In the Heart of the Sea

While a movie like Life of Pi discussed the personal evolvement of a guy in a stranded situation in the middle of the sea, the latest film In the Heart of the Sea from director Ron Howard is more of a depiction of horror of that situation. Narrated similar to the pattern of Titanic, the sort of extreme conditions you get to see the characters going through may disturb you.

The film is actually about the voyage of a ship named Essex. Herman Melville who wrote the American classic Moby Dick goes to Mr. Nickerson who was there among the crew in that disastrous journey of Essex under Captain George Pollard. The movie shows Nickerson’s narration to Melville about the traumatizing incidents that happened during that risky journey of Essex.

A young boy being pushed into the brain of a whale, Nickerson describing the most desperate decisions they made to keep themselves alive and a few more visual impressions of similar situations are there in the movie that makes it too horrifying. I don’t know how much of those looks were achieved through special effects or make up, but the horror and fear a bunch of men would face when they are out of food and hope was there in Howard’s visualization.

The attitude one expects from a self made, ego hurt Owen Chase was there in Thor hunk Chris Hemsworth’s performance. Benjamin Walker as the inexperienced Captain Pollard was nice. Cillian Murphy as Mathew did his part nicely. Perfume boy Ben Whishaw and Brendan Gleeson also delivered quality performances.

Ron Howard gives more emphasis on the visual impact of the incidents that happen in this adventure. With spectacular visual effects that capture the violent sea and its monsters along with deadly conditions, the brutality was completely attained. In the midst of all this, Howard tries to give character detailing. The portion were Mr. Chase asks the Captain about Captain’s logic of human domination required a little more importance in the content so as to derive a thought from the film. The cinematography and edits along with production design showed good standard.

On the whole In the Heart of the Sea is visually grand, brutally real with narration and does manage to take you to the perspectives of all those affected individuals. It is an ego clash settled by a whale.