AnneCarlini.com Home
 
  Giveaways!
  Insider Gossip
  Monthly Hot Picks
  Book Reviews
  CD Reviews
  Concert Reviews
  DVD Reviews
  Game Reviews
  Movie Reviews
  Check Out The NEW Anne Carlini Productions!
  [NEW] Belouis Some (2024)
  [NEW] Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel (2024)
  [NEW] Mark Ruffalo (‘Poor Things’)
  [NEW] Paul Giamatti (‘The Holdovers’)
  [NEW] Crystal Gayle
  [NEW] Ellen Foley
  Gotham Knights [David Russo - Composer]
  The Home of WAXEN WARES Candles!
  Michigan Siding Company for ALL Your Outdoor Needs
  MTU Hypnosis for ALL your Day-To-Day Needs!
  COMMENTS FROM EXCLUSIVE MAGAZINE READERS!


©2024 annecarlini.com
TIT

'In the Heart of the Sea' [Blu-ray+DVD+Digital HD
(Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw, Tom Holland, et al / 2-Disc Blu-Ray+DVD / PG-13 / 2016 / Warner Bros.)

Overview: A recounting of a New England whaling ship's sinking by a giant whale in 1820, an experience that later inspired the great novel Moby-Dick.

Blu-Ray Verdict: In truth, I was drawn into the movie because I'm a history buff, and its always nice to see a film that is "based on a true story" and on the big screen. And given this was made by Ron Howard who did extensive research, the movie met my expectation as a historical/entertainment film.

'In the Heart of the Sea' is no exception and nice to see Chris Hemsworth starring in a history based movie rather then the Thor fantasy movie. Also Cillian Murphy from Batman, Tom Holland aka Spiderman, and Brendan Gleeson from a lot of fantasy film.

The story is based on the account of the whaling ship the Essex on her voyage to bring some whale oils back to USA. During her final hunt for some whales, the ship was rammed by an unusually large sperm whale that was twenty feet longer then anything recorded. The main ship was badly damaged beyond repair and sank. The crews had to used their small whale boats as life boats and pray that rescue will come. During their course to survive, the survivors resorted to cannibalism until rescued by passing ships. And the story became legend and Moby Dick was born.

The cast was actually pretty good. Chris throwing his "Thor" command and putting himself in that time period was a good change, Cillian which we all know from Batman and Tom Holland from Spiderman knew their part.

The film itself was entertaining and some of the historical main features were kept, some were left out but that is to be expected to keep the flow of the film going. Most history buff may be a little annoyed, but keep in mind this was a full production film and one that wasn't made for the History Channel. However, most of the main theme from the book and Owen and the Cabin boy's account were spot on and just showed the dreadful condition these men had to endure.

The one thing I do complain was the whale showed up like some giant monster whereas in the book, whale never showed up again. I would count about 3 scenes which was nice and moving, but historically speaking, never happen. The only thing that DID happen was when the whale after ramming the ship, swam side by side and that was when Owen had the lance but did not throw it. That was exactly what happen and Ron made that scene very powerful and both sad that that whale was defending his people and the real bad guys were the whaling people.

Some people who watched this film with me ACTUALLY wanted more scenes of the whale, but if you want something like that, go watch a whale monster movie. The film is about extreme survival where decent humans had to throw away their humanity to survive and Ron Howard did a great job in presenting that to us.

Now remember for us History buffs, the movie does leave out some features in order to keep the show going, so don't expect it to be like another docu-drama where they can have many episodes. That all said though, the film is expansive, huge in tone and well worth the money you pay to either rent it or buy it. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

- Whale Tales: Melville's Untold Story
- The Hard Life of a Whaler
- Chase & Pollard: A Man of Means and A Man of Courage
- LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE: The Real-Life Sequel To Moby Dick
- Commanding the Heart of the Sea
- DELETED SCENES
- EXTENDED SCENES
- Ron Howard: Captain's Log Journey's End
- Ron Howard: Captain's Log Editorial and Score
- Ron Howard: Captain's Log Production Wrap
- Ron Howard: Captain's Log Getting in Ship Shape
- Ron Howard: Captain's Log Out to Sea
- Ron Howard: Captain's Log Controlled Chaos
- Ron Howard: Captain's Log Into the Tank
- Ron Howard: Captain's Log First Day of Filming
- Ron Howard: Captain's Log Location Scout
- Ron Howard: Captain's Log Intro

Own 'In the Heart of the Sea' on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray, or DVD on March 8th or Own It Early on Digital HD now!

Official Trailer





...Archives