Grade: A-
Rating: PG-13, 2 hours 1 minute
In a Nutshell: 1820.
A giant, vengeful whale. A ship. A determined captain. Man vs. beast. Imagine Entertainment and Director Ron Howard
create a visual masterpiece with unbelievable cinematography, sailing you to
the “edge of insanity.”
This seafaring yarn graphically illustrates how Herman
Melville’s famous novel Moby-Dick came
to be. While the screen definitely captures
your attention, the storytelling has movie critics disappointed. I was entertained and intrigued, as well as
disgusted and exhausted.
As always, the book is better than the movie, but these special effects are innovative and effective.
As always, the book is better than the movie, but these special effects are innovative and effective.
Uplifting theme:
- “Can
man bend nature to our will? – Captain Pollard (Benjamin Walker)
- Persistence
and tenacity will see you through.
- Integrity
is worth more than reputation or money.
Things I liked:
·
THOR! If
you’re not in awe of the giant whale, then you have handsome and studly Chris
Hemsworth to stare at.
·
Believe it or not, I actually like it when there
are water spots on the camera lens. That
tells me there was real water in the scene and not just CGI. Then again, some of the scenes made me wonder
if the water spots were CGI! If so, nice
detail! The water scenes are so well
done that sometimes you even feel like you’re going to get splashed on.
·
The scene with the blood raining from above was
disgusting and extremely powerful.
·
I liked learning more about Melville, the author
of Moby-Dick, and played by Ben
Whishaw.
·
How did they get some of those amazing
scenes? Drones?
·
Interesting camera angles. I also love how the camera goes under the
water and back above the water seamlessly.
Great underwater scenes. You
might feel like holding your breath.
·
I thought the whale pins were cool. In order to earn one, young Tom Nickerson
(Tom Holland) is told that “you have to thrust a killing lance into one of the
largest beasts to grace this earth.”
·
I love the mention of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Tom Nickerson asks “Have you read Hawthorne,
Mr. Melville? There’s a writer, great
writer.” Apparently, Herman Melville was
quite taken with Hawthorne and even dedicated Moby-Dick to Hawthorne whom he compared to Shakespeare and called a
genius.
·
Great sound effects, although sometimes a bit
too loud.
·
I’ve always liked Charlotte Riley and wonder why
we don’t see her more often. She was
really great in Ridley Scott’s medieval drama “World Without End.”
·
I’m always impressed with characters who rise
above their temptations, like Cillian Murphy’s character, Matthew Joy. His resolve
to not drink alcohol, even when things got tough, was inspiring and not seen
often enough in movies.
·
I love that they included a quick shot of the
words “Call me Ishmael” on the screen, which is the first sentence in the
book Moby-Dick.
Things I didn’t like:
·
See it in 3D if you can, unless you get motion
sickness. You might get sea sick
watching some of the scenes. Just close
your eyes for a few seconds and you’ll be fine.
·
Some scenes have so many loud noises between
people yelling and waves crashing and boats creaking that you can’t quite
understand what anyone is saying.
·
Animal activists will find many of the scenes
unnerving.
·
I’ve never understood how all those sails and
ropes work, but it’s always fascinating to watch sailors work it.
·
The scene that shows the ocean view from Owen’s
house looks terribly artificial, but all of the other CGI scenes were very
believable.
Interesting lines:
·
“Sometimes, the fewer questions one asks, the
better.” - Matthew
·
“I’ll come back as quick as a summer’s eve.” – Owen
“Just come back.” – Peggy
·
“Without you, the world plunges into darkness.” –
Pollard senior
·
“Monsters, are they real or do the stories exist
to respect the sea’s dark secrets? The
question both vexes and excites me.” – Herman Melville
·
“The whale?
So, it’s true?” – Melville
“Yes. Too much is true.” – Nickerson
·
“The devil loves unspoken secrets.” – Melville
·
“No right-minded sailor discards what might save
him.” – Owen Chase
* "We will surely perish out there." - Captain Pollard
"We might also survive." - Mr. Chase
* "We will surely perish out there." - Captain Pollard
"We might also survive." - Mr. Chase
Tips for
parents:
- The
sailors draw a picture of a topless woman.
- Some
profanity.
- Several
intense scenes with lots of blood and guts.
- Skeletons
of dead guys might frighten young children.
- Explain
to your kids that a “greenhorn” is the old-fashioned way of saying “newbie”.
Sailing definitions:
Doldrums: an equatorial region of the Atlantic Ocean with
unpredictable and often no winds
Port side: left-hand
side of a ship
Squall: a sudden
violent storm
I always do all the “talking” in these reviews, but I want
to hear what YOU liked and didn’t like!
Please comment below!
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