beresfordjd Ron Howard has made many wonderful movies but this is not really one of his best. Who had the idea that the cinema-going public would want to see whales being slaughtered for the oil they could supply in a barbarous way? Of course another drawback is the use of CGI which is almost always obvious. The onboard scenes are brilliantly done but at hardly any point does the viewer have any connection to the captain and crew of The Essex. Yes the film is kind of cold and uninvolving which is unusual in a film directed by Ron Howard. One thing the film does point up is the dreadful life the whalers of the time had. Out at sea for months and sometimes years at a time. Poorly fed and badly treated and always in danger of losing their lives in pursuit of a living.

Hitchcoc I am a huge fan of Moby Dick. I've taught it as a novel; I've read it several times. Its artistry is beyond measure. Herman Melville certainly knew his stuff when it came to whaling and the sea. Apparently, Melville gained his inspiration from a particular whaling voyage that produced fodder for his imagination. This film takes the fictional Melville back to the time where he heard the story of the white whale. If one looks at the book as the allegory it is, we put the stamp of whiteness and all the implications of the color (or lack of it) that it implies. This movie takes any artistry out of the story. Ahab lost his leg and pursues the elusive cetacean in the ultimate act of revenge. Here, a bunch of guys get in over their heads. They had an overzealous captain who simply was out for the commercial value of the animal. When the whale destroys the ship (they do give him supernatural powers) part of the crew is in whaleboats, trying to get someplace safe. Terrible things happen, including cannablism, and some manage to hold off their fates till they are rescued. But there is something dull about the pacing of the story. We aren't made privy to much of what goes on among them. There are the obligatory sacrifices that are not new to this genre. It's a decent movie, but a better script and some more personal depth would have helped.

gloriahur Based on the true story of the Essex, this movie depicts the physical and mental conditions of the crew very well with magnificent visual effects that are not exaggerated and realistic. The first half of the movie shows the conflict between Chase and Pollard when Pollard, who is not experienced in the whaling business but is from a prestigious family, becomes the captain of the ship instead of Chase, whose dream was to become a captain. Chase actually was promised to get the position this time, but was put off due to his status in the society. This illustrates the social inequality at that time.The second half of the movie becomes much more intense and turns on to the human instinct of survival. Although the action that was shown in the trailer was very brief, the stillness and the emptiness of the sea after the destruction of the ship is emphasized more through the contrast between the scenes. Everything becomes much more depressing and tiring and the image made me feel as if I was also lost in the sea. The fear and the despair of the lost crew is well portrayed through the great acting and the plot doesn't lose focus until the end of the movie. Some scenes of the movie, although realistic, were quite shocking, and the scenes when Chase looked into the whale's eye and didn't kill it, and when someone said that oil was found in the ground lingered in my mind for a while.

claudelalande This movie is both educational and well done. It made me look into the real story that inspired Melville's Moby Dick. It has good production value and tells a compelling story that keeps you watching. It may take some liberties with the historical facts, but is for the most part true to what is known of the real story. The characters are not shallow, but live through plausible emotions. Ron Howard directs his actors, and the whole production with his usual highly competent skills; he may not be a genius of the 7th art, but he will be remembered as an important director of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Overall, I am glad to have seen it and followed up on reading about the historical accounts behind the movie. I was very pleasantly surprised.