MovieChat Forums > In the Heart of the Sea (2015) Discussion > Why was this panned?

Why was this panned?

posted 8 years ago by Lazaka
9 replies | jump to latest

I watched this last night on HBO and I thought Ron would have focused a bit more on the Whale attacking the Essex and the Whale following the boats and the strain between Chase and Pollard instead of them being stranded at sea. I thought it was brilliantly acted, beautiful cinematography and the story was very emotional and I really liked the film though.

Some critics are just so harsh.

I'm going to buy it on Blu Ray to watch the extras.

Chris Hemsworth as a serious actor was not only beautiful to look at, but he can really act and he was the right choice. Cillian Murphy could have had more screentime, same as Paul Anderson because they're both brilliant actors, but this was the first time I saw Tom Holland besides his Spidey role in CW and he was great. Sorry I missed this in cinema.

Oh and the actor who played Coffin, I think his name is Dillane? He was also good. Great casting choices all around, too many to compliment.

Joon:you're out of your tree Sam: it's not my tree 

[–] malley321 8 years ago

The story was corny and cliche as you can possibly get. The special effects were awful. The colour drain in the scenes where they are adrift (why is the sky yellow?) looked awful. The supporting characters are indistinguishable. The convenience that Pollards boat and Chases boat would reunite on the wide open ocean just in time for the final dramatic encounter is ridiculous. The film completely rewrites history so that Pollard is the arrogant, reckless man who became obsessed with revenge against the whale, when in fact this is closer in truth to Chase, who the film romanticized. The film strays so far from factual history that it doesn't deserve the moniker "based on a true story"; there's barely anything true about it. The actors were probably the only good thing about it, but then again the filmmakers made it easy for them by making the characters two-dimensional.

[–] Lazaka 8 years ago

ahh...I see. Again, I watched it in HD, so I didn't catch all that, plus I didn't know the true story.

Very well. I still enjoyed the movie though.

Joon:you're out of your tree Sam: it's not my tree 

[–] digitaldiva 8 years ago

Hi Lazaka,

I watched it and enjoyed it despite the problems. My main issue was trying to tell a dual story; the Moby Dick subplot constantly stopped the action. I also agree that the CGI wasn't the best. I like Chris Hemsworth, a talented actor, but found his beauty distracting at times.

[–] Lazaka 8 years ago

Hi!

I'm a fan of dual stories, so maybe that's why it didn't bother me and didn't think the Melville part took too much away. I loved The Usual Suspects.

Yes, I'm getting that the CGI was the problem. I'll admit that it must have been a huge distraction in cinemas, I wouldn't have wanted to pay to see that. I was swept up in the story and just didn't pay attention to the CGI I suppose. I also watched it on tv, big difference.

LMAO at your Chris Hemsworth comment, I just think of myself shopping and seeing the DVD or the Blu Ray with his face on it and me stopping and getting distracted and my son said to me "I get it, he is a beautiful man, can we move along now?"  I tried to put out of my mind how beautiful he was to look at because the story really was interesting and I've never heard it. With that said, I heard it wasn't even the true story.

Is the book different than the movie? My daughter just finished the book and I can read it, but if it's the same story, why bother now, I'm so behind on my reading.

Joon:you're out of your tree Sam: it's not my tree 

[–] digitaldiva 8 years ago

Hi Lazaka,

The book is different from the film and doesn't make the Hemsworth character a hero. It's superior to the film.

[–] malley321 8 years ago

With that said, I heard it wasn't even the true story.

It is a true story, but a lot was changed or invented for the film. The book tells the story truthfully.

Is the book different than the movie?

The book is very different from the movie and is a much more interesting story.

[–] digitaldiva 8 years ago

Hi malley321, I think you meant this reply to Lazaka rather than me.

[–] malley321 8 years ago

Yes, that was my intention.

[–] TennMom 8 years ago

I tried many times in school to read Moby Dick. I just couldn't get through it for some reason, and I've always loved reading. I knew just enough to really enjoy this movie. I'm 70 years old now and about all I can do is watch movies. I can't stand most of the shows on network Tv. They are becoming as filthy as some of the movies made these days. I don't try to find problems or differences from an earlier movie. I just enjoy the movie. I do try to see all of Ron Howard's films.I know I don't have to worry about what I will see.