Ron Howard may have found himself a golden-haired, steel-jawed
muse in Chris Hemsworth because his two films with the actor have pushed way
beyond his usual comfort zone. In
the Heart of the Sea is a thrilling, sea-faring whale of an adventure
that, like Rush before
it, shows a level of technical mastery beyond what we normally see out of the workmanlike
Howard. And with Hemsworth literally manning the helm the film takes the shape
of a grand, deep sea epic with visuals so impressive they may leave audiences
waterlogged.
Herman Melville's whaling classic Moby Dick was inspired by In
the Heart of the Sea's mostly-true story, an account of the doomed vessel
Essex which ran into one whale that refused to be turned into candle wax.
Melville himself appears in the framing sequences, played by Ben Whishaw, who
arrives in Nantucket to interview drunken former sailor Tom Nickerson (Brendan
Gleeson) about his traumatic experience on the Essex years ago as a fresh-faced
kid (Tom Holland). Nickerson is reluctant to relive the horrors of three
decades past, but encouraged by his wife (Michelle Fairley) and the need for
some cash, he gives in and the tale is told mostly in flashback.
It's clear right away why Tom doesn't want to revisit that plagued
1820 voyage, as it was cursed before it ever left dock. Hemsworth plays
stalwart seaman Owen Chase, whose promise of captaining the Essex is waylaid by
the arrival of the untested George Pollard (Benjamin Walker), who gets the job
because of his family legacy. Chase is considered a "landsman",
meaning that he can't boast a similar lineage, and despite being passed over he
agrees to be the ship's first mate with the promise he'll get a ship to captain
upon returning with barrels full of whale oil.
That's if he returns, of course, and it isn't long before Pollard
is drawing the ire of Chase, who has the respect of the crew where the Captain
does not. The tensions continue to simmer as the Essex is battered pillar
to post by the crashing waves, rendered in beautiful CG that captures the
ocean's true danger. For a long yet consistently engrossing stretch the film
focuses on the taxing nature of whaling, capturing the massive creatures with
ropes and harpoons, dragging their carcasses aboard, and finally the grizzly
practice of extracting that glorious oil. There's a reason it's referred to as
"the treasure"; whale oil was everything back in a time before we
learned how to pull it straight out of the ground. To find it, and harvest it
quickly, means getting back home as soon as possible; back into the loving arms
of family with pockets full of coin. But when Pollard arrogantly steers
the ship straight into a perfect storm it also sets them on a course to
encounter a gigantic "alabaster" sperm whale, big enough to shatter a
ship with one lash of its tail.
The arrival of the giant whale turns the film into a gritty
survival horror. The men are stalked by a creature they can't understand that
pushes them to limits they can't fathom. It's the breaking of these
sturdy men and their sturdy ship where the film finds greatest purchase, as we
see the human spirit tested beyond belief. DP Anthony Dod Mantle captures every
creak of the ship's wooden frame, every frayed rope as the vessel verges on
breaking in half. And that's nothing compared to the physical toll taken on the
men, who go from strapping lads to withering scurvy dogs. Where the film
suffers is in not having a true point of view. While it's Tom reliving this
story for Melville's ears, when we see him as a young man he barely has a part
to play. There's nothing truly seen from his perspective, and the character has
no impact on Chase, who is clearly the film's hero. What's also missing is that
burning passion, the "man vs. nature' battle so crucial in Moby Dick. While nuts and bolts
were clearly what inspired Melville there are few themes between the two that
marry up. It's also tough to get beyond the actors who are largely
underutilized, specifically Cillian Murphy as the ship's second mate. Much of
the crew fade into the background and fail to make much of an impression.
Also failing to leave much of a mark is the film's too-simple
conclusion, which finds each character learning whatever lesson they need to be
learned for a happy ending. It's at this point that In the Heart of the Sea finally
begins to feel like just another Ron Howard film, dutifully leaving audiences
with a smile on their faces. It goes against so much of what the film had
accomplished before, but as a dark tale of greed, masculinity, and industry, In the Heart of the Sea still
proves largely unsinkable.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
