn't as strong as it should be. 

As evident by some of his other hits such as Rush, Ron Howard does have a strong sense of direction when it comes to his movies, and In the Heart of the Sea is no exception. While he tends to deviate to a number of leading line shots which feel mostly there for the sense of giving the non-Whale sequences an extra bounce of 3D, there aren't any shots which are badly-done or disinteresting; with even the 1850-based discussions between Melvile and Nickerson showing some artistic flair in the otherwise generic darkly-lit scenery. But those recurring leading lines are something of a distraction due to their sheer number of recurrences.

Despite Gleeson being the narrator of Holland's experiences, it's actually Hemsworth who's the lead here, and he does a great job at being the most engaging character. He's instantly given a crux for returning home in one piece and his fast obsession at both wanting to be the Captain and wanting the demon whale dead are portrayed naturally and easily. Not to mention his well-publicised weight loss being a tremendous job, it's a pity that the actor is getting blamed for the film's failure because he does a good enough job. Sea rival Walker is a little more stereotypical in terms of 'rich snob who got in because of family', but he does a good enough performance and by the time the third act sails in he becomes all the more interesting. Second mate Cillian Murphy is also doing a fine job but there's very little character depth given to him other than an understated friendship between his character and Owen Chase, whilst Tom Holland does well as the ship's greenhorn (and likewise Gleeson as his older self does as fine a job as ever against the always-great Whishaw). The rest of the crew however don't really get much chance to shine despite how massive an occasion the whale attack is to them, with the only exception being Frank Dillane as Owen Coffin, Captain George Pollard's younger cousin. That said, despite limited distinctive character traits between them all, the crew of the Essex are fine as a whole. 

In the Heart of the Sea is one of the forgotten finds of the heavily-crowded sea that is the awards season. While there isn't anything overly spectacular or new about the adaptation, it does at the very least offer up so good viewing and an interesting character piece where Chris Hemsworth shines, with Ron Howard remaining a strong (if not a little repetitive in this case) director and a good choice for this ocean tale. 7/10.