I enjoy finding films that seem to have slipped me by, and this Ron Howard film is one of those. It's an adaption of the Nathaniel Philbrick's novel by the same name, and if you haven't read that it's kind of based on events that could have transpired to influence Herman Melville to write "Moby Dick" - the famous 1851 novel where Captain Ahab's purses the giant titular white whale. When I say, "it's kind of based on", that's because - well who know - Philbrick certainly based his work on an account by sailor Thomas Nickerson that was found in 1960 and authenticated in 1980 - but still - who knows eh. In the film, Melville interviews a survivor of the Essex and uses this as inspiration for his book. While it is suggested that Melville did base some of his story on the Essex, there is no genuine evidence that he met that survivor himself. I'm not going to hold that against this film though. Before watching this, I had actually recently re-read Melville's story so I was interested to see what this film brought when I managed to watch a copy of it. Would it be as absorbing as the book, or would it be a wet, rubbery, flounder of an attempt?
In the main starring roles are Chris Hemsworth (as Owen Chase), Cillian Murphy (as Matthew Joy), Brendan Gleeson (as Tom Nickerson), Ben Wilshaw (as Herman Melville), Tom Holland (as Thomas Nickerson), and Benjamin Walker (as George Pollard). Aboard the ship there is plenty of emotion and tension as the crew all struggle with the life they have chosen and the battle that they eventually take up or are forced on. Having read Melville's story, it was easy to see correlations between the characters being displayed and characters in the book - Cpt Ahab, Ishmael, Starbuck, Queequeg, and Dagoo. While my wife wasn't a fan of the Nantucket accent the cast were adopting it's something that I could easily look past once the film started picking up pace and the ship went to sea. As the film kicks in there are some real intoxicating emotions being displayed, suspense, tension, panic, despair - the men go from being ready to do their job, to hating life and wanting revenge, to questioning their life choices and the purpose of living and choosing whether to try and survive or not.
Writers Charles Leavitt, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver do a real good job constructing a story which stays relatively true to source material while also giving some great dialogue as well as a health mix of pacing. While some people may watch this and question the stop/start pace of the film I am happy to dismiss this, it's the same reason why some people don't finish Melville's book. The pace of both are a good reflection of life on board a sea faring vessel where you might be away from home for long periods of time (apparently anyway - I'm not a sailor so can't be 100%). There are times when life moves really slow and one moment feels the same as the last. Then there are times when things move really quickly and you have to hang on for dear life, especially when confronted with issues to deal with - storms, famine, massive white whales. Like the novels this film is based on, in the quieter times you still get to learn things which is nice - after all "Ignorance is the parent of fear" (yeah, I just quoted Melville - sue me!! :D )
I really enjoyed the visuals that were presented, the vast and empty landscapes which at times were bleak and other times fruitful really gave a great quality. When not at sea the environments that the crew were put in, whether together or solo, really worked well and gave a sense of authenticity. There was a good blend of practical and computer-generated effects used, and even the whales looked well crafted, something that might not always be the case. While breaking down whales on the ship (like Tom Holland's character had to do) it looked like a visceral and dirty job and situation to be in. Likewise, when hunting the white whale at sea, or being hunted by it more accurately, it didn't look terrible. I'd have been really disappointed if I'd have endured the film only to see a CGI whale splash out of the water. There are some scenes were there is obvious use of green screen but what I'm saying is that it didn't detract from my enjoyment, especially when we are pulled back to the human dramas unfolding. The whale also took a bit of a backseat - sure it's one of the main antagonists, but the development of the characters and their issues is the main vehicle. If I'd have seen another "Gregory Peck tied to a big rubbery fish with prosthetic dead eyes looking back" kind of scene here I think I'd have rated this film a lot lower - not that the 1956 "Moby Dick" film was bad, it's just there's a time and a place, and with Ron Howard stamping some good qualities on this film seeing a full size rubbery whale would have been a let-down.
