In the Heart of the Sea (2015)

The Worst Film Ever

Pretty Good

People are voting emotionally.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

First of all, yes. it is a yarn. Oh yes. There really was an Essex, and it really was attacked by a whale, and the crew really did struggle for survival as they drifted, and the story of the Essex really was the inspiration for Herman Melville's novel "Moby Dick." All that is true enough. But the story told here takes a lot of liberties with what really happened to the Essex. Most importantly, the survivors of the Essex weren't stalked by one particular whale, as the movie suggests (although they were apparently later attacked by an orca.) But that aside (and I'm never too hard on movies "based on a true story" straying from the true story) "In The Heart Of The Sea" is an exciting, sea-faring adventure..Directed by Ron Howard, and starring Chris Hemwsorth as First Officer Chase and Benjamin Walker as Captain Pollard, this is really a movie that's more about human survival in desperate times. The movie is sympathetic to Chase and portrays Pollard as young and arrogant and the friction between the two is a significant part of the story. The truth is actually that it was Chase who made several mistakes that probably cost lives. But while the portrayal of that relationship may have been what drove this movie forward, basically, this is a movie about morality and how far we'll go to overcome the odds. In those ways, the movie is a good reflection on the plight of the Essex. For those who are expecting a sort of "Jaws"-like adventure, where the whale is really the star of the show, this will be disappointing. Really, the actual attack by the whale (while very well depicted) doesn't take up all that much time in the movie. It's more the story of the crew and how they respond once the Essex sinks and they're left on the small whaling boats with little food or water and thousands of miles from the coast of South America. How far will they go to survive? It's presented as the reminiscences of Tom Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson) - a 14 year old member of the crew who reluctantly relates the story many years later to Herman Melville (Ben Whishaw), who supposedly uses Nickerson's memories as the basis for "Moby Dick." Whether Melville actually spoke to Nickerson I'm not sure, but I have read that before writing "Moby Dick" he did meet Chase's son, and after publishing "Moby Dick" he did meet Captain Pollard.Although most of the story is set on the Essex or its surviving whaleboats, I'd give credit to Gleeson for a very good performance. He captures the torment of Nickerson, who remains haunted 30 years later by his memories of what happened on that voyage on the Essex. In fact, I'd say generally that all the performances in this were good, and that Howard did a good job with directing.I wouldn't say that "In The Heart Of The Sea" (which was actually based on a book by Nathaniel Philbrick) rises to the level of a great movie, but it's certainly a movie that holds the attention of the viewer. (8/10)

It seems there is a misleading here. This movie is not based on the classic book of Moby Dick, but on the book that was published in 2001, called "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex". I really enjoyed the movie, but it has nothing to do with the story of Moby Dick. It is a bit of a fraud to be honest. Someone just published a similar story like Moby Dick with another name and of course not the same context (Moby Dick is superior and one of the best books ever) so that they could present us a movie with happy end, likable characters etc. For me, this dishonor the writer of Moby Dick, Herman Melville. The movie moved me and I really enjoyed this story, I loved how nature is depicted and that for once again humans are greedy creatures that do not respect other beings. But that does not change the fact that director wanted an easy movie, and not one that would be based in the ruthless reality about sea, nature and man.

Why the hell would anyone want to make a movie about how these stupid men try to kill one of the most beautiful creatures that existed The planet and are about to get FUC**NG extinct?? like what the hell......this happened about 100 years ago, and they made a movie about this!? why??? It's disgusting and horrible to see how this peaceful animals get killed... they were at the border of extinction for the freaking oil.. for humans... what the hell seriously. I saw a part of the movie, the whales were all together swimming around this freaking monsters just being beautiful beings... there was even a baby whale... i mean why putting a baby whale (even if it's by freaking computing animation) whats the point of that? ... just bad. bad movie

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.