There is something captivating about Encore's 2 part version of Moby Dick. While the other reviews are accurate to point out: Ethan Hawke seems clueless, as if he isn't even sure why he is on a ship; and Hurt is hammy and often hard to understand. Somehow that adds to the charm.
The Pip being rescued from Ish early on is indeed out of place and completely unrealistic. It feels like a deleted scene from Lord of the Rings part 1, and the rest of the adaptation contains similar out of place, unrealistic scenes.
There is still a strong draw to it. The charisma of QQ and the various bro-mancing while playing dress up on a boat, pretending to be whaling, it's hard to pin down what makes it work for me.
It's not "so bad it's funny" as much as it's, so oddly put together it becomes compelling. After every scene I wonder if I missed something, or why I don't understand the Starbuck character yet, I marvel at the crew's willingness to cheer after ho-hum speeches about revenge, and the hot potato blame game going on with the crew.
The Ahab back-story is ludicrous yet Gillian Anderson is just fun to watch on screen and the "love story" with Hurt, I could watch that for hours on end as I never quite get where it's going, or what the point is. I'm on edge waiting for some plot point or character development that remains out of reach.
It's like Moby Dick himself, it's a tease for most of the 2 parts, yet I've watched this now a few times over, each time trying to catch something that I'm missing, perhaps the real story is just another few scenes away, or maybe I missed something when I got up for a drink of water?
It reminds me a little of a Christopher Nolan film, it's pretty, full of hammy actors and I always feel like there must be another explanation that got cut or edited.
"Go deeper" indeed.
The Pip being rescued from Ish early on is indeed out of place and completely unrealistic. It feels like a deleted scene from Lord of the Rings part 1, and the rest of the adaptation contains similar out of place, unrealistic scenes.
There is still a strong draw to it. The charisma of QQ and the various bro-mancing while playing dress up on a boat, pretending to be whaling, it's hard to pin down what makes it work for me.
It's not "so bad it's funny" as much as it's, so oddly put together it becomes compelling. After every scene I wonder if I missed something, or why I don't understand the Starbuck character yet, I marvel at the crew's willingness to cheer after ho-hum speeches about revenge, and the hot potato blame game going on with the crew.
The Ahab back-story is ludicrous yet Gillian Anderson is just fun to watch on screen and the "love story" with Hurt, I could watch that for hours on end as I never quite get where it's going, or what the point is. I'm on edge waiting for some plot point or character development that remains out of reach.
It's like Moby Dick himself, it's a tease for most of the 2 parts, yet I've watched this now a few times over, each time trying to catch something that I'm missing, perhaps the real story is just another few scenes away, or maybe I missed something when I got up for a drink of water?
It reminds me a little of a Christopher Nolan film, it's pretty, full of hammy actors and I always feel like there must be another explanation that got cut or edited.
"Go deeper" indeed.