So, "I am past scorching: not easily can'st thou scorch a scar" (yeah, another quote!! Sue me twice!) - in summary, I enjoyed the film. I was surprised this hadn't appeared on my radar and I'd happily watch it again. It can be tough work at times but the reward was worth it and Ron Howard brings a good human melodrama with a backdrop of the cruel world of 1800's whaling. It's beautifully wrapped up with good cinematography, and once you get passed Thor, Spider-Man, and Tommy Shelby being sailors you get to have (sorry) a whale of time (really sorry). 7/10.
In the main starring roles are Chris Hemsworth (as Owen Chase), Cillian Murphy (as Matthew Joy), Brendan Gleeson (as Tom Nickerson), Ben Wilshaw (as Herman Melville), Tom Holland (as Thomas Nickerson), and Benjamin Walker (as George Pollard). Aboard the ship there is plenty of emotion and tension as the crew all struggle with the life they have chosen and the battle that they eventually take up or are forced on. Having read Melville's story, it was easy to see correlations between the characters being displayed and characters in the book - Cpt Ahab, Ishmael, Starbuck, Queequeg, and Dagoo. While my wife wasn't a fan of the Nantucket accent the cast were adopting it's something that I could easily look past once the film started picking up pace and the ship went to sea. As the film kicks in there are some real intoxicating emotions being displayed, suspense, tension, panic, despair - the men go from being ready to do their job, to hating life and wanting revenge, to questioning their life choices and the purpose of living and choosing whether to try and survive or not.
Writers Charles Leavitt, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver do a real good job constructing a story which stays relatively true to source material while also giving some great dialogue as well as a health mix of pacing. While some people may watch this and question the stop/start pace of the film I am happy to dismiss this, it's the same reason why some people don't finish Melville's book. The pace of both are a good reflection of life on board a sea faring vessel where you might be away from home for long periods of time (apparently anyway - I'm not a sailor so can't be 100%). There are times when life moves really slow and one moment feels the same as the last. Then there are times when things move really quickly and you have to hang on for dear life, especially when confronted with issues to deal with - storms, famine, massive white whales. Like the novels this film is based on, in the quieter times you still get to learn things which is nice - after all "Ignorance is the parent of fear" (yeah, I just quoted Melville - sue me!! :D )
I really enjoyed the visuals that were presented, the vast and empty landscapes which at times were bleak and other times fruitful really gave a great quality. When not at sea the environments that the crew were put in, whether together or solo, really worked well and gave a sense of authenticity. There was a good blend of practical and computer-generated effects used, and even the whales looked well crafted, something that might not always be the case. While breaking down whales on the ship (like Tom Holland's character had to do) it looked like a visceral and dirty job and situation to be in. Likewise, when hunting the white whale at sea, or being hunted by it more accurately, it didn't look terrible. I'd have been really disappointed if I'd have endured the film only to see a CGI whale splash out of the water. There are some scenes were there is obvious use of green screen but what I'm saying is that it didn't detract from my enjoyment, especially when we are pulled back to the human dramas unfolding. The whale also took a bit of a backseat - sure it's one of the main antagonists, but the development of the characters and their issues is the main vehicle. If I'd have seen another "Gregory Peck tied to a big rubbery fish with prosthetic dead eyes looking back" kind of scene here I think I'd have rated this film a lot lower - not that the 1956 "Moby Dick" film was bad, it's just there's a time and a place, and with Ron Howard stamping some good qualities on this film seeing a full size rubbery whale would have been a let-down.
So, "I am past scorching: not easily can'st thou scorch a scar" (yeah, another quote!! Sue me twice!) - in summary, I enjoyed the film. I was surprised this hadn't appeared on my radar and I'd happily watch it again. It can be tough work at times but the reward was worth it and Ron Howard brings a good human melodrama with a backdrop of the cruel world of 1800's whaling. It's beautifully wrapped up with good cinematography, and once you get passed Thor, Spider-Man, and Tommy Shelby being sailors you get to have (sorry) a whale of time (really sorry). 7/10.