cinemacl🎃wn’s review published on Letterboxd:
From the director of Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind & Rush, In the Heart of the Sea arrives as a thrilling voyage that attempts to bring on screen the epic real-life story of disaster & survival that inspired the myth Moby Dick and while this fable does benefit at times from its occasionally kinetic direction, energetic camerawork, frenzied editing & sincere performances, it still finds its heart somewhat lost at sea.
The story takes place in 1820 and recounts the sinking of the American whaling ship, Essex. The plot follows the the vessel's captain & its first mate, who are at odds with each other at first but that growing animosity goes for a toss when their ship is brought down by an enormous & enraged whale, thus stranding its crew at sea with limited supplies.
Directed by Ron Howard, there are a lot of elements the film gets right under his supervision but due to the shortcomings in the script, it fails to make a lasting impression. The direction is good as Howard makes use of all his trademarks to give this story a zestful vibe but it doesn't last for long. The first hour is pretty much uneventful and even though the next half begins on a promising note, it fizzles out sooner than expected.
The screenplay includes many interesting elements but fails to fully explore any of it, which results in the lack of depth in both its plot & characters. The film takes a while to get things moving, the increasing hostility between Essex's captain & first mate begins on a captivating note yet isn't stretched enough, most of the characters inhabiting this tale are empty shells, and the script refuses to commit even when the plot delves into the darker territory.
The intent to keep it on PG-13 level really hurts its quality, for it could've done so much with the resources it had. The technical aspects are still a positive. Set pieces recreate the early 19th century surroundings in splendid detail, Cinematography gives its images a very warm, radiant glow with bright colour tones while also keeping an eye for 3D photography, Editing is just all over the place for its frenetic handling during action segments give those moments a big boost yet the overall pacing remains dull.
The background score remains in sync with whatever unfolds on screen and never becomes an issue. Coming to the performances, the movie packs in an impressive ensemble in Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson & others yet it's only a couple of them whose inputs matter. The characters of Hemsworth & Murphy work mostly because of the actors' screen charisma, Walker & Holland put in some fine effort while Whishaw & Gleeson don't have anything relevant to add.
On an overall scale, In the Heart of the Sea is undeniably a vibrantly shot cinema with an intriguing premise but it falls remarkably short of the greatness it aspires for. The best thing about the movie is the whale itself but it takes too long for the mammal to surface, and then there isn't much of it either. There are moments when you want it to go all-out with its content but the film simply refuses to and what's left of it is a soulless tale that ends up winding nowhere. Entertaining in bits n pieces and underwhelming for the most part, In the Heart of the Sea neither has the heart of a great story nor the depth of the sea it ventures in.