In the Heart of the Sea
2015  PG-13  ACTION  2h 1min
CAST— Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson
MUSIC— Roque Baños  DIRECTOR— Ron Howard  BASED ON— In the Heart of the Sea (book), by Nathaniel Philbrick

     If you’re one prone to seasickness you’d best steer clear of this one. In 1850 a young Herman Melville is determined to write a novel based on stories and rumors of a thirty-year old incident. He hunts down Thomas Nickerson, the last remaining survivor of the doomed Essex. The Essex was a sturdy whaling ship captained by George Pollard, Jr., a newbie whose crew had all the experience. First mate Owen Chase was the real deal, his years of experience earning the respect of the men. A clash of wills would soon begin between captain and first mate. Chase proved his mettle while leading the men on the voyage’s first whale hunt, but their victory would be short lived. Months would pass before they would even hear rumors of fertile whaling waters. And those waters would become their doom. The tale now shifts focus to one of survival, for out of the water arose a mighty whale, splotched with white, who clearly took offense at those trying to kill him. The whale obliterated the Essex, scattering the crew, who would spend months adrift, barely surviving (in most unsavory ways, one might add). Melville would craft these facts into a work of fiction, creating the now classic novel Moby-Dick. Harrowing in its depictions of life and death at sea, the film is a testament to the men in the once vital industry of whale oil.
OUR RATING— ** ½