I was excited when I saw a blurb earlier this year about In The Heart of the Sea coming to the big screen in 2015. I have stated numerous times that Nathaniel Philbrick’s novel of the same name is the single most descriptive book I’ve ever read. But Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex had a way to make me feel I was actually in the book. I read this book on a whim probably seven or eight years ago and was utterly engrossed. I didn’t understand the place of this movie in historical literature. I learned that it was set to be released in 2015, that it would be directed by Ron Howard (Apollo 13) and star Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Rush), which got me even more stoked. Finally, I learned that this would have a December release. Unfortunately, it has failed to meet its critics’ expectations and has been squashed. Still, In The Heart of the Sea was probably my anticipated movie of the year. I felt that this movie met all of my expectations and then some. It was exactly like the novel, and I gave it a solid A. However, I could easily see a scenario where this movie might not have been as enjoyable as it was for me.

To explain this in most straightforward turns, the true story of Philbrick’s Essex served as a partial basis of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. This is not implied. This is stated. The film begins with Melville (Ben Whishaw – Suffragette, The Danish Girl) visiting an innkeeper named Thomas Nickerson (Brendan Gleeson – Suffragette, The Guard) in 1850 Nantucket, MA. Melville offers Nickerson money in exchange for his account of the Essex disaster since Nickerson is the last living member. Melville wants to write a fiction novel about a whale but wants to hear Nickerson’s true tale before he begins. Nickerson, who has refused for years to talk about, relents when his wife (Michelle Fairley – television’s Game of Thrones, The Others) reminds him that they need the money. And this is where the story begins. The movie does an outstanding job of going back and forth between the long night that Melville and Nickerson spent together as Nickerson tells his story and the events of 1820. Howard did an excellent job of putting the story at the forefront, but not forgetting the impact that the story’s telling had on Melville and the memories 30 years later that continue to haunt Nickerson.

The whaling industry of the early 1800s was equivalent to the oil industry today. Oil had yet to be discovered in the ground. Whale oil was what did things like light lamps in continents like Europe and North America. Whalebones were used to make furniture. There were many by-products of whales, but the most important was undoubtedly the oil because there was no substitute. Those living in the northeast parts of the United States who were fortunate enough to have money knew that there was plenty of even more money to be made by sending out whaler boats with men who knew the dangers but also needed a job. These sailors were expendable to the influential ship owners. Suppose these young men could survive these dangerous conditions and bring home buckets full of oil, great. But if ships were destroyed and the lives of men were lost, so be it. It wasn’t what was wanted, but, in the end, this loss was nothing more than an entity on a balance sheet. The long story short was oil was needed, and the way to get a lot of oil at once was to hunt whales.

The Essex was one of the many refitted whaler boats, promised to Captain by Owen Chase (Hemsworth), a sea veteran. Chase had recently returned from a successful mission at sea and was promised by Paul Mason (Donald Sumpter – television’s Game of Thrones, television’s Jekyll & Hyde) that the next ship would be his to Captain. Mason backs away from his promise and tells Chase he will be on the ship, but it will be the first mate. A disgruntled Chase relents, but not before he gets in writing that the next ship will be his when he returns from this mission. Chase is selected as the first mate rather than Captain because George Pollard (Benjamin Walker – Kinsey, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter…and, yes, unfortunately, he was Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), still a young and inexperienced mariner himself but from a well-known whaling family with money to help spearhead the voyage. 

To say there is friction early on between Chase and Pollard would be an understatement. Interestingly, I found this to be what was most different between the book and the movie. In the book, I didn’t feel there was as much tension between the two men. I could see why Howard would want to bring this out a bit more. It not only adds drama but adds contrast between two very different characters. It was almost like creating a Ralph vs. Jack scenario in Lord of the Flies, a book all of us have read. Pollard was a rule follower, a disciplinarian, and a man who had been given a golden ticket in life. Chase relied on instinct, led by example, and was well-liked and respected by his peers and those serving under him. The strain of the situation was escalated by factors beyond the control of either Chase or Pollard. Pollard was awarded the captaincy of the Essex. Chase had no say. The two did not even know of each other before this decision being made. Likewise, Pollard was told Chase would be his first mate. He did not get to pick his crew, as customary during that time. The rift was going to be there from the start. So when there was adversity, these problems only escalated because Pollard and Chase disagreed.

Pollard and Chase were responsible for decisions that resulted in the Essex being destroyed by a vengeful sperm whale without giving too much away. I will not mention what happens from this point forth other than that it becomes a pure survival story. If you like a good adventure story or movie about people enduring extreme conditions, I do think this is your type of movie. With sweeping backdrops of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and a score that seems to go perfectly with each scene, it truly feels like you are another character on this ship. In the book, what terrified me was not the whale but the aftermath of the whale’s destruction. In the movie, it was quite a bit of both.

Speaking of characters, this is another area where the movie excels. Hemsworth was terrific in the movie Rush, and we all know that he makes a pretty darn good Thor (Thor, The Avengers), but this is arguably his finest movie to date. He was fantastic as the brash, fearless first mate who the crew loved. Walker was excellent as the Captain who longed to be liked and respected and was neither. This was Walker’s most nuanced performance to date. But not to be lost were some of the sub-characters, including the young Nickerson (Tom Holland – The Impossible, How I Live Now) who, at 14, was the youngest person on the ship. The book was seen through his eyes. The movie was too, yet how will you make him a focal point when you have Hemsworth? It’s a little more complicated. But seeing the young Nickerson grow from an innocent little boy into a God-fearing man who would do anything to be seen as good in the eyes of Chase was a nice little story in itself. Also, Cillian Murphy (Inception, Red Eye) was excellent as Second Mate Matthew Joy. This was quickly Murphy’s most subdued performance of his career and, quite honestly, my favorite. It was different to see Murphy playing a good guy for a change. He was fantastic at it. To be honest, for the first part of the film, I didn’t even know it was him. Joy looked like him, but he was so quiet and soft that I didn’t believe this was the same guy who played Scarecrow in The Dark Knight. A decade or so ago, I know he looked like he could be a leading man, but he is much more a character actor. I think he deserves more screen time in some of his roles. This movie was a step in the right direction for him.

Plot 10/10
Character Development 9/10 (slow and steady…so many characters, but you got to know all of the important ones well)
Character Chemistry 9/10 (you could often cut the tension between Chase and Pollack with a knife, but at the same time, there was a certain respect that each one had for each other that they wish they didn’t have)
Acting 9/10 (top-notch…Hemsworth was slightly better in Rush, but not by much…Cillian Murphy needs to do more of these roles…he’s very likable as a good guy)
Screenplay 10/10 (a perfect adaptation of the movie)
Directing 9.5/10 (I thought Howard did a great job…I know that others felt it was missing a just a little bit of a “wow” piece or parts that connected all of the scenes…again, I think I benefited from reading the book first)
Cinematography 10/10 (It was a 3D movie that would have done just fine without being in 3D)
Sound 9/10
Hook and Reel 9.5/10 (grabs hold and doesn’t let go…though I would agree with others if they felt it was missing a particular “it” factor)
Universal Relevance 10/10 (heck, this true story inspired perhaps the greatest American novel of all time)
95%

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• The Whale 
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