Solemplex
To me, this movie is perfection.
MoPoshy
Absolutely brilliant
Raymond Sierra
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
sadaomuraki
I cannot understand why it was a commercial failure. Great story script and casting. Some people can argue that the rhythm is a little bit slow. However, three months floating in a lifeboat seems to be almost impossible to bear. This is not an action movie. This is an history of tragedy, point-break, survival, honor, and a great homage to Herman Melville and his masterpiece, Moby Dick. Many people who didn't read yet the novel will be undoubtedly interested to do it after watching this movie.
OneEightNine Media
Epic. Grand. These are just some of the words you can use to describe this film. I went into this literally knowing nothing other than it has that guy who plays thor in it and there is a boat. And water. Lots of water. An as I recall the marketing didn't give anything away but this film didn't do so well at the box office when it came out because it was one of the movies North Korea leaked that year. But yeah, telling you what it is about will spoil the experience a little because the subject matter is well-known but I will say this: the film is a realistic take on a classic. If you're into great ocean epics, you're going to love this.
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.
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.